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Experts checking data on WW I submarine sunken off Swedish coast

MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. The spot of sinking of a Russian submarine off the Swedish coast during World War I may be recognized as a military burial site if it is confirmed that the submarine was part of the Russian Imperial Navy, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

"In the light of reports on finding a supposedly Russian submarine of the First World War era in Swedish territorial waters, Russian experts have begun examination of the data for the purpose of identifying the submarine," the ministry said.

"If the Russian identity of the submarine is proved, an issue of recognizing the spot of its sinking as a military burial site and its charting of the ship pilots’ maps will be considered in cooperation with the Swedish side," the report said.

"Also, a commemorative ceremony in line with naval traditions will be considered," it said.

Swedish Defence Ministry said earlier the submarine found off the country’s shores was one of the Som submarines of the Russian Imperial Navy.

These submarines were built from 1904 through 1906 on the platform of the U.S. submarine Fulton. The flagship of the family was built in 1916 in the U.S.

In May 1916, the Som (Catfish) that was on a patrolling mission in the Alandsgaf area collided with a Swedish steamship during the surfacing and sank. The crew consisting of two officers and sixteen sailors died.