Venture forthe steuben6/24/2023 Sitting on the aft deck of the dive vessel Moskus brings many thoughts and sentiments to mind. Only 659 people survived in the 4˚ C cold water and by 01:32 General von Steuben was gone from the surface. As the most of the crew quarters were located exactly where the torpedoes hit, any organized effort in handling the emergency was crippled from the onset. This sheer number of people onboard meant several children was born onboard every day. Before leaving from Pillau General von Steuben was overloaded with people who wanted to escape the Russian Army.īuilt for 1100 passengers, she now held nearly 5 000 passengers. General von Steuben had 5 decks the lower was completely filled with immobilized wounded German soldiers. The EndĪt 00:52 two torpedoes struck the starboard side. Alexander Marinesco, captain of the Russian submarine S-13 soon spotted the sparkling lights on the deck in his binoculars. One of them had a much worn down insulation in the chimney and running on steam it generated sparks which were visible at great distances at sea, regardless of the blackout routines practised onboard at the time. However, as this was not the case for escort ships these, in this case, represented the weakest link in the chain. That the superior speed of GvS was sufficient to outrun these submarines was, in a sense, a correct assumption. But the risk was immense as the Baltic Sea was dominated by Russian submarines. The ocean liners General von Steuben, Wilhelm Gustloff and Goya were given the task to evacuate wounded soldiers and civilians and rescue them from the wrath of the Russian army. So what did the German military command do? The beginning of the end ![]() Several hundred thousand civilians needed to be evacuated to avoid the advancing Russian 9th Army. The sheer fear of the Russian army among the German civilian population who now found themselves at the front line was enough to make whole families commit suicide in some areas.Īs the German front retreated the situation was desperate. In retrospect, none was better or worse then the other. Civilians, women and children making little difference. As far as they were concerned the only good fascist was a dead fascist. The German campaign in Russia had soon erupted into an incredible carnage, violence and terror so when the tide turned in 1943 the Russian soldiers were eager for revenge. The fighting on the East front was particularly nasty. ![]() The collapse of the East Frontĭuring the Second World War many commercial ocean liners were requisitioned for military service as transporters. ![]() No one then knew what fait awaited her and her passengers. With a weight of 38 500 tons distributed over a 168 meter long hull and a nearly 20 meter wide deck she was often referred to as “The beautiful, white Steuben” in advertising material from that time.Īs it happened, GvS was the first German commercial ocean liner to port in the US after the First World War, opening the trade over the Atlantic once again. A modern ocean liner for the time, her top speed was 16 knots and she took 1100 passengers. General von Steuben (GvS) was built in 1923.
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