5 Sunken Ship Catastrophes That Put the Titanic to Shame

Guys, it’s been nearly 107 years since the fictional character of Jack Dawson died in the sinking of the Titanic. More than 1,500 passengers really did die, and that’s super sad. But while our hearts will go on, let’s not forget that the Titanic isn’t the only ship disaster worth remembering. In fact, we’ve found 5 other ships that suffered equally tragic fates. Let’s call up James Cameron and see if he’s willing to make them into love stories.

1. The Wilhelm Gustloff (1945)
Date: January 30, 1945
How many deaths: 9,300
What happened: Only the deadliest maritime disaster in history. The Gustloff, which launched in 1937, was originally built as a cruise ship to cater to working-class Germans, but once Germany launched its blitzkrieg on the rest of Europe, the ship was turned into a hospital and then as a U-boat training school. The war was humming along nicely for the Nazis… until it wasn’t. By 1944, the tides and turned and the Red Army was pushing westwards towards Germany. As the Soviets reached Gotenhafen (present-day Gdynia, Poland), the Germans began loading the Gustloff up with military personnel and civilians alike in order to evacuate them to Kiel, Germany. As the ship left, it was spotted by a Soviet submarine and promptly torpedoed. Of the 10,000 passengers, less than 1,000 managed to survive.