Charlotta Carlén
04-18-2006, 08:28 AM
I have written an article in Swedish about Steuben. Since it might be of interest to the English speaking community I have translated parts of it here. My ambition is to translate all of it and publish here on the Ocean Discovery website. Hoping this will be of interest for everyone.
Steuben – a tragedy during the last months of WWII
During the last months of WWII the world witnessed history’s biggest naval catastrophe. Several German ships filled with refugees and wounded soldiers were sunk in the Baltic Sea’s cold waters. One of these ships was the Steuben carrying about 4500 passengers.
http://www.ocean-discovery.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=86&stc=1&d=1145394893
The Merchant ship – Cruise Liner – Navy Accommodation ship – Hospital ship
Steuben was originally named München III. She was built by Vulcan Werft Stettin for North German Lloyd in Bremen (Norddeutscher Lloyd) and launched 1922. She did her maiden voyage from Bremen to New York June 21, 1923 and was the first German merchant ship put in at New York since the end of WWI.
February 11, 1930 she sunk in the Hudson River in New York due to a fire onboard. The fire had started as a spontaneous combustion in the cargo consisting of potassium and peat litter. München III was lifted, temporarily repaired and sailed back to Germany later that same year in May. In Germany she was rebuilt and converted from coal to oil fuel. She was also renamed General von Steuben.
In February 1931 she started sailing between Bremen and New York again and did so till November 1934. From 1935 she was solely used for cruises and was the flagship of the North German Lloyd’s cruise fleet. In December 1938 she officially was renamed Steuben. One year later, in December 1939 she was converted into a German Navy accommodation ship stationed in Kiel.
In 1944 extensive rebuilding had to take place to make Steuben into a hospital ship. As many other German ships she was called in to evacuate German troops and civilians from the east front. She was equipped with a field hospital, the hull was painted grey and anti aircraft guns where mounted. Besides the crew of 160 she carried a military hospital group of 270 nurses, doctors and specialists.
The wreck
April 26, 2004 the wreck was found by the Swedish marine survey vessel M/S Triad. In May 2004 the Polish Marin performs the first dives on the wreck. September 23, 2005 I did my first dive on Steuben with Per Andersson, Per Lundström, Richard Lundgren, Robert Hanke and Tor Jörgensborg from the Swedish dive vessel Moskus. The plan was to get good film footage of the wreck. Other divers contributing to the film project were Jonas Pavletic and Niklas Andersson.
Fishermen have long known about the wreck which became obvious to us when scootering from bow to stern seeing all the fishing nets from different decades covering the wreck.
Diving the wreck where so many people have lost their lives is not an all easy decision to make. We decided to do most of the filming from the exterior and not penetrate during the film dives both out of respect to the catastrophe and due to the complexity of the dives.
http://www.ocean-discovery.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=85&stc=1&d=1145394882
/Charlotta
Steuben – a tragedy during the last months of WWII
During the last months of WWII the world witnessed history’s biggest naval catastrophe. Several German ships filled with refugees and wounded soldiers were sunk in the Baltic Sea’s cold waters. One of these ships was the Steuben carrying about 4500 passengers.
http://www.ocean-discovery.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=86&stc=1&d=1145394893
The Merchant ship – Cruise Liner – Navy Accommodation ship – Hospital ship
Steuben was originally named München III. She was built by Vulcan Werft Stettin for North German Lloyd in Bremen (Norddeutscher Lloyd) and launched 1922. She did her maiden voyage from Bremen to New York June 21, 1923 and was the first German merchant ship put in at New York since the end of WWI.
February 11, 1930 she sunk in the Hudson River in New York due to a fire onboard. The fire had started as a spontaneous combustion in the cargo consisting of potassium and peat litter. München III was lifted, temporarily repaired and sailed back to Germany later that same year in May. In Germany she was rebuilt and converted from coal to oil fuel. She was also renamed General von Steuben.
In February 1931 she started sailing between Bremen and New York again and did so till November 1934. From 1935 she was solely used for cruises and was the flagship of the North German Lloyd’s cruise fleet. In December 1938 she officially was renamed Steuben. One year later, in December 1939 she was converted into a German Navy accommodation ship stationed in Kiel.
In 1944 extensive rebuilding had to take place to make Steuben into a hospital ship. As many other German ships she was called in to evacuate German troops and civilians from the east front. She was equipped with a field hospital, the hull was painted grey and anti aircraft guns where mounted. Besides the crew of 160 she carried a military hospital group of 270 nurses, doctors and specialists.
The wreck
April 26, 2004 the wreck was found by the Swedish marine survey vessel M/S Triad. In May 2004 the Polish Marin performs the first dives on the wreck. September 23, 2005 I did my first dive on Steuben with Per Andersson, Per Lundström, Richard Lundgren, Robert Hanke and Tor Jörgensborg from the Swedish dive vessel Moskus. The plan was to get good film footage of the wreck. Other divers contributing to the film project were Jonas Pavletic and Niklas Andersson.
Fishermen have long known about the wreck which became obvious to us when scootering from bow to stern seeing all the fishing nets from different decades covering the wreck.
Diving the wreck where so many people have lost their lives is not an all easy decision to make. We decided to do most of the filming from the exterior and not penetrate during the film dives both out of respect to the catastrophe and due to the complexity of the dives.
http://www.ocean-discovery.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=85&stc=1&d=1145394882
/Charlotta