Wreck of ships ... Such an incident is always shrouded in an aura of secrets, myths and legends. Famous shipwrecks are black pages of history, which can only be read by looking into the depths of the sea. Sadly, the majestic giants-liners very often fall prey to the raging waters of the seas and oceans.
The most famous shipwrecks were made public. Today, there are many unspoken lists that name the most impressive ship disasters in the entire history of mankind. Below are just a few of those that went down in world history.
Wrecked ships
For many, the first thing that comes to mind is a story that shocked the whole world with its tragedy. It has eclipsed any other shipwreck. This is the story of "Titanic" ... Although this story over time has become overgrown with many guesses and conjectures, everyone is still interested in learning about what really happened. The crew was so blinded by the majesty of their ship and its superiority over other ships that for a while everyone became overconfident.
Possible causes of the tragedy
At that time, many said that a ship was finally built that could not be sunk. But the reality turned out to be unpredictable. One night the ship was sailing at full speed along its route, and the sailors only at the very last moment were able to notice the top of a huge block of ice towering above the surface of the water. Urgent attempts were made to steer the ship aside, but it was too late: the ship was wrecked. Almost at full speed, the Titanic touched an iceberg with its starboard side.
The ship breaks in half
Gradually, the lower tiers in the bow compartment of the ship begin to flood. Almost half of the vessel is filled with the cold water of the Atlantic Ocean. A counterweight is created on the ship, as a result of which it is half submerged in the water. The body does not withstand the monstrous load and breaks in half. Both parts of the broken ship are deprived of electricity and sink. Eyewitnesses of the tragedy recall that terrible day with a shudder, but still some facts remain in the shadows. For example, class discrimination against passengers.
Could more have been saved?
Some witnesses claim that the individual boats were only half filled with passengers. Only a few people sat in them, who set off as soon as possible, in fear that the boat would overflow and sink. As a result, far fewer passengers were saved than they could have. However, do not forget that heroic deeds took place that night. Many, risking their lives, helped others to escape. However, this disaster became a symbol of arrogance.
complicated story
Another, no less tragic collision occurred with the steamer "Admiral Nakhimov". It became a resounding sensation in the twentieth century. The warm day of August began with the arrival at the port cruise ship... The city of Novorossiysk said goodbye to the passengers who were about to go on an exciting trip soon. Around the same time, a ship called "Petr Vasev" was planning to enter the port. The crews of both ships were warned about each other and had to act carefully, no one knew that there would be a shipwreck soon.
Who is guilty and is there any point in finding out now?
As a result of short negotiations, it was decided to disperse on the starboard side at the exit from the port. However, something went wrong, namely the automatic guidance system malfunctioned. The technique is imperfect, this should never be forgotten. The wreck of ships is a vivid evidence of this. When it was noticed that the ship was moving at full speed towards the "Admiral Nakhimov", the situation was almost completely out of control.
Dry cargo ship "Petr Vasev" crashed into a passenger liner and made a hole in its side, measuring eight by ten meters. in eight minutes. Some of the circumstances in which the ship crashed raised questions for many. Why did the passenger ship sink to the bottom like a stone, if, according to the rules, it must have sufficient buoyancy to stay on the surface of the water for at least an hour after the wreck? In addition, information was received that the captain complied with the order of the port dispatcher and changed the route of the sailing vessel. There will be many gaps and white spots in this story.
However, the most inconsolable fact is the death of almost half a thousand people. Perhaps the scale of the disaster would not have been so terrible if it had been possible to launch lifeboats... But what could be done in just eight minutes? It takes at least half an hour to organize the boarding of people in one boat. And this is even under favorable conditions.
In the case when the ship "Nakhimov" was wrecked, there was neither time nor factors allowing people to escape in boats. Time after the disaster, it becomes increasingly difficult to find out the true circumstances of the crash. Surely the true facts rest in the depths of water, so it makes no sense to speculate, because time, like human lives, cannot be returned back.
These are just two stories, but they are not the only ones. The following is a list of the most famous shipwrecks will show that crashes of the largest liners are far from uncommon.
- SS America.
- "Discoverer of the World".
- "Mediterranean sky".
- MB Captayannis.
- BOS 400.
- Fort Shevchenko.
- "Evangelia".
- "SS Maheno".
- "Santa Maria".
- "Dimitrios".
- "Olympia".
The ships were built for years, solemnly left their native ports against the wind and eventually sank, ran aground, leaving only fragments and piles of iron in memory of themselves.
For thousands of years, ships have sunk during wars, natural disasters and in some cases even human error. Identified ten of the largest and most famous shipwrecks that have ever occurred.
The Titanic sailed from Southampton to New York, where it collided with an iceberg and sank after 2 hours and 40 minutes. Its body, divided into two parts, lies on seabed, at a depth of over 3700 meters.
Sultana
Almost forgotten, but one of the deadliest disasters. During the crash of this ship, more than 1,800 people died. It was the greatest maritime disaster in all American history... The explosion of four cauldrons turned the ship into a huge ball of fire, engulfing everyone and everything. The explosion killed 80% of everyone on board. The disaster was in the background in the press, due to the fact that just the day before it was killed by President Lincoln 
... The ship was designed for only 85 passengers, but there were approximately 2,400 people on board. Its wreckage lies near Memphis, Tennessee.
L.R. Doti
This ship was launched in 1894 in the state of Michigan, in western Bay City. She was caught in a terrible storm that caused her to sink, killing all 17 crew members on board. The crash site was found 111 years after the sinking of the ship. It is located at a depth of 92 meters in Lake Michigan; the maize cargo is still intact. This place is considered one of the most dangerous dive sites due to the muddy water.
Oriskani
This ship, nicknamed the Mighty O, was one of 24 huge Essex-class ships ordered by the US Navy. The ship has witnessed many battles in many places, from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to the Vietnam War. 
... In 2004, the vessel was converted into an artificial reef and has become a very successful home for millions of fish. Today it is considered one of the best places for diving in the world.
Jula
The sinking of this ship is considered the second worst non-war maritime disaster. The disaster claimed at least 1,863 lives. The ship was designed for 500 passengers, but at the time of the accident it was carrying more than 2000 passengers. The ship capsized after being hit by a storm. It sank in just five minutes. Rescue teams arrived only in the morning after the incident, a huge number of victims died in the water while awaiting rescue. The ship is still missing.
Vida Galli
This ship has a very interesting story... It served primarily for the slave trade, but then in late February 1717, a pirate named "Black Sam" Bellamy hijacked the ship and claimed it as his own. During the year he owned the ship, he used the Vida Galli to seize and plunder more than 50 ships. The ship was caught in a violent storm, as a result of which its main mast collapsed, and it capsized, dragging all the pirates under the water. The ship was discovered more than 250 years after it disappeared along with its prey. He was at a depth of only 5 meters. It was the first real pirate ship ever discovered.
Rona
Quite possibly the most beautiful shipwreck in the world. British packet boat wrecks off the coast of Salt Island, British Virgin Islands, October 26, 1867. The ship went straight for the hurricane, which damaged it and killed 123 people. Now this is a place for diving, and, I must say, absolutely stunning in beauty. Wildlife took the ship into its possession, and now it is covered with coral, eels live in it, different types fish and even sharks.
Costa Concordia
The most last crash cruise ship. Although the ship only partially sank, the crash cost 34 passengers their lives. This crash was widely reported in the press. Captain Scettino tried to make a spectacular maneuver to port. To do this, he turned off the ship's navigation system, which reported how close the ship approached the stone shoal. The ship swooped down on big Stone and water began to fill the boat, causing it to capsize. The Costa Concordia is still in the Giglia region of Tuscany and has become a popular tourist attraction; now plans are being developed to lift and tow it.
Mont Blanc
The Mont Blanc became known as the ship that caused the Halifax explosion. The ship was heading for France from New York and was carrying a huge amount of ammunition and explosives. The vessel was not too old, but very slow due to the weight of the cargo carried. It entered Halifax, Nova Scotia to meet a convoy bound for France. When entering the port, the ship crashed into another ship, the Imo. The collision caused a fire, explosives on board ignited. The force of the explosion was 2.9 kilotons, it was the largest non-nuclear explosion in history. More than 2,000 people were killed and 9,000 injured.
Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes is very popular with divers due to wildlife and landscapes that arose at the site of the shipwreck. The ship lies in a large harbor and can be seen at water level. The ship was damaged off Cove Island in August 1885. Fortunately, he was brought back to port by a small tug "Jesse". The schooner was seriously damaged and could not be repaired, so it sank in the port itself. Fortunately, the huge cargo of coal was lifted from the side of the sunken ship.
11/07/2011
The sunken motor ship "Bulgaria" claimed the lives of dozens of people, and made us think once again about the safety of the river and sea transport... Most people are only familiar with the tragedy of "Titanic", about which many films have been filmed and many stories have been told.
N oh, oddly enough, it was not the "Titanic" that took to the bottom of the a large number of human lives. This rating contains a list of the worst shipwrecks in history and is based on those killed in these disasters. It is worth noting that all these disasters occurred in Peaceful time.
1.Dona Paz - 4,375 dead
A passenger ferry registered in the Philippines. Sank on December 20, 1987 after collision with the tanker "Vector". At the same time, approximately 4,375 people died, which makes this maritime disaster the largest in peacetime. The ferry was built in 1963 at the Japanese shipyard "Onomichi Zosen", Onomichi, and was called "Himeuri Maru". The Himeuri Maru, owned by Ryukyu Kaiun Kaisa, cruised Japanese waters with a capacity of 608 passengers. In 1975 the vessel was sold to Sulpicio Lines, a Filipino passenger ferry operator, and was named Don Sulphico and later Doña Paz. A month before the collision, the ferry was being repaired at the docks. During Don's clash, Paz performed twice a week Passenger Transportation on the route Manila-Tacloban-Katbalogan-Manila-Katbalogan-Takloban-Manila.
2. Explosion in Halifax - 1,950 dead
The Halifax Explosion is an explosion that occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917 in the harbor city of Halifax. The massive explosion of the French military transport "Mont Blanc", loaded with explosives, which occurred as a result of the collision of the "Mont Blanc" with the Norwegian ship "Imo", the port and much of the city were completely destroyed. About 2 thousand people died in the explosion, under the rubble of buildings, and because of the fires that emerged after the explosion. Approximately 9 thousand people were injured.
3. Joola - 1,863 dead
A Senegalese state ferry that capsized off the coast of The Gambia on September 26, 2002. The disaster killed at least 1,863 people. On September 26, 2002, the Yoola ferry departed from Ziguinchor in the Casamance area on one of its routine journeys to the Senegal capital Dakar. During the voyage, the ship, designed to carry about 580 passengers, accommodated about 2000 people. On the way, the ship capsized as a result of strong winds off the coast of Gambia. Detailed reports show it happened in less than five minutes.
4. Sultana - 1,800 dead
The steamer Sultana, sailing on the Mississippi River, was destroyed by an explosion in one of four boilers on April 27, 1865. This led to the greatest maritime disaster in the history of the United States. About 1,800 of the 2,400 passengers on board were killed. The steamer sank near Memphis, Tennessee.
5. Titanic - 1,517 dead
The Titanic is a British steamer of the White Star Line, one of three twin ships of the Olympic class. The largest passenger liner in the world at the time of its construction. During the first voyage on April 14, 1912, it collided with an iceberg and sank after 2 hours and 40 minutes. Onboard there were 1316 passengers and 892 crew members, a total of 2208 people. The Titanic disaster became legendary and was one of the largest shipwrecks in history. Several feature films have been shot on its plot.
6. Empress of Ireland - 1,012 dead
The Empress of Ireland is a Canadian passenger liner laid down on the stocks of the Govan shipyard, near Glasgow, Scotland. Launched in January 1906, underwent sea trials until June 27, 1906. One of the most large ships of its own class, owned by the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. Made flights between England and Canada. The comfort of the premises, the high speed of the vessel, as well as the excellent service on board the liner have earned him popularity among those wishing to cross Atlantic Ocean... During its next voyage on May 29, 1914, the Empress of Ireland collided with the Norwegian coal carrier Sturstadt on the St. Lawrence River and sank 14 minutes later at a depth of more than 40 meters. He carried on board 1477 people (420 crew members and 1057 passengers).
7. Estonia - 852 dead
The ferry Estonia was built in 1979 in Germany at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg. "Estonia" sank on the night of September 27 to September 28, 1994. At the same time, 852 people out of 1049 who were on board were killed. The ferry was originally built for Viking Line and was named Viking Sally. He was supposed to run between Turku, Mariehamn and Stockholm. In 1986 it was sold to the company " Silja line"And renamed" Silja Star ", keeping it on the same route. In 1991, the ferry was operated by Wasa Line, wholly owned by Silja Line, and the ferry, now named Wasa King, began operating between the Finnish city of Vaasa and the Swedish city of Umeå. In January 1993, the Swedish company Nordström & Thulin and the Estonian Shipping Company (Estonian Shipping Company, abbreviated as ESCO) established the joint venture Estline ( EstLine A / S ”), which acquired the ferry“ Wasa King ”, renaming it“ Estonia ”(“ Estonia ”).
8. Eastland - 845 dead
It was a passenger ship based in Chicago. It was used for excursions to the Great Lakes. The ship sank on July 24, 1915 as a result of a natural disaster. This was the largest shipwreck in the Great Lakes region.
9. Birkenhead - 460 dead
Birkenhead is a ferry built especially for the Royal Navy. It was designed as a frigate, but was later used to transport troops. On February 26, 1852, while transporting troops, the ship crashed off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa.
10. Mary Rose - 400 dead
Mary Rose was the three-deck flagship of the British Navy under King Henry VIII Tudor. This massive carrakka was launched in Portsmouth in 1510. The name was probably given in honor of the French queen Mary Tudor (the king's sister) and the rose as the heraldic symbol of the Tudor house. During the Italian Wars, the Mary Rose was commanded by brother admirals Edward and Thomas Howard. In 1512 "Mary Rose" took part in the attack on Brest. In 1528 and 1536. it was modernized: the number of guns was increased to 91, the displacement was increased to 700 tons. In 1545, King Francis I of France landed on the Isle of Wight. The British sent 80 ships led by the Mary Rose to the Solent Strait to protect the island. The karakka, overloaded with artillery, never distinguished by stability, suddenly began to heel and sank along with Admiral George Carew. Only 35 sailors managed to escape. By the way, the remains of this ship were found, and now they are stored in maritime museum Portsmouth city .
optopus.ucoz.ru, photo from pajamasmedia.com
The world is familiar with a multitude of shipwrecks, shocking in their scale and horror of what happened. Russian history knows a lot of terrible shipwrecks that resulted in significant human casualties.
Top worst shipwrecks of the 20th century
As known, modern ships equipped with means designed to save a person's life. However, this was not always the case. Especially a lot major shipwrecks happened in the last century.Some water disasters have occurred far out to sea, and some have occurred in the coastal strip due to collisions with reefs. The consequences can be frightening. Here are some of the worst shipwrecks in human history.
Steamer "Sultana" (SS Sultana)
Wood paddle steamer The Sultana was built at an American shipyard in Cincinnati and launched in 1863. The ship suffered a disaster on April 27, 1865 on the Mississippi River near Memphis due to a steam boiler explosion. 
Soldiers freed from captivity were transported on a steamer. 1653 people became victims of the disaster, 741 people were saved. This shipwreck is the largest disaster of the 19th century in terms of the number of victims.
Ferry "Donja Paz"
One of the largest shipwrecks of the 20th century happened in 1987 - we are talking about the passenger ferry "Donja Paz". For more than two decades, he regularly transported people, cruising along the coast of the Philippines and Japan. 
Having collided with a tanker, the ferry literally broke in half. There was a fire, passengers were killed in the fire. The number of victims of this terrible shipwreck is 4375 people.
Liner "Wilhelm Gustloff"
Cruise ship " Wilhelm Gustloff"Belonged to one of the largest tour operator companies of the Third Reich. It was launched in 1937. The ship had 50 cruises, and the ticket prices were so low that even the working class could afford to travel on board. 
During the Second World War, the liner served as a hospital, and later became a barracks for submariners. In early 1945, the ship was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine. According to official figures, 5348 people died in that shipwreck. Historians also call a different number of victims - at least 9 thousand people.
Wreck of the Titanic
Who doesn't know about the Titanic? It seems that everyone has heard about this sensational shipwreck. The vessel made only one voyage, which ended in disaster in 1912. Titanic, according to the site, is included in the ranking of the largest ships. 
1,513 people became victims of the shipwreck. Only 711 passengers were saved. The Titanic disappeared under water in 160 minutes. This terrible catastrophe was reflected in the cinema: in 1997, the film of the same name was directed by James Cameron. The main roles in the film were played by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Cruise ship "Costa Concordia"
Costa Concordia is one of the largest European motor ships. The sea disaster occurred on the night of January 13-14, 2012 in the Tyrrhenian Sea, near the Italian island of Giglio, while cruising in the western Mediterranean. There were 4,229 people on board when the board hit the reefs and capsized. The crash killed 32 people.6 people found guilty of Costa Concordia crash
The main culprit was the liner captain Francesco Schettino, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison. After this incident, the rules of maritime navigation and the passage of pre-trip instructions for passengers were tightened.
The worst shipwrecks in Russian history
Russian history knows several major shipwrecks, and all of them resulted in huge human casualties. One cannot but recall the crash of “Armenia”, “Admiral Nakhimov” and “Novorossiysk”. A terrible tragedy for our country and the whole world was the sinking of the Kursk submarine, the shipwreck of the Bulgar and Komsomolets."Armenia" sank in the fall of 1941 near the Crimea in just four minutes. The vessel transported evacuated residents and wounded Red Army soldiers. Five thousand people died, and only 8 passengers were able to survive.
One of the largest water disasters in the USSR was the crash of the Admiral Nakhimov. He went from Novorossiysk to Sochi, carrying 1243 people. Due to the fact that the steamer rammed the grain carrier, it had a hole, and it sank in 7 minutes. This shipwreck occurred at the end of August 1986, and then 423 people died.
The name "Novorossiysk" in the USSR was given to a ship that had previously belonged to the Italian Navy. At the end of October 1955, an explosion occurred in the bow of the ship, due to which a hole of 150 square meters was formed. meters. "Novorossiysk" sank along with 604 people on board.
The ferry "Estonia" in September 1994, leaving the port of Tallinn, got into a storm, lost its bow, which caused it to collapse and drown. The rescue operation was complicated by a natural disaster, as a result of which 852 people were missing and killed.
Our contemporaries know about the tragedy that happened with the Kursk nuclear submarine. The crash occurred in August 2000 due to explosions on board. The crew consisted of 118 people, there were no survivors.
In July 2011, there was another terrible shipwreck in Russian history - the sinking of the motor ship "Bulgaria", which was cruising along the Volga. With a capacity of 140 people, there were 208 passengers on board. The dead were about 120 people, including many children.
The submarine Komsomolets was wrecked in the Norwegian Sea. It happened in April 1989 - the cause was a fire in the aft compartment. The crew consisted of 69 people, only 27 crew members managed to survive.
The worst water disaster in human history
Perhaps the worst water disaster in the history of mankind was the shipwreck of the German ship "Goya" in 1945. Its victims were about 7 thousand people. 
The collapse of "Goya" is called the bloodiest catastrophe. It happened during the Second World War. The ship was used as an evacuation ship. At night, a Soviet submarine overtook the Goya and attacked the ship. After 10 minutes the ship "Goya" together with all the passengers went under water. On land, major accidents with fatalities occurred at least as often. We invite you to learn more about the worst disasters in history.
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For hundreds of years of sailing on various ships, sailing ships and barges across the vast seas and oceans, there have been many all kinds of accidents and shipwrecks. Some of them have even been featured in films, the most popular of which is, of course, the Titanic. But what shipwrecks were the largest in terms of the size of the ship and the number of victims? In this ranking, we answer this question by presenting the largest maritime disasters.
11
The rating is opened by a British passenger liner, which was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 on May 7, 1915, in an area designated by the Kaiser government as a submarine war zone. The ship, sailing with a painted-over name and not raising any flag above itself, sank in 18 minutes 13 kilometers from the coast of Ireland. Killed 1198 people from 1959 who were on board. The destruction of this ship turned public opinion in many countries against Germany and contributed to the entry of the United States into World War I two years later.
10
The single-screw steamer had a capacity of 7142 register tons, a length of 132 meters, a width of 17 meters, and a maximum speed of 11 knots. On April 12, 1944, a steamer with explosives with a total mass of more than 1,500 tons stood for unloading at the pier of the Bombay port. There were other cargoes on board - 8,700 tons of cotton, 128 bars of gold, sulfur, timber, engine oil, etc. The ship was loaded in violation of safety regulations. Around 2 pm a fire broke out on board, and no actions helped to eliminate it. At 16:06 an explosion thundered, from which a tidal wave of such force was formed that the Jalampada ship with a displacement of almost 4,000 tons was on the roof of a 17-meter warehouse. After 34 min. the second explosion thundered.
The burning cotton scattered within a radius of 900 meters from the epicenter and set fire to everything: ships, warehouses, houses. Strong wind from the sea he drove a wall of fire to the city. The fires were eliminated only after 2 weeks. It took about 7 months to restore the port. Official statistics announced 1,376 deaths, 2,408 people were admitted to hospitals. The fire destroyed 55,000 tons of grain, thousands of tons of seeds, oil, oil; a huge amount of military equipment and almost one square mile of city blocks. 6 thousand firms went bankrupt, 50 thousand people lost their jobs. Many small and 4 large ships, dozens of them were destroyed.
9
It was with this ship that the most famous disaster on the water occurred. The British steamer of the White Star Line was the second of three Olympic-class twin steamers and the largest by passenger liner in the world at the time of construction. Gross tonnage 46328 register tons, displacement 66000 tons. The ship is 269 meters long, 28 meters wide, and 52 meters high. The engine room had 29 boilers and 159 coal furnaces. Maximum speed 25 knots. During the maiden voyage on April 14, 1912, he collided with an iceberg and sank after 2 hours and 40 minutes. There were 2224 people on board. Of these, 711 people were saved, 1513 died. The Titanic catastrophe became legendary, several feature films were shot based on its plot.
8
In the harbor of the Canadian city of Halifax on December 6, 1917, a clash of a French military cargo ship"Mont Blanc", which was fully loaded with one explosive - TNT, pyroxylin and picric acid, with the Norwegian ship "Imo". As a result of the strongest explosion, the port and a significant part of the city were completely destroyed. About 2,000 people died in the explosion under the rubble of buildings and because of the fires that erupted after the explosion. Approximately 9000 people were injured and 400 people lost their sight. The explosion in Halifax is one of the most powerful explosions arranged by mankind, this explosion is considered the most powerful explosion of the pre-nuclear era.
7
This French auxiliary cruiser served as a flagship and took part in the neutralization of the Greek fleet. Displacement - 25,000 tons, length - 166 meters, width - 27 meters, power - 29,000 horsepower, speed - 20 knots, cruising range - 4,700 miles at 10 knots. She sank in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece on February 26, 1916 after a torpedo attack by the German submarine U-35. Of the 4,000 people on board, 3,130 were killed, 870 were saved.
6
After 1944, this German passenger ocean liner was converted into a floating hospital, participated in the evacuation of mostly wounded soldiers and refugees from East Prussia from the advancing Red Army. The liner left the port of Pillau on February 9, 1945 and headed for Kiel, with more than 4,000 people on board - wounded servicemen, soldiers, refugees, medical personnel and crew members. On the night of February 10 at 00:55 the Soviet submarine S-13 torpedoed the liner with two torpedoes. The ship sank 15 minutes later, killing 3,608 and rescuing 659 people. When torpedoing the liner, the submarine commander was convinced that in front of him was not a passenger liner, but a military cruiser.
5
The Doña Paz passenger ferry, registered in the Philippines, sank on December 20, 1987 at about 10 pm in the area of Marinduke Island after a collision with the tanker Vector. At the same time, about 4,375 people died, making this the largest maritime disaster in peacetime.
4
This passenger-cargo ship of the "Adjara" type was built at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad in 1928, and on November 7, 1941, was sunk by the Germans near the Crimean coast. The death toll was, according to various estimates, from 3,000 to 4,500 people. On the ship were several thousand wounded soldiers and evacuated citizens, including the personnel of 23 military and civil hospitals, the leadership of the pioneer camp and part of the party leadership of the Crimea. The evacuees were being loaded in a hurry, and the exact number is not known. There is a version that the cause of this naval disaster was the criminal mistakes of the command of the Black Sea Fleet. The overcrowded motor ship, instead of making the transition to the Caucasian one, was sent by the command to Yalta.
3
A freighter built in Oslo, Norway, launched on April 4, 1940. It was confiscated by the Germans after the occupation of Norway by Germany. At first it was used as a conditional target for the training of German submarine crews. Later, the ship participated in the evacuation of people by sea from the advancing Red Army. It was armed with combat cannons. This ship managed to make four cruises, in which 19,785 people were evacuated. On the night of April 16, 1945, the ship making the fifth cruise was torpedoed by the Soviet submarine L-3, after which the Goya sank in the Baltic Sea. More than 6,900 people died in the crash.
2
On May 3, 1945, a tragedy occurred in the Baltic Sea, which killed approximately 8,000 people. The German liner "Cap Arcona" and the cargo ship "Tilbeck", transporting prisoners from the evacuated concentration camps, came under fire from the British aircraft. As a result, more than 5,000 people died on Cap Arcona, about 2,800 on Tilbeck. According to one version, this raid was a mistake on the part of the British Air Force, who believed that there were German troops on the ships, according to the other, the pilots were ordered to destroy everything. enemy ships in the area.
1
The most on the water happened with this German passenger liner, which since 1940 was converted into a floating hospital. During World War II it was used as an infirmary, a hostel for the 2nd training brigade of submariners. The death of a ship torpedoed on January 30, 1945 by the Soviet submarine S-13 under the command of A.I. Marinesko, is considered the largest disaster in maritime history- according to estimates of a number of historians, the real losses could have been more than 9000 people.
At 21:16, the first torpedo hit the bow of the ship, later the second blew up an empty pool, where the women of the naval auxiliary battalion were located, and the last one hit engine room... By the joint efforts of the crew and passengers, some of the lifeboats were launched, and yet there were many people in the icy water. An anti-aircraft gun came off the deck from the strong heel of the ship and crushed one of the boats, full of people. About an hour after the attack, the Wilhelm Gustloff sank completely.
