UNDATED (CNN) -- A group of treasure hunters say they're about to bring up the most valuable sunken treasure ever found. Their target is 71-tons of platinum that's been sitting on the ocean's floor east of Cape Cod.
Greg Brooks with Sub Sea Research & Sea Hunters says, "We're fascinated with digging up the history of this because most of it was all top secret."
That secret hidden in these boxes at the bottom on the ocean might be worth $3 billion! Brooks says, "Our wreck is roughly 50 miles east province town in this area here."
A crew of Maine treasure hunters who dock in East Boston are preparing to salvage 71 tons of platinum from the SS Nicolson.
The ship was sunk in 1942 by the Germans as it was carrying the precious metals to the U.S.; payment by the Soviet Union to the United States for the war. Brooks says, "We came across trapizodal shaped bars and in the 40s the only thing they made in that shape was precious metals."
The crew discovered the wreckage in 2008 and quickly filed a claim with the government which makes them the custodians of the wreck, but only a few select people know the real location. Brooks says, "We keep it as quiet as we can we have a plane fly out just to keep an eye on it so nobody else goes out there and if we catch them we can get the coast guard and navy to intercept them."
Now the team is preparing this ROV for the salvage mission. Kevin Lachance ROV pilot says, "We've had a device built specifically for this box that will go down and we'll haul it by hand the ROV won't have to do it."
Once they verify the metal they will then start bringing up the more than 4,500 other boxes full of what they hope is billions of dollars. Brooks says, "We're not gonna keep it and hoard it we all have pet projects like feed the kids in maine help in people Maine and Haiti."