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RIPPLES
FROM THE BALTIC
We
will never know the exact number of those who perished in
the Gustloff
tragedy because crew members lost count when thousands of
refugees jammed every corner of the ship.
Regardless, historians commonly agree that it is
the most deadly single ship disaster ever.
For years, estimates of those who lost their lives
ranged from 5,000 to 10,000.
Now it is generally agreed to be well over
9,000.
Recently, this was confirmed by a sophisticated
team of experts assembled for the Discovery Channel’s
“Unsolved History”.
News
of the Gustloff’s
sinking is not reported within the remains of the Third
Reich. Obviously
Hitler can not bear to bring more bad news to his
collapsing regime.
With the exception of minor mention in a couple of
newspapers, it
also remains largely unreported in western Allied countries.
Official bulletins in the
Soviet Union
make no mention of it.
It seems profile on the tragedy was doomed right
from the start.
Ironically, the only known high-profile mention of this
tragedy is a front-page newspaper story in Nachrichten
für die Truppe (News for the Troops) - an allied
propaganda newspaper dropped out of bombers over remaining
pockets of German soldiers as the war nears its end.
You
would think S-13
Captain Marinesko’s troubles with the NKVD (eventually
to become the KGB) would fade now that he has scored the
biggest target in history.
Moreover, he manages to sink one more significant
target on
February 9, 1945
before returning to
base (the Steuben -
over 15,000 tons and 3,000 lives sinking in only seven
minutes). But
Marinesko is not declared a “Hero of the
Soviet Union
” like some of his
counterparts who have achieved less.
He has become a marked man – his character deemed
less than compatible with the Soviet ideal.
Despite all efforts to gain recognition for his
achievements, he is dishonorably discharged from the
Navy in October 1945.
Trouble continues to follow him.
After employment at a state institution,
Marinesko is dubiously charged with “stealing property”
after quarreling with a director. He
is sentenced to three years hard labour in
Siberia
.
Through quick wit and resourcefulness, he survives
by convincing gulag authorities that he is best served on
the docks rather than in the mines – where sickness and
death can come quickly.
Regardless, his plight takes its toll.
Unknown to him, cancer is beginning to grow inside
his body and illness sets in.
Finally,
in the early 1960’s, he is given the recognition he
fought for. He
is reinstated as Captain Third Class and receives a
pension. In
October 1963 - eighteen years after sinking the Gustloff
- he finally receives the traditional honourary ceremony
due to a captain upon successful return from a mission.
He dies 3 weeks later of cancer – at least
knowing that acknowledgment had finally come his way.
In 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev posthumously awards Marinesko
with his elusive "Hero of the Soviet Union"
title.
Today,
Marinesko is regarded as a hero in Russia - especially to
submariners in the Navy who regard him as the ultimate
role model. The official line in Russia has been one
of the Gustloff packed with armed forces - leaving
out the fact that it carried thousands of refugees.
Throughout
World War II, David Frankfurter remains incarcerated in
Switzerland
.
However, as the Nazi empire crumbles, the Swiss are
less inclined to keep him locked up.
On
February 27, 1945
- nine years after
assassinating Gustloff
- he applies for a pardon.
Less than a month after
Germany
surrenders, he is
granted his wish. It
stipulates that he leave the country and pay restitution.
Moving
to
Palestine
, he settles in Tel
Aviv. He is
eventually employed by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
In 1969, the Swiss Government rescinds its order of
exile. Frankfurter
promptly returns to the country for a visit as a free man.
In 1982, David Frankfurter dies at the age of 73 in
Israel
.
Heinz
Schön, ship’s purser on board the Gustloff
in Gotenhafen, survives to become the world’s chief
expert on the subject.
He authors numerous books and provides consulting
to many projects. Currently
he makes his home in Bad Salzuflen
, Germany
and manages the “Gustloff-Archive”.
"The Forgotten Ship" by
M.O. Cahill ©2004
Unlike
the Titanic, it
did not take years to establish where the wreck of the Gustloff
lay. An
accurate position recorded during the sinking (55.07N,
17.41E) and relatively shallow waters (45m/150ft) near the
Stolpe Bank make it easy to locate.
Sometime after the war has ended, it is alleged
that the Soviets visit the wreck and scour for objects of
interest. Rumours
of a cherished Soviet treasure - the Amber
Room
- in the cargo hold may have provoked a visit.
They blow up the mid-ship section to cover their
tracks – leaving only the bow and stern reasonably
recognizable. Other
items have been pilfered from the wreck including the
anchors and props. Today,
the wreck is officially designated as a grave site and is
off limits to divers by order of Polish authorities.
However, some dives have been made recently,
particularly by Mike Boring and his team in May 2003.
Most
importantly, for survivors and family members of those who
were lost, memories of this event still haunt them
today. For many years, most survivors would not
speak of this tragedy. They repressed it deep within
themselves (collectively - Germany as a nation did
so as well). Many only started 'opening up' and
speaking of it 40 to 50 years after this terrible evening
on the unforgiving Baltic.
There
is still much for people to learn. Similar
to its wreck in relatively shallow waters in the Baltic,
the Gustloff
still largely remains below the waterline of consciousness in
historical awareness.
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