[4] The Orkney supposedly sank in the Baltic Sea, en route from London to St. Petersburg, then the capital of the Russian Empire.
Alexander Keith, who was known by several aliases, including William Thompson, had experience previously exploding ships to claim insurance money in Europe.
[5][6][7] Russian politician, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia has brought up these claims, as well as the bribery related to the deal.
10,972,238 rubles 4 kopecks of them were redirected and spent abroad for the purchase of accessories and equipment for the construction of the following railroads: Kursk-Kiev, Ryazan-Kozlov, Moscow-Ryazan, etc.
The remaining 390,243 rubles and 90 kopecks have been received in cash in the Imperial Treasury.Secondly, according to the conspiracy theory, the Orkney exploded before the money was due.