Indiana Shaw Poet Couplet

Notes About The Poem

Conspiracy theory . . .

Rumours that the "Amber room" had been loaded onto the ship, in 27 boxes before it’s ill-fated journey, and as it was only found out later a message sent to the four Captains aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, that a convoy of sea mines sweepers were just ahead of her was fake, it was the reason why Captain Friedrich Petersen switched on the navigations lights in the first place, only for it be shortly torpedoed, later after the cold war had ended, the ship had been found heavily looted opened up speculation as to the reason why, could this actually have been a case of premeditated sabotage to prevent old Prussia treasures from leaving Germany . . . : /

10 Feb 1945 . . . 11 days later Soviet Captain Alexander Marinesko, sinks another ship. the ship General von Steuben, killing on estimate 4,500

Strange quip, The ship had been sunk from a fire at dock, under the name Munchen only to be salvaged, and renamed the now ill-fated Gen. von Steuben

Listen to poem:

Mv Wilhem Gustloff

This was the worst ship disaster, with the greatest loss of life at sea
A German ship that was overloaded, with over 10,600 war refugees

Sank on the 30 January 1945 by a Soviet submarine in the Baltic sea
By Soviet Naval Officer, Captain Alexander Marinesko, who died 1963

Stranger than be; he was actually facing a court martial due to drink
So did this up his rankings, when as the Wilhelm Gustloff he did sink

Not so, by Oct 1945 the same year he was dishonourably discharged
After being lower from a Captain to a Lieutenant so was not life hard

No message gave that it carried refugees as it crossed the Baltic Sea
No war crime committed, carrying soldiers from the German military

The first torpedo hit the bow, as putting crew members out of action
Next hit a drained swim pool that held 373 ladies with a bad reaction

Third hit the engine rooms for Wilhelm Gustloff there is now no hope
With all of this the ship starting to portside, as began to rapidly slope
 
The ship carried on it four Captains, it was Friedrich Petersen's choice
To sail the ship with its navigation lights on, as the others gave voice

it was to miss a German mine sweeper convoy, coming head on in fog
This grubby weather made the rescue work of the survivors, hard flog

Though; it should be mentioned all four Captains survived the sinking
No information was found as to why, that is left, to your own thinking

Be 44 minutes after, the Wilhelm Gustloff ship was dangerously listing
Another six minutes, the ship sank bow up, her metal soul unresisting

Out of all the unlucky 10.600 passengers only 1,252 of them survived
Most lost to the very icy cold waters of the Baltic Sea, none as revived

Alas, of the 9,400 victims who died, 5,000 of them were, but, children
All those refugees wishing for a new life, they were hoping on building

After the war was over, the Soviets, returned to strip her, as in looted
Signs of hand-made damage, and detonators scarring her undisputed

Not one bit of evidence of human life on that ship was found to remain 
Hiding the evidence of their blame, did though, not lessen their shame

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Lindsay Laurie September 24, 2020 at 4:25 PM Hello Indiana … very interesting peace of war history indeed citing the tragedy of another civilian massacre - well done Indiana - Lindsay Indiana Shaw September 26, 2020 at 6:06 AM 'Ello, Lindsay,interesting stories on all parties, and, of course the all the propaganda made for good reading, sadly, no one was held responsibleand, as you say a massacre, hope you are keeping well . . .