By the end of 1944, World War II had come to an end, and Japanese imperialism was on the verge of defeat, especially since its sea lines of transport had been completely cut off. Fearing that the Japanese government would persecute prisoners of war with great ferocity, the U.S. government mediated through China and Switzerland to allow the Japanese government to use a small number of transport ships. The Awa Maru is one of them.
Awa Maru number
What kind of secrets are hidden in the 40-ton gold wreck of the Japanese shipwreck Awa Maru
The Awa Maru is milky white throughout and is known as the "God of Luck". On February 17, 1945, the Awa Maru, loaded with more than 800 tons of supplies, sailed to Southeast Asia and brought back more than 2,000 passengers from Southeast Asia. At the same time, it also secretly shipped 300 tons of rubber, 3,000 tons of tin ingots, 2,000 tons of tungsten, 800 tons of titanium, 40 tons of gold, 12 tons of silver, 50 tons of industrial diamonds, 50 boxes of pearl agate and some currency, totaling 5 billion US dollars. Most excitingly, it is said to contain the skulls of long-lost Beijingers. If the ship had reached Japan without success, the treasures would never have been recovered.
Peking man skull
On the evening of April 1, the Awa Maru sailed into the Taiwan Strait. At 22:00 p.m., the American Queenfish, which was patrolling there, suddenly fired three torpedoes at the Awa Maru without asking for instructions or warning. With 3 loud noises, the Awa Maru broke into two pieces and slowly sank to the bottom of the sea. Only one person survived the entire ship.
The Awa Maru slept on the ocean floor for 32 years. In 1977, the Chinese government announced to the world that it was preparing to salvage the shipwreck of the Awa Maru. This project is called "Project 7713". In March 1977, the Chinese Salvage Company's investigation vessel, in cooperation with the Navy, rushed to the shipwreck zone. After a month of surveying and surveying, the target was finally found on May 1.
shipwreck
If discovering a goal is a difficult process, salvage is a difficult process. It was not until July 6, 1980, that the entire Awa Maru was able to reappear.
But doubts also followed, compared with the inventory records of that year, all the goods were found, but there was no 40 tons of gold. From the loading of the "Awa Maru" to the sinking, there was no stop on the ship in the middle, so how could 40 tons of gold disappear? This is not only confusing for my Government, but also for the world. Whoever took the 40 tons of gold is still like a fan sunk in the ocean floor.
Xiaobian has several speculations about the whereabouts of valuables such as 40 tons of gold:
1. When the ship was sunk, the vault on board was blown up by the Japanese army;
2. After the shipwreck, because the gold is very heavy, it finally sinks into a deep position under the crust of the seabed;
3. The United States and Japan conspired to use 40 tons of gold as bait to lure China into salvage, the purpose of which was to test the comprehensive strength of China's marine underwater exploration.
I don't know if there are any friends who pay attention to this event, welcome to discuss!! @