The Hipper left the Gulf of Danzig several hours behind the Gustloff on January 30, 1945 and was due to intercept it on a parallel course around midnight.  Like the Gustloff, it too carried refugees - albeit a much smaller number (about 1,400).  It was escorted by the T-36 torpedo boat.

As the two boats rounded the tip of the Pomeranian coast at approximately 10:00pm, Captain Heningst of the Hipper ordered a course set toward a ship sending distress signals (spotted by a lookout on the T-36).  About an hour later, the T-36 arrived just in time to see the Gustloff slip under the waterline.  Following afterward, the Hipper considered the possibility of rescue operations but feared the threat of more Soviet torpedoes.  After a brief stop and without dropping anchor, Captain Heningst ordered the T-36 to continue rescue operations and continued on to Kiel.

Unfortunately, the Hipper's appearance at the sight of the disaster caused many victims in the sea to be drawn to the large ship - expecting rescue.  When the heavy cruiser's screws started again, they tragically tore a number of survivors to pieces.

Sunk by a mine off Swinemünde in 1945, she was eventually raised by the Russians and rebuilt as the Admiral Nakhimov - a passenger ship that saw service until August 31, 1986 when a collision with a freighter resulted in approximately 425 lives lost.

Unlike the Wilhelm Gustloff, built and managed by these same two respective organizations, this ship was never part of the KdF (Strength through Joy) fleet.  However, like the Gustloff, in 1940 it was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine for use as U-boat training barracks in Gotenhafen.  Eventually, it shared in the unavoidable duties for evacuation of the besieged Danzig in January 1945, carrying over 25,000 refugees in three separate runs to the west.  Unfortunately, the Cap Arcona's story ended in great tragedy.  Concentration camp inmates of Neuengamme were packed aboard when Allied forces bombed the former liner in Lubeck Bay on May 3, 1945 - killing thousands of the prisoners.

An interesting link exists between the Cap Arcona, Wilhelm Gustloff and Titanic.  In 1943, Hitler's propaganda minister Goebbels decided to commission a movie to be made about the Titanic.  It was filmed in Gotenhafen, using the Cap Arcona as stand-in for the Titanic (in many ways it resembled the ship - albeit with only 3 funnels).  According to sources, many of the extras involved in the filming were from the 2nd Submarine Training Divisions on the Cap Arcona and Wilhlelm Gustloff.

Survived the war and appropriated by the Russians, who converted it to passenger liner Asia during 1947/48.  By 1950, was rebuilt with one funnel and sailed mostly in Far Eastern waters between Vladivostock and Kamchatka.  Finally broken up in 1970.

Docked in Gotenhafen for the majority of the war, it served as a submarine training accommodation ship like the Wilhelm Gustloff.  Eventually, it was called upon to participate in Operation Hannibal, the evacuation of the Danzig area to the western mainland in Germany.  The Deutschland was able to complete seven trips accounting for 70,000 refugees.

The Deutschland was sunk on May 3, 1945 in the same raid that killed so many concentration camp victims on board the Cap Arcona.  It too carried numerous unfortunate prisoners in this act of Nazi desperation and fear of reckoning.

Originally named the Zeppelin, it was built in 1915 by Vulkan of Bremen for Australian service with Nord-deutsche Lloyd.  Turned over to Britain as a result of World War I, she was eventually bought back by Lloyd in 1927 and renamed Dresden for service in the North Atlantic.  

Both had sailed from Libau and were on the way to Swinemünde with approximately 4,000 refugees of their own.  No SOS had been heard.  They happened upon the disaster site completely by chance.

The Göttingen's escort, minesweeper M-375 was able to pull in approximately 50 survivors.

A 5,200 ton freighter built in Oslo during the early 1940's, her original name was to be the Akers.   However, before her completion the Nazis conquered Norway and she passed to German ownership.  Once finished, she was re-named the Goya and commissioned for troop transport duties by the Kriegsmarine in 1942.

After the war, the Hamburg was raised and when finally ready by July 1960 was used by the Russians as a whaling ship named Yuri Dolgoruki.  She was eventually scrapped in 1977.

The Hansa was used in Gotenhafen as floating barracks for the U-boat trainees during the majority of the war (like the Gustloff).  In fact, she was originally to have been part of the small convoy heading east with the Gustloff on January 30, 1945, but developed engine trouble and had to return to port.  Ironically, it was the Hansa that first heard the re-transmitted SOS message for the Gustloff.

Eventually, the she was sunk in a fate similar to other ships involved in Operation Hannibal.  The Hansa hit a mine off Warnemunde on March 6, 1945.  She was salvageable and raised by the Russians after the war to be used by as a passenger ship named Sovetsky Sojus.  She was finally scrapped in 1981, soon after being renamed Soyuz in 1980.

The 710 ton Löwe was captured by the Germans during the invasion of Norway in 1940.  Built by Marinens Hovedverft in Horten, Norway, it had been commissioned in 1938 and was originally named the Gyller.  After the war, it was returned to the Norwegians, who resurrected its original name.  It was scrapped in 1959.

Built by Schichau Elbing, the M-375 was commissioned in July 1944.  Acquired by the United States after the war, it was renamed TS8 and used as floating barracks.

Also referred to as TS 8.

Also referred to as TS 2 or TS II.

The M-85 was built by Nordseewerke Emden and commissioned in 1918.

Well after Marinesko had left for command of the S-13, the M-96 hit a mine off Narva, Estonia on September 10, 1944.  All of the crew was lost.

After the war, it was claimed by the British in 1945 and renamed the Empire Waveney.  On March 1, 1946, she was completely destroyed by fire at Liverpool.

During the war she served as a hospital ship, accommodation ship and finally evacuation ship during Operation Hannibal.  After completing one of her runs from East Prussia to mainland Germany, she was bombed by the Allies on April 3, 1945 and sunk.

During the war, she had multiple roles including those of floating barracks, troop transport, mobile repair ship and finally hospital/evacuation ship.

After the war, she was turned over to Britain still sporting a green hospital stripe around her hull.  Renamed and refitted as the troop transport Empire Windrush, she eventually sank in the Mediterranean in 1954 after an explosion in the engine room killed four crew members.

The Monte Sarmiento was chartered (not owned) by the KdF and was captained by Carl Lübbe prior to his transfer to the bridge of the Wilhelm Gustloff as its first captain.

After the outbreak of war, she was stationed at Kiel and used as an accommodation ship.  On February 26, 1942, she was sunk during an Allied bombing raid.

The image to the left is a Speisenfolge (menu) from the last day of the 30th KdF cruise of the Monte Sarmiento - July 23, 1936.

Built in 1913 by Vulkan of Bremen for Norddeutsche Lloyd, she was originally named Sierra Salvada.  During World War I, she was commandeered by the Brazilians in 1917.  She returned to German ownership in 1923 and re-named Peer Gynt.  With Stettin as home port, she was used as a cruise ship.  Financial difficulties sent her to Italy in 1925.  Hapag bought her back in 1928 and finally re-named her Oceana - a name she retained when eventually used by the KdF for its cruise program.

In 1945, the Oceana was turned over to the British.  In 1946 she was acquired by the Russians.  Finally, she was scrapped in 1958.

During the rescue, the Gustloff loses its 'Number 1' lifeboat, which washes up on the shore of Terschelling Island almost one month later.

Despite outward appearances, the Robert Ley was not technically an exact match for the Gustloff.  Built by Howaldtswerke, Hamburg, she was slightly bigger at 27,300 tons and could carry 300 more passengers for cruises.  Upon closer inspection when compared to the Gustloff, one will notice that the forward mast is not on the upper decks.  Furthermore, the ship has a "stockier" appearance that most agree is less aesthetic.

With the exception of the Dresden, the Robert Ley had the shortest life span in the KdF cruise program.  She was commissioned on April 19, 1939 - only months before war would arrive and demand its use as hospital ship Lazarettschiff B in the early part of the war.  Similar to the Gustloff, she was eventually sent to the Danzig for use as an accommodation ship in Gotenhafen and Pillau.

Like many other former KdF ships, when the order for Operation Hannibal came in January 1945, the Robert Ley was used for evacuation toward the west.  Upon arrival in Hamburg after one of her runs in March 1945, she was hit by bombs from the RAF and completely burned out.  Some sources have claimed that a large number of lives were lost because the refugees had not yet disembarked - but this remains unclear.  The wreck was towed to the United Kingdom for scrapping on June 6, 1945.

The S-13 was ironically a German-designed boat and a product of illegal pre-war cooperation between the Soviets and Germans.  She was decommissioned in 1954 and scrapped during 1956.

The St. Louis grabbed headlines in the summer of 1939 when over 900 Jewish emigrants fled Nazi Germany aboard the vessel bound for Cuba (this was obviously not a KdF cruise).  After Cuban authorities refused the passengers, they attempted to gain access to the USA while off the coast of Florida.  Once again, they were refused and the St. Louis headed back to Europe where ultimately Great Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands agreed to accept the passengers.  Unfortunately, when the latter three countries fell under control of the Nazis, many were hunted down and ultimately faced death in concentration camps.  The 1976 movie Voyage of the Damned is based on this story.

In January 1940, the St. Louis was requisitioned by the navy for use as floating barracks in Kiel.  Bombed by the Allies on August 30, 1944, she suffered severe damage.  Left as a beached wreck until 1946, she was eventually towed to Hamburg and used as accommodation for the homeless.  The St. Louis was towed from Hamburg to Bremerhaven for scrapping in April of 1950.

The Skuka (SC) class was the most common submarine in the Soviet Navy during World War II.  It held a complement of 38 men and had a total of 6 torpedo tubes (4 on the stern and 2 at the bow).  Top speed was 12.5 knots on the surface and 6.5 knots submerged.

Built in Leningrad by Baltiyski zavod (Ordschonikidse shipyard), the SC-306 was commissioned in August 1935.  Originally launched as the Piksha, was renamed before completion as the SC-306 in September of 1934.  All crew members were lost on November 12, 1944 in the Finnish Gulf when she was sunk for reasons that remain unclear.

In 1939, the Sierra Cordoba was one of the few KdF ships (including the Wilhelm Gustloff) that sailed for Spain to transport members of the Legion Condor back home to Germany.

The Sierra Cordoba spent most of the war tied down in Kiel as a naval accommodation ship.  It sustained damage from Allied bombing in 1944, but was promptly repaired.

Transferred to the British at the end of the war, she sailed to Hamburg where fire broke out on January 13, 1946 causing three deaths.  In 1948, the gutted wreck sunk off the west coast of Denmark while being towed to England for scrapping.

Originally commissioned as the München in 1922, the 14,700 ton twin-screw liner was built by Vulkan Werke in Stettin.  She was put to work in the North Atlantic by Norddeutsche Lloyd until a fire in New York during February 1930 forced a full restoration.  She was re-named the General Von Steuben.

In 1939, she was appropriated by the Navy and used as an accommodation ship in Kiel where she lay idle for years.  Converted in summer 1944 to transport soldiers to the Eastern front (and take the wounded back to Kiel), the Steuben inevitably participated in the desperate evacuation to the west - Operation Hannibal - until Marinesko's S-13 caught up with her.

She served as a hospital ship (Lazarettschiff D) during World War II.  On October 9, 1943, was sunk in Gotenhafen during the same Allied bombing raid that damaged the Wilhelm Gustloff.

The 1,750 ton T-36 was designed for a crew of 206 and had a maximum speed of 32 knots.  Commissioned late in the war in December of 1944, she was thrown exclusively into escort duties under Operation Hannibal.  Attacked by Soviet aircraft on May 5, 1945, she sunk after bombs hit their mark.

Some resources claim it was the TF-19 below.

Some sources claim that the TF-19 was an original escort vessel to the Gustloff that had to turn back due to problems on January 30, 1945. 

However, very few saw operational duty due to the realities of a collapsing Third Reich.  Many of the over 900 U-boat trainees sailing on the Gustloff during the night of its sinking were heading toward the naval base at Kiel.  They were marked to be crew members on these brand new revolutionary submarines they would never see.

Of the 134 Type XXI and XXIII submarines that had been built, only 7 ever saw any service against the Allies in WWII.

The project, along with another 18 planned cruise liners, was shelved indefinitely - never destined to begin construction as war changed priorities.

In fact, it was only one survivor - a baby discovered in a lifeboat by Petty Officer Werner Fick.  Almost seven hours after the sinking and in amongst numerous frozen corpses, the baby was found miraculously alive.  Fick ultimately adopted the child when the parents could not be located.

Was considered the flagship of the Nazi Strength through Joy movement because it was the first brand new cruise ship built for and owned by the KdF.