The book is the first to provide a retrospective review of studies of historical monuments that found themselves under water for one reason or another, starting with the first decrees of Peter I on the preservation of “rarities” discovered under water (XVIII century) and ending with the 1990s, when The fourth stage of development of underwater archeology in Russia has ended. It was prepared on the basis of materials from the author’s personal archive (interviews, unpublished materials, etc.), scientific reports from expeditions, as well as many publications published at different times and scattered across different (including regional) periodicals. For specialists involved in scientific and applied aspects of underwater activities, activists and professionals of the underwater (diving) community and for everyone who is interested in the mysteries of Russian history kept in the depths of the waters.