When I first began doing research on the sinking of the Gustloff I was amazed to discover how few people were aware there even had been a ship called the Wilhelm Gustloff. My first question was `Why is it so few people know about the Gutloff' and my thoughts on the subject were listed here. In the months to follow, information about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was slowly unearthed but little could be found about the Soviet submarine and her crew which had been responsible for her sinking. However, thanks to a correspondent, Mr. Klas Horndahl, I am now in a position to offer this new feature on the Soviet submarine S 13 and especially on her Skipper, Captain Third Class Alexander Marinesko.
The information now disclosed will, I firmly believe, shed some light on the subject as to why so little was ever known about that terrible tragedy. If this was a novella made for TV, this feature could well be titled "Capt Marinesko, the Ace Submariner and his losing fight with the KGB." Such a title would surely help the viewers rating and would reflect the true nature of this most interesting part of history.
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, it is almost impossible to believe that the incidents I will describe ever have happened yet, they are well documented and they did happen. This feature also includes exclusive photographs of Captain Marinesko and the submarine S 13 which, to the best of my knowledge have never been printed in any known media!
As a starter, I will list a few of those known facts, if only to highlight the main points of this saga. And, as the feature evolves, I shall expand on each of those points.
1. Captain Marinesko was, what today would be called, 'a character'. A bit rough on the edges and a womanizer who enjoyed his liquor. But, when it came to handling submarines, he was an ace! Unfortunately for him, as a result of a three-day binge on the town, his submarine was without a Master when ready to lift anchor for its mission early in January 1945. As a result, he faced his first encounter with the NKGB (KGB). He won that first battle but was to later lose the war.These and other subjects will now be discussed in greater details... Please make your selection from the main S 13 Menu.2. Late in January 45, had he followed his patrol orders as received from Naval Headquarters then located at Kronstadt, he never would have sunk the Gustloff. Instead, deciding that he knew best where the German ships were, he left his assigned patrol area and, failing to notify his superiors of his whereabouts or his intentions, he proceeded toward the Danzig sector.
3. His 'lonewolf' action was to have great consequence as his sinking of the Gustloff was not acknowledged by the Soviet authorities for years! For reasons to be explained in detail further on, Capt Marinesko did not inform his Headquarter of his sinking 'a large liner' for another twenty four hours after the attack. When he did so, his superiors did not believe him and thus, failed to pass it on to Moscow!
4. Captain Marinesko resumed his patrol and, early on February 10th, nine days later, sank another large line, the General Steuben!
5. Does the official Marinesko photograph in St Petersburg's Naval Museum show another U-boat's Captain and not that of Captain Marinesko?
6. Less than two years after war's ending, Captain Marinesko was found guilty of 'political' crimes and was sentenced to three years to the Kolyma Labour Camp in Siberia. He was, however, to serve a much longer sentence. His crime: after having received permission from his superior, he distributed broken rubble from a construction site to needy workers, all without monetary benefits to himself. At his trial, his superior denied ever having given permission and Marinenko was nailed!
7. Captain Marinesko received recognition for his exploits eighteen years after the fact and merely three weeks before his death.
8. In 1995 the large ferry liner Stockholm - Tallinn (Reval) rolled over and sank between Finland and Estonia. 850 people drowned in same manner as they once had drowned onboard the Gustloff and, as in the case of the Gustloff, only a few were saved. The Estonia case is full of scandals. Both ships went down in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Estonia a bit further north, Gustloff further south. Both in the dark night; both ships sunk within an hour. Survivors on deck and in ice cold water and others drowned below deck. Both had an acute shortage of life boats. Distress message not adequate. Slow rescuing. The similarity between those two sinkings will be discussed in this feature.
LATE-BREAKING NEWS......
As I mentioned at the beginning of this page, my main aim in making this feature on the Gustloff was to ensure more people would be made aware of this terrible tragedy and I am happy to report that the aim has been achieved. To date, over 65,000 people have visted the Gustloff site and, on November 15th, 1999, the American History Channel has aired a World Premiere of a documentary covering that very subject. I was honoured to have been asked by the Executive Producer to participate in the making of this documentary, which I did. My thanks go to all those who have helped me amass the vast amount of data which has made this feature possible and especially my friend, Mr Klas Horndahl.
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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