1918-19 British warships found off Estonia
Three British warships sunk off the coast of Estonia in action immediately after the First World War have been discovered.
An Estonian naval vessel found the wrecks of HMS Cassandra, HMS Gentian and HMS Myrtle near the island of Saaremaa about 90 miles south-west of the capital, Tallinn.
The Estonian navy said the wrecks legally belong to Britain.
The three vessels were part of a British squadron sent to the Baltic in 1918-19 to deliver arms to Estonia, which was fighting for independence against both Bolsheviks and German troops.
All were sunk by mines. The Cassandra sank on 6 December, 1918 after hitting a mine, killing ten sailors. The remaining crew of 400 was evacuated.
Minesweepers Gentian and Myrtle both sank on 15 July, 1919, while on routine missions, with the loss of nine sailors.
The wrecks lie at depths of up to 300ft.
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