The number of Great Patriotic War items rescued from the bottom of the sea by the Northern Fleet has set a new record, fleet commander, Vice-Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov told TASS.

"This season, a record-setting amount of equipment has been raised, much of it suitable for renovation," the commander said.

The equipment includes an M2 90-mm gun, two Oerlikon cannons, a 76-mm gun, an M4 Sherman, several rail wheelsets and a steam generator. Some of these items will be displayed I after renovation in the Defense Ministry's central military museums. "We'll continue this project in August after the divers get some rest. There will be more underwater finds," Yevmenov said.

According to the TASS news agency, the search for equipment from sunken ships that were in northern convoys is carried out every year as part of special tactical training exercises for rescue teams. This project has continued for several years near the wreck site of the Thomas Donaldson freighter in the Barents Sea near Kildin Island. Divers train for deep sea diving, as far down as 50-60 meters, in lightweight diving suits and practice raising various pieces of equipment from the sea floor.