Now, a group of enthusiasts are trying to solve once and for all the mystery, and locate the tank in order to put it on permanent display, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK) reported Monday.

The search has been on for the sunken tank since the 1980s but to date has never yielded anything.

The tank's remains are, according to local legend, located a few kilometers downstream of Narva city, at Riigiküla, which was a crossing point over the river for Soviet forces in July 1944.

Those searching have to rely on archival data and even eyewitness accounts, ERR reports.

Search organizer Daniil Galitski told AK that: "The 45th tank regiment lost one vehicle when crossing the river, and this has never been recovered," adding that one crew member's remains are likely to be found also – accounts say that one man died in the attempt to broach the river.

However, tankers hope to find a war machine and exhibit it as a museum

According to one local legend, the tank was the infamous T-34 model and had been dredged up from the river bed in the past. However, a more likely explanation is that a dummy tank produced in abundance for war monuments in the Soviet Union had been found, and not the real deal.

Echo location revealed has revealed one sizeable object, but not a tank, or even any item made of metal, but instead, Galitski said.

Whether a tractor was to be pressed into service to pull out the tank once found was not reported.

The search continues.

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