MV Wilhelm Gustloff

MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German military transport ship, which was taking part in Operation Hannibal, when it was sunk by Soviet submarine S-13 in the Baltic Sea on 30 January 1945. At the time, it was evacuating civilians and German military personnel from East Prussia and the occupied Baltic states, and German military personnel from Gotenhafen (Gdynia). By one estimate, 9,343 people died, making its sinking the deadliest maritime disaster in modern history. Originally constructed as a cruise ship for the Nazi Strength Through Joy (Kraft durch Freude) organization in 1937, Wilhelm Gustloff was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine (German navy) in 1939. She served as a hospital ship from 1939 to 1940, and then as a floating barracks for naval personnel in Gotenhafen until 1945, when she was fitted with anti-aircraft guns and used to transport evacuees.

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