| The Tragedy Of The "Wilhelm Gustloff" |
George Santayana
Dawn... by Don Carroll
a most appropriate number
Beethoven's 6th
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refugees who never made port.
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[ The Final Resting Place ]
[ Updated 18 Feb 99 - Click on photo ]
History records what has happened , not what historians wish should have happened. If that long accepted fact is true then, I ask "where were the historians in 1945?". The aim of this special feature is to bring to the attention of all visitors to this site one major fact of history which seems to have been completely ignored. I am referring of course to the terrible tragedy of the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff on January 30th, 1945 by the Soviet sub S 13. (4) In the case of the Gustloff, (11) it would appear historians have opted to completely ignore the worst maritime disaster in human history.
What prompted me a few weeks ago to embark on this project depicting the Loss of the Gustloff was the stark realization that, although I had been interested in maritime disasters for over forty years, and considered myself fairly knowledgeable on the subject, I had never heard of it!
Few events in the history of the world have had such a momentous impact as the sinking of the Titanic. Why would one ask? It was not the largest disaster at sea as there have been many more with losses of life far greater. Shortly after retiring on the West Coast, I met a man, who soon became my friend. He had served as Navigation Officer onboard the Goya, a refugee ship which had left the port of Danzig in April of 1945. The ship was loaded with refugees fleeing the Russian advance in the Danzig sector and was headed for a safer harbour. Shortly after leaving on its voyage, the Goya was torpedoed with the subsequent loss of nearly 4000 persons.
Less than three months previously, another refugee ship had left a Baltic port not far from Danzig. It too carried a great number of refugees fleeing the Russain troops advancing toward the Danzig sector. Its name was the 'Wilhelm Gustloff". Soon after leaving harbour, it too was sunk with the loss of some 6000 to 8000 people. Yet those two great tragedies form part of the many little known facts about maritime tragedies of momentous importance. Perhaps it was because it occurred during a period of great world upheaval where millions of human beings lost their life and the loss of over 10,000 souls went unnoticed.
Given the great turmoil prevailing at the time, I could almost accept that premise. But, life went on and eventually, the world settled down to a more serene tempo. Historians kept on their task of recording history, as it happened. Yet, barely a word about the Gustloff, the Goya nor the Junyo Maru! Weren't any records kept. And if so, why did the historians not find them?
If you are a survivor of this terrible disaster and would consent to share your experience and memories for inclusion in this testimonial page, I would be most grateful. All testimonials will be treated with respect and requests for anonimity will be adhered to strictly. Simply contact me by clicking on the button below and I will immediately respond.
The aim of this special project is to describe, not only the actual sinking of the Gustloff, but to offer a discussion of the events which led to such a tragedy. To date, I have amassed a great amount of material on the subject from various sources (see the bibliography page.) Some of the facts require confirmation as to their veracity and eye-witness accounts would greatly contribute to the verification process.
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NEW 19 Aug 98: For a quick-loading look at 'all' thumbnail photos, click here. To look at all photos with description etc, click on button below.
| Wilhelm Gustloff - Photo Page |
I will also welcome any comment or input on the subject you would be kind enough to send my way. I am especially seeking photographs depicting scenes of the era. These would greatly help in enhancing the human perspective of this great tragedy.
I firmly believe this terrible event in history should be known to all as its knowledge might just perhaps help preclude a repetition of same in the future.
Testimonials will be presented as they are received but only after the sender has verified it and given their consent to publish it on the Internet.
If you have a question or information about any of the events/ships depicted in this article, please use this new Boardroom feature to communicate with the webmaster and all visitors to this page. As this is a new feature I am trying out I would appreciate your input.
This site was created as a resource for educational use and the promotion of historical awareness of the Gustloff and associated events. All rights of publicity of the individuals named herein are expressly reserved, and, should be respected consistent with the reverence in which this memorial site was established.
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