The Sinking of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff

From the April 2009 Suite 101 by Michael Streich.

Everyone has heard of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, whose 100th anniversary is fast-approaching next month, but very few, including myself, have ever heard of an even worse sinking that claimed many more lives that took place in the final months of World War II in Europe in the Baltic Sea. That would be the sinking of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff in which over 9,000 mostly women and children died, still considered the worst single-ship maritime disaster in history.

It took place January 30, 1945.

On Jan. 21st, German Grand Admiral Donitz began Operation Hannibal to remove millions of frightened refugees from the advancing Soviet Army.

The Gustloff had been requisitioned by the German Navy from its use as an ocean liner and from 1939-1940, served as a hospital ship before being turned into a floating barracks for naval personnel. Now it was put into use to remove frightened Germans.

On jan. 31st, the Societ submarine S-13 fired three torpedoes into it and it sank in less than 45 minutes. There were fewer than 500 survivors.

And, I Never Heard of It. --GreGen