22. The Titanic is Not the Worst Maritime Disaster
Many think of the Titanic as the worst maritime disaster in modern history, but that simply isn’t true. In 1945, on January 30th, a German flagship called the MV Wilhelm Gusloff was torpedoed near the coast of Poland. More than 9,000 people lost their lives, many of which were refugees. The torpedo came from a Soviet S-13 submarine in the Baltic Sea.
The ship was used as a cruise ship for the Nazi Kraft durch Freude (Strength Through Joy) organization and later requisitioned by the German navy in 1939. From 1939 to 1940 she was a hospital ship, then became a floating barracks. By 1945, the ship was used to transport evacuees.