$3 Billion Sunken Treasure to Surface Soon

Treasure hunters claim to have located a WWII-era shipwreck laden with 71 tons of platinum—valued at more than $3 billion today—as well as gold bullion and diamonds. The ship, identified by its hull number as the SS Port Nicholson, was carrying a lend-lease payment from the Soviet Union to the US when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the US Atlantic coast in 1942. Though the treasure has not yet been retrieved, underwater footage shows metal bars and crates that appear to be the platinum cargo listed in a US Treasury Department ledger. The group hopes to begin salvage efforts later this month. More...