Hansa was forced to return to port with mechanical trouble, but the Gustloff, overcrowded with more than 10,000 civilians and military personnel aboard, continued. She was torpedoed and sunk by the Soviet submarine S-13 off the Pomeranian coast, with possibly as many as 9,500 deaths, the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history.
Hansa was forced to return to port due to mechanical issues, but the Gustloff, overloaded with over 10,000 civilians and military personnel aboard, continued its journey. She was torpedoed and sunk by the Soviet submarine S-13 off the Pomeranian coast, resulting in a possible death toll of 9,500 people, the highest number of casualties from a single ship sinking ever recorded.