Where did the Catalina Affair take place

Where did the‘Catalina Affair’ take place?

　　(2006-2007学年第1期)

　　One of the enduring mysteries of the Cold War was an incident that occurred on the Baltic Sea in 1952. On June 13, an unarmed Swedish DC-3, flying over internationa waters, disappeared after radioing that it was under attack. When the plane failed to return, two Swedish Catalina seaplanes were dispatched to search for the missing craft.

　　As the Catalinas combed the waters between Gotland Island and the coast of Estonia, they accidentally wandered into Soviet airspace. The seaplanes were attacked by two Soviet MiGs over international waters. The MiGs shot down one of the flying boats, forcing it to ditch and wounding the pilot. The crew survived, and was rescued by a German ship in the area.

　　For the next 40 years diplomatic relations between the two countries were soured by what came to be known as the “Catalina Affair.” Family members of the eight crewmen lost on the DC-3 pressured the Swedish government for answers about the plane and its mission.

　　Finally, in 1991, Sweden — officially neutral during the Cold War — admitted that the plane had been on a spy mission for Great Britain and the United States. That admission prompted a former Soviet pilot to admit to a Swedish diplomat that he had shot down the plane.

　　In 2003, after five years of searching, underwater explorers found the DC-3 in about 400 feet (122 meters) of water, half-buried in sand. The plane, intact and in remarkably good condition, is to be salvaged by the Swedish military and its crew finally laid to rest.

　　背景介绍：

　　2003年，当深海探险人员梳理波罗的海海床、确定了五十多年前被俄国人击落的一架瑞典飞机的准确位置后，他们解开了冷战时期众多长期

　　在将近四十年的时间里，瑞典官方一直坚持说DC-3机组当时是在执行一项训练任务，而苏联当局则说他们对那架飞机的遭遇一无所知。最终，在机组人员家庭成员的压力下，瑞典官员才透露说，那架飞机是替北约执行针对苏联的间谍侦察任务，尽管瑞典政府在冷战时期信守的是中立政策。

　　之后一直拖到一九九一年，一名俄国飞行员才告诉一名瑞典外交官说当年是他击落了那架飞机。瑞典军方宣称躺在海底的DC-3号飞机状况十分不错，他们将把它打捞出海。然而，还有数不清的其它秘密有待破解。在一望无垠的波罗的海的海床上，到处散落着栽落的飞机和沉没的舰船的残骸，纵使不说成千上万，也可以说是成百上千。其中的绝大部分是两次