After Germany started World War II, the Gustloff served as a hospital ship until November 1940. She was then painted in naval grey and became floating barracks at the port of Gdyna, that had been renamed Gotenhafen by the German occupation.
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On January the 30th 1945 the ship left her port as part of the last-minute evacuation of the area. In the chaos of the situation the ship, that was recognizable as a military vessel, took thousands of civilian refuge seekers aboard.
Sailing in deep waters with the torpedo boat Löwe as her single escort, a non-operational main radio system and by temperatures of -20°C that had frozen the mechanisms to lower the lifeboats. The exact number of persons who died most certainly exceeds 9.000.
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