Kaleva, which was carrying nine passengers – including U.S. diplomatic courier Henry W. Antheil, Jr. – mysteriously exploded 10 minutes after taking off from Tallinn’s airport on the first day of the Soviet-blockade of Estonia during World War II. News of the blockade and of Kaleva’s crash was overshadowed by the Nazi occupation of Paris, which also occurred on June 14. To this day the wreckage of Kaleva and the remains of its nine passengers have never been found. Estonia’s Minister of Defense Jaak Aaviksoo requested the assistance of a U.S. Navy survey ship in searching for the downed airplane in a January 2008 letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. “We are excited to collaborate with the Estonian military and to search for Kaleva,” said Capt. Nicholas H.