Wreck of World War II-era Soviet submarine found in Peter the Great Bay

The crew of a Russian Navy rescue ship have discovered the wreck of a Soviet Navy submarine that was lost in action during World War II, Russia's state-owned news outlet TASS reported earlier this week.

The wreck found lying at the bottom of Peter the Great Bay off Russia's Far East has been identified as that of M-49, a Malyutka-class submarine that went missing while participating in a combat mission on August 16, 1941.

The discovery was made by Russian Navy personnel aboard the rescue vessel Igor Belousov. Remotely operated vehicles and an array of other underwater sensors enabled experts to study the wreck and confirm its identity.

Another Malyutka-class submarine, M-63, disappeared in those same waters just one day after M-49 went missing. No trace of M-63, which was participating in the same combat mission, has yet been found.

The Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet has been searching for the wrecks of M-49 and M-61 for about 20 years.