This is the information page about the shipwreck Wilhelm gustloff, the water chart below shows the wreck in its immediate vicinity. The position of this wreck is 55 7.531 N,17 42.185 E (55.125516666667, 17.703083333333)

The texts accompanying this shipwreck are in English 🇬🇧, as they are prepared by the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) based on data from UKHO and the hydrographic services of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, among others. They include the known details of the wreck and the comments of the cartographers who have checked the position and condition of the wreck over time.

Name: WILHELM GUSTLOFF

Length 198.1 meter, width: 23.5 meter, draught: 7.9, tonnage 25484 ton

Cause: built in 1937 by blohm and voss. owned at time of loss by deutsche arbeitsfront. managed by 'kraft durch freude' [strength through joy] organisation. oil engines of 2360 nhp. built to provide cheap holidays for the workers. designed for 1456 passengers, all tourist class and 426 crew. passage from danzig with 5000 refugees and 3700 submarine personnel onboard, the port being threatened by russian army. torpedoed by russian submarine s-13, struck by 3 torpedoes and sank in 40 minutes. unoffical estimates of up to 7500 refugees, wounded soldiers & naval personnel onboard. only 904 survivors. considered the worst maritime disaster on record. (dods, s rogers & sea breezes, oct '80).

Year of registration: 1946

Water depth above wreck: 44 meter, Height above seabed: 330 cm

Known since: 1946, last detected: 2023

Details measurements/cartography: H2815/46 26.8.46 NON DANGEROUS WK IN 550722N, 174150E. (RUSSIAN NM 187/46). INS AS NDW. BR STD. H6721/53 4.2.54 NOW SHOWN AS DW IN 550730N, 174202E ON POLISH 104. AMEND TO DW. BR STD. H4140/59 15.9.59 NOW SHOWN AS DW PA ON POLISH 104. AMEND TO DWPA. H2010/60 12.9.75 LEAST DEPTH OVER WK 23MTRS IN 550736N, 174200E [POL]. (POLISH NM 402/75). AMEND TO WK 23MTRS. BR STD. 9.2.80 STILL SHOWN AS DW ON POLISH 202 [1980 EDN]. NCA, RETAIN AS WK 23MTRS. 10.11.80 SS WILHELM GUSTLOFF. SINKING POSN GIVEN AS 550700N, 174200E. (SEA BREEZES, OCT '80). HH100/351/06 29.10.92 DIVED ON IN 550729N, 174227.5E. LIES ON PORT SIDE WITH BOW W. IDENTIFIED BY NAME ON BOW. TORPEDO DAMAGE OBSERVED ALSO PART OF THE SWIMMING POOL. (J COULON, 14.10.92). NCA. 8.5.97 VESSEL HAS RECENTLY BEEN PLUNDERED BY SPORTS DIVERS. POLISH GOVERNMENT HAS PUT A BAN ON UNAUTHORISED DIVING. (NAUTICAL MAGAZINE 2/97). HH323/450/02 13.4.99 NOW WK PA 23MTRS IN 5507.5N, 1742.2E [WGD]. (POLISH NM 10/180/99). BR STD. HH165/410/03 13.1.05 INS GENERAL LIMIT RADIUS 500MTRS CENTRED ON WK. CAUTION: 'THIS AREA IS THE BURIAL SITE OF SHIPWRECK VICTIMS. ANY ACTIVITY THAT MAY BREAK THE PEACE OF THIS SITE IS PROHIBITED'. (POLISH NM 49/706/04). INS AS CIRCULAR GENERAL LIMIT [5011 N1.2] OF MINIMUM RADIUS TO ENCOMPASS WRECK WITH NOTE: THIS AREA IS THE BURIAL SITE OF SHIPWRECK VICTIMS. ANY ACTIVITY THAT MAY DISTURB THIS SITE IS PROHIBITED'.

- NM 760/05. 11.6.21 EXAM'D 24/1/2021; WK LOCATED IN 5507.530N, 1742.185E [WGD]. LEAST MBES DEPTH 28.32MTRS, IN GEN DEPTH 44MTRS. LENGTH 210MTRS, WIDTH 49MTRS, HT 16.26MTRS, ORIENTATION 330 DEGS. (HMS ECHO, H5252.1, DTD 26/5/2021). LARGE WK BROKEN INTO THREE DISTINCT SECTIONS. NFA.
Comment researcher: UK Hydrographic Office

Commentaar onderzoeker: Broken into three sections

Position: 55 7.531 N,17 42.185 E

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