REPORT OF WRECKS EXAMINATION
images
by
Sebastian Popek popeks@balticwrecks.com
Maciej Rułka maciek@balticwrecks.com
General area: Baltic Sea
Date located:
Date exam'd/dived: 2003
Vessel name: WILHELM GUSTLOFF
Detail of loss: over fifty hundreds lives; ten thousends estimated
Method of positioning: GPS
located pos'n: 55° 07 .510 ˘ N 17° 42.270 ˘ E
Depths: least depth 31 msw
general depth: 47 msw
Contact data
height above bottom: 16 m
Lenght: >200 m
Orientation: 330° (bow)
Other:
M/P WILHELM GUSTLOFF
- legend and tragedy -
Passenger ship. Propulsion four off MAN two 2 stroke 8 cylinders in line diesel motors. Two fixed pitch 5 meter diameter propellers. Crusing range 12.000 Nm at 15 knots.
05.05.1937 launched at Hamburg Blohm & Voss Shipyard (newbuilding no 511).
15.03.1938 delivered to Deutche Arbeitsfront, Hamburg as m/s Wilhelm Gustloff
02.04.1938 maiden trip at Nord Sea
May 1938 together with other ships carries Legion Condor troops from Spain
22.09.1339 requisited by Kriegsmarine as Lazarettschiff D (Hospitalship D)
April - June 1940 operates by Norvegian coast as hospital ship for German troops engaged on Norwegian war theatre
Shifted to Gdynia serves as hotel for 2.Unterseeboote ?Lehr?Division (2nd Submarines Lehr Squadron) till 1945 sshe has not sailed out of Gdynia. She was also used as hospital and troops barracks
30.1.1945 sunked after Soviet submarine S13 (under command of cpt. Marinesco) attack
L bpp 195 m
L oA 208,5 m
B midship 23,59 m
Draft 6,5 m
Registred 25484 BRT
Owner Deutche Arbeitsfront, (German Labour office)
Many books have been writted abount this ship and separately about its wreck. Resuming m/s Wilhelm Gustloff - she is a legend and a tragedy. On our web www.balticwrecks.com we will give information which seam to be true and those which seeams to be rumors. Most of them we have read or have heard.
- Gustolff had only single class cabins following philosophy of KDF organisation.
- She was mentioned in Egbert Kieser' s book ZATOKA GDAŃSKA 1945 (Gdańsk Bay 1945) and in Gunter Grass novel IDĄC RAKIEM
- There was Adolf Hilters' cabin onboard m/s Wilhelm Gustloff
- After Word War II at her wreck few to 20 Soviet divers diving classic dive gear suffered death at diving accidents.
- During her last voyage there were above 5000 people soldiers, youth from paramilitary organisations. Not so many were rescued.
- Submarine has attacked with 3 torpedoes. It was surface attack from coast side allowing submarine to dive after attack and escape form escort ships action.
- (...)
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