User:Johan Elisson/sandbox2

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The Wilhelm Gustloff was a ship built by Blohm + Voss and named after the assassinated leader of the Nazi party in Switzerland, Wilhelm Gustloff. It was launched on May 5, 1937 as a cruise ship of the German Nazi organization KdF. The Gustloff was used as a hospital ship and barracks ship during the Second World War and was sunk on January 30, 1945 off the coast of Pomerania, taking with it more than 9,000 lives—many of whom were refugees being evacuated from East Prussia to escape the approaching Red Army. The sinking remains the worst disaster in shipping history, in terms of loss of life in a single vessel.

Contents

[edit] History

The Wilhelm Gustloff was the first ship to be built for the KdF-organization—all earlier used cruise ships had either been chartered or bought in already used condition. The ship was built with money confiscated from the dissolved trade unions, given to the German Labour Front (DAF) and KdF. The ship was to have a tonnage of 25,000 tons and the building cost was estimated to 25 million Reichsmark. It was the first of the KdF ships to meet a "one class" standard, which included all cabins having equal interiors and sea view, a deck designed to allow all passengers to enjoy the sun and other deck activities, and dining rooms large enough to accomodate all passengers at the same time. The original plan was to name the first cruise ship Adolf Hitler, but when Wilhelm Gustloff was murdered 4 February 1936, Adolf Hitler decided to name the ship after his friend and party comrade.

Its original purpose was to target the low-cost cruise market. The German KdF organization provided cultural activities to German workers, including concerts, cruises and other holidays. The Wilhelm Gustloff was the flagship of the KdF cruise fleet until 1939.

From September, 1939 to November, 1940, it served as a hospital ship. During the majority of the Second World War, Wilhelm Gustloff was used primarily as a barracks ship for U-boat trainees.

[edit] Sinking

The ship's final voyage was an evacuation of civilians and wounded German soldiers and sailors from Gotenhafen (also known as Gdynia) to Kiel.

The ship left Gdynia early on January 30, 1945. That evening, escorted by only a small minesweeper, Wilhelm Gustloff was attacked by the Soviet submarine S-13. Thirty (30) kilometres off shore and somewhere between Wladyslawowo and Leba it was torpedoed, taking three direct hits soon after 9.00 p.m. It sank over an hour later and plunged to a depth of 45 meters (150 feet).

An eyewitness account claimed that 400 members of the Women's Auxiliary of the German Navy, died almost instantly after the second torpedo hit almost directly under the empty swimming pool in which they were sitting. The mass panic that followed the torpedo hits resulted in an increased loss of life, as many of the refugees ignored orders in the rapidly sinking ship, to allow women and children to disembark first, and many were trampled in a rush for access to the lifeboats and life jackets available. Some equipment was lost as a further result of the panic. The Gustloff slipped below the surface at approximately the 70 minute mark. Water temperature in the Baltic at this time of year is usually around 4 degrees Celsius; however, this was a particularly cold day with air temperature of minus 10 to minus 18 degrees, with ice floes covering the surface.

The ship was built for fewer than 2,000 passengers. However because of its original recreational purpose it actually had capacity to board much more. Unfortunately it was carrying less than 50% of the rescue equipment necessary for the significantly increased number of passengers.

It is estimated that of the approximately 5,000 to 7,000 refugees and over 1,000 soldiers and sailors on board at the time, only 1,239 passengers survived (other sources: 966 survivors), saved by German vessels in the vicinity. According to the ship's own records, the official total was 6,050 people. However taking into an account those who sneaked on board the ship unaccounted, the death toll was almost certainly much higher. Today one may find reports of 9,000, 10,000 and more. Of course, these numbers are only estimates made by different methods. For example, the Discovery Channel program "Unsolved History" has undertaken an extensive computer analysis of the sinking of the Gustloff, which in particular supported an estimate of 9,400 dead (among over 10,600 on board). The analysis considered: load density based on eye-witness reports and simulation of escape routes and survivability in conjunction with the timeline of sinking.

There were many other refugees transport ships sunk during the war by the Allies and Axis (like the Cap Arcona). However the Gustloff remains the worst disaster in shipping history, in terms of loss of life in a single vessel.

55.07N, 17.41E is the resting place of Gustloff. This is 30 km off shore, east of Leba (17.33E) and west of Wladyslawowo (18.24E). It has been designated as a war memorial site (off-limits to salvage crews). On Polish navigation charts it is noted as "Obstacle No. 73".

[edit] Technical data

  • Volume: 25,484 gross register tons
  • Length: 208.50 m
  • Width (ribs): 23.50 m
  • Width (promenade deck): 25,00 m
  • Propulsion: MAN diesel engine, 9.500 hp, 2 propellers
  • Top speed: 15.5 knot
  • Passenger capacity: 1,465 persons
  • Crew: 426 persons
  • Aufbau des Schiffs:
    • Kommandobrücke
    • Sonnendeck (u.a. Sportplatz und Turnhalle)
    • oberes Promenadendeck (u.a. Kabinen)
    • unteres Promenadendeck (u.a. Musikhalle und Theaterhalle)
    • A-Deck (u.a. vorderer und hinterer Speisesaal, Küche, Hospital)
    • B-Deck (u.a. Kabinen, Wäscherei, Frisör)
    • C-Deck (u.a. Kabinen, Bäckerei und Schlachterei) (Schottendeck)
    • D-Deck (u.a. Kabinen, Speiseraum für Besatzung, Werkstatt)
    • E-Deck (u.a. Maschinenraum und Hilfsmaschinenraum, Gepäckraum, Vorräte und Proviant)
    • Stauung (u.a. Proviant- und Kühlraum, Schwimmbecken, Frischwassertanks)


[edit] See also

[edit] Media

Novels

Film

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

Print

  • Schön, Heinz (1998). SOS Wilhelm Gustloff: die grösste Schiffskatastrophe der Geschichte. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-613-01900-0
  • Sennerteg, Niclas (2002). Stalins hämnd: Röda armén i Tyskland 1944-45. Lund: Historiska media. ISBN 91-89442-11-3
  • Wetterholm, Claes-Göran (2002). Dödens hav: Östersjön 1945. Stockholm: Prisma. ISBN 91-518-3968-7

Magazine

  • "Historiens största fartygskatastrof: Tysklands Titanic". (June, 2003). Illustrerad Vetenskap, 66-73.

Online

* Högman, Hans (2001). Militaria - Svensk militärhistoria. Retrieved 18 Aug., 2005.

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