Tomorrow it is 62 years ago, that 9.343 people drowned in the Baltic seas ice cold water.
Last week I promised to proof, why we never had a greater time than now. and because of that, I have to ask you to open a wound. that wound is 62 years old tomorrow, and I'm gonna bet, that you aren't celebrating this day in any way, which is odd, because it happened in our own backyard. 115 kilometres east of Nexø on Bornholm in the ice green Baltic sea.

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9.343 people is laying down there on the bottom of the sea, 45 metres below the grey waves.
9.343 men, women and children. Germans, you might say, and if you know your maths, you've already discovered, that those many Germans died 30. January, where world war two was taking its last breaths.
And in a way it was their fault. oh yes, they started the bloody war six years earlier, and the hate was overwhelming in the last months of the war.
Because they started it. and now they had to pay the price. And the 9.343 men, women and children were German men, German women, and German children, that all had to die. That would learn them a lesson!

And they did. out in the Baltic sea 30. January, 62 years ago. Oh how they learned it. Their ship was named 'Wilhelm Gusloff' and were originally built as a passenger ship to demonstrate how well the Nazis took care of their workers, but when the war started, it was rebuilt as a hospital ship and later as a barracks ship for U boat crews under training. But early in the morning 30. January 1945 'Wilhelm Gusloff' left Gdynia near Gdansk headed for Kiel. Aboard were 10.582 people. The ship was built for 2.000 passengers, so the space had been very little. But Gusloff was the only way out of Gdansk, that wasn't named Gdansk at that time, because the city was German, and was named Danzig, and the majority were refugees, escaping from the Russian army
Precisely was 8.956 of the passengers refugees. The rest were 918 German officers, 373 female Technicians from the German Navy, 162 badly wounded soldiers, and a crew of 173.
And of course was Wilhelm Gusloff officially a war ship.
There's nothing to brag about there.

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Captain Alexander Marinesko from the Russian U-boat S-13 broke no rules, when he launched three torpedoes against 'Wilhelm Gusloff' right after 9pm in the evening the 30. January 1945.
And all three torpedoes hit their target. In the panic that followed, many of the refugees were trampled in the rush to lifeboats and life jackets. Some equipment was lost as a result of the panic. The water temperature in the Baltic Sea at this time of year is usually around 4°C; however, this was a particularly cold day, with an air temperature of -10° to -18° C and ice floes covering the surface. Many deaths were either caused directly by the torpedoes or by instant drowning in the incoming water. Others were crushed in the ensuing panic on the stairs and decks, and many jumped into the icy, dark Baltic water. Many reports suggest children were clinging on to adults and women tried to save babies, though constant waves dragged them away from them, many not to be seen ever again. Small children fitted with life jackets for adults drowned because their heads were under water while their legs were in the air.

In under 50 minutes after being struck, the Wilhelm Gustloff sank in a depth of 45 meters (150 feet).
About 1.000 survivors were rescued by nearby ships, but 9.343 people died that night, 62 years ago.
This would make it the worst loss of life in a single sinking in maritime history.
And they are still down there, 115 km east of Nexø. Out in the backyard..

And the really fun part is, that U-boat captain Alexander Marinesko only 11 days later, the 10. February killed another 4.500 people, when his U-boat sunk the  cargo ship 'General von Steuben' with 2.000 wounded soldiers, 320 nurses, 30 doctors and about 1.000 refugees in the same ocean.
ONE man killed nearly 14.000 people in under two weeks. That's a though one to beat. and that would explain his acceleration alcoholism, that later led to his reassignment in September 1945, and later his all to late death in 1963. All because of stupidity..

Cheers Theis..

dcunning30 wrote on Feb 1^st, 2007 at 4:49pm:

Did you not read what I posted. When this ship was sunk she was painted navy grey. Also, the attack happened at night and the only thing that alerted the sub to the presence of the ship was the fact that the ship had it's nav lights turned on. You cannot, in any way call the attack vengence.

Woodlouse,

After visiting your website, and reading the account of the sinking, I'm not so sure the sinking was just another act of war as you seemed to suggest.  Here's what I learned from your link:

1) The sub captain committed some act that he was subject to being hanged for, so he reasoned he needed to do some dramatic act to increase his odds of not having to face the gallows.
2) Sub lookouts spot the sillouette of an ocean liner with running lights turned on

Now, considering the Russian sub captain is facing the threat of a court-marshall hanging, it's reasonable to conclude he's very highly motivated to bag some big game to save his neck.  Now, if he did't have the threat of being executed, would he have passed up on the sillouette of the ocean liner with it's running lights on?  We don't know, but it's worth considering.

P.S: People die every day by thousands. So why make a fuss about a number?

Theis wrote on Feb 1^st, 2007 at 4:20am:


Saying that is a little  like shooting someone in the head at random, shrugging, and saying "he would have died eventually anyway..."


DISCAIMER: I am not making the argument that the sinking of this vessel was an act of vengeance...