Three British Ships Dating From World War I Found in Baltic Sea

A drawing of the British Battle cruiser HMS Lion during Battle of Jutland. Three British World War I warships were found recently off the coast of the Estonian island Saaremaa. (Photos.com)

The remains of three British warships have been found off the coast of the Estonian island Saaremaa, reported Estonian Public Broadcasting on Monday.

The three ships, HMS Cassandra, HMS Myrtle, and HMS Gentian, were discovered by minesweeper Ugandi, and are located about 60-100 meters (200-328 feet) below sea level.

"We can be sure that these are the British ships that went down during the War of Independence," said Ivo Võrk, chief of staff of naval forces, according to Estonian Public Broadcasting.

Using the coordinates of the vessels left by then commander of the British squadron, Adm. Sir Edwin Alexander-Sinclair, the location of the wrecks went rather smoothly as the coordinates turned out to be surprisingly accurate.

HMS Cassandra sank after it hit a mine in December 1918, whereas the HMS Myrtle and HMS Gentian hit mines during a minesweeping operation in July 1919.