GC4JDYY Credit River - General von Steuben (Traditional Cache) in Ontario, Canada created by res2100

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res2100: Putting in a new series.

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A cache by res2100 Message this owner

Hidden : 8/9/2013

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Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Credit River - Shipwreck Series

General von Steuben
February 10, 1945

There are many shipwrecks around the world. Some very famous and others not so. Each however has it’s own story to tell. As you travel along the Credit River doing this series of caches, we have highlighted a number of these shipwrecks. During low water levels on these parts of the Credit River, you need to be careful in a canoe or kayak so as you don’t wind up in your own shipwreck. Besides the many large rocks along the way, there are also some other obstacles such as dams which should be avoided. All of the geocaches in this series have been placed by tubing, inflatable boat or on foot by walking in the water along the Credit River. Whichever way you choose to search for these caches, use caution and common sense.
More information about this series can be found here: Credit River - Shipwreck Series

General von Steuben
SS General von Steuben was a German luxury passenger liner. She was launched as the München (sometimes spelled Muenchen), renamed in 1930 as the General von Steuben (after the famous German officer of the American Revolutionary War), and renamed again in 1938 as Steuben. On 10 February 1945 the liner was torpedoed by the Soviet submarine S-13 during Operation Hannibal and sank with a loss of over four thousand lives.

The 14,600 ton liner General von Steuben of the Nord German Lloyd shipping line, set sail from Pillau in the bay of Danzig, her destination being Swinemunde. On board were 2,800 wounded soldiers, 320 nurses and 30 doctors as well as over 1,500 refugees and 165 crewmen.

Just after midnight, torpedoes from Marinesko´s S-13 hit the Steuben. She sank in seven minutes, the wounded lying helpless, strapped to their stretchers. In those seven minutes some 3,608 persons died, around 659 being picked up by escorting ships.

Sixty years later in May, 2004, the wreck of the Steuben was found lying on its side at a depth of 45 meters (150 feet) and scattered all around the wreck are human remains, skulls and bones.

Within ten days, Captain Alexander Marinesko had sunk two of Germany’s largest liners and in the process had taken the lives of over 10,000 people. (Captain Marinesko died in October, 1963, from cancer and only in 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev posthumously awarded Marinesko with the title ´Hero of the Soviet Union´)

General Von Steuben has the unfortunate name to be among the 10 most dramatic sinking ever. Together with the Wilhelm Gustloff (torpedoed by S-13 only 11 days earlier), it also happens to be one of the least known disasters ever.

Titanic´s tragic sinking, with 1.500 people lost, is smashed by her staggering over 3.600 no of victims.

Designed to have only 1.800 passengers and crew, she was carrying over 4.000 people. Well aware this was a passenger ship, she was cruely sunk on 10th February 1945 in the cold Baltic Sea by torpedoes from the Soviet submarine S-13, commanded by Capt. Alexander Marinesko.

Perhaps more forgotten than these two German Liners was the Junyo Maru, taking 5.600 of the 6.500 POW packed in her old rusty cargo holds.