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Jan 30, 2023
9:32:39am
BlueBlood94 All-American
OTD in 1945: the largest loss of life from the sinking of a single vessel, 9400 lives lost when the MV Wilhelm Gustloff
was torpedoed at night by a Soviet submarine as it was evacuating German refugees. It was 20% smaller in size than the Titanic, but because it was packed so full with refugees it's loss of life was 7 times greater. Many were standing shoulder to shoulder in corridors, which made evacuation very difficult, as well as the ship capsizing shortly after being torpedoed. Less than 1000 people survived, and most succumbed in the icy waters of the Baltic Sea as water temperatures were around 39 and the air temperature was 14. Some estimates put the loss of life at 10,000 or slightly higher.

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This message has been modified
Originally posted on Jan 30, 2023 at 9:32:39am
Message modified by BlueBlood94 on Jan 30, 2023 at 9:41:23am
BlueBlood94
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BlueBlood94
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