TALLINN. Aug 4 (Interfax) - The remnants of a Soviet-era submarine have been discovered off the coast of Estonia's Ruhnu Island following complaints by local fishermen that their fishing nets kept running across some large item, the local Saarte Haal newspaper reported on Thursday.
A scan sonar confirmed the presence of an unknown submarine on the seabed.
However, the head of Estonia's expedition, set up as part of the Shipwher project to look for sunken ships, has declined to provide further details, adding that it is not yet known for certain what exactly has been found.
Prominent Estonian archeologist Vello Mass, who discovered the Russian battleship Rusalka, which sank in 1893, described the latest finding as a Soviet-era submarine of the Shchuka (translated into Russian as pike) class, which was dumped by the Soviet Navy in 1958 as part of exercises.
Soviet deep-sea divers then used this submarine to practice underwater operations, Mass said.
The submarine wreck was found at a depth of 55-60 meters, 2.5 nautical miles east of the Ruhnu Island.