Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff: Worst Maritime Disaster in History

In 1945, the Wilhelm Gustloff was torpedoed by the Soviet Union's U-Boat S-13. Wilhelm Gustloff was evacuating more than 10,000 people from German-occupied territories as the Soviet Army was invading. The Baltic Sea was freezing, the conditions were rough, and heavy snow was falling. More than 9,000 people perished in the disaster. The death toll was greater than that of Titanic, Lusitania, Empress of Ireland, Sultana, Atlantic, Britannic, and the Halifax Explosion combined.
Wilhelm Gustloff was built as a one-class cruise ship which offered subsidized cruises to the German people as part of the Strength Through Joy effort created by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The ship was popular, but served in this role for only a short time. She later served as a hospital ship and as a floating barracks during World War II. for the rest of the war, she remained idle and unused until she was enlisted for Operation Hannibal and was sunk.
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