More than 7,000 die when the German refugee ship Goya is sunk by a Soviet submarine.

The

MV Goya
was originally conceived as a modern motor freighter, commissioned by the Norwegian shipping company Johan Ludwig Mowinckel Rederi. Completed in 1940, she bore the distinguished name of the iconic Spanish painter Francisco Goya, reflecting a common practice of naming vessels after cultural figures. However, her life as a merchant vessel was tragically short-lived. Following the swift and decisive German invasion of Norway in April 1940 – an operation known as Weserübung – the Goya, like many other valuable assets, was seized by the occupying forces. She was subsequently requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine, the German navy, and repurposed for wartime service, primarily as a troop transport, marking a dramatic shift from her intended peaceful commercial role.

Operation Hannibal: A Desperate Evacuation

As World War II drew to a devastating close in Europe, the Eastern Front was collapsing under the relentless advance of the Soviet Red Army. Millions of German military personnel and civilians, particularly from regions like East Prussia, Pomerania, and Courland, found themselves trapped in increasingly isolated pockets along the Baltic Sea. To avert a humanitarian catastrophe and rescue vital personnel, Nazi Germany initiated one of the largest maritime evacuations in history, codenamed Operation Hannibal. The Goya, now serving a starkly different purpose than her original design, was pressed into this desperate effort. Her final voyage began with a perilous cargo: not commercial goods, but thousands of terrified refugees and wounded soldiers, all seeking an escape from the advancing front lines and the horrors of war. The ship, designed for cargo, was severely overcrowded, carrying an estimated 6,700 people – a number far exceeding her safe capacity – in a frantic dash across the frigid waters of the Baltic.

The Tragic Sinking

On the evening of 16 April 1945, amidst the chaos of the war's final weeks, the heavily laden Goya was steaming through the turbulent Baltic Sea. Just after 23:00 local time, her fate was sealed. The Soviet submarine L-3, commanded by Captain Vladimir Konovalov, successfully tracked the convoy the Goya was part of. At 23:52, L-3 launched a torpedo attack. Two torpedoes struck the Goya with devastating force. The explosions ripped through the vessel, and she began to list almost immediately. The extreme overcrowding and the sheer speed of the sinking, reportedly within just seven minutes, made evacuation efforts nearly impossible. Panic ensued in the darkness and icy waters. Lifeboats were either destroyed or could not be launched effectively, and many who made it into the water quickly succumbed to hypothermia in the freezing Baltic.

A Catastrophe of Unprecedented Scale

The sinking of the Goya remains one of the most profound maritime tragedies in history, eclipsed only by a handful of other wartime disasters in terms of lives lost in a single incident. Out of an estimated 6,700 souls onboard – a mix of German military personnel, wounded soldiers, and a vast number of civilians, including women and children – a mere 183 individuals were pulled from the icy grip of the sea. The overwhelming majority, approximately 6,517 people, perished. This catastrophic loss of life places the Goya alongside the sinkings of the Wilhelm Gustloff and the Cap Arcona as one of the deadliest maritime incidents of World War II, underscoring the brutal and indiscriminate nature of total war and the immense human cost of the final, desperate days of the conflict on the Eastern Front.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Sinking of the Goya

What was the MV Goya originally built for?
The Goya was originally built as a modern motor freighter for the Norwegian shipping company Johan Ludwig Mowinckel Rederi, intended for commercial cargo transport.
How did the Goya come into German service?
Following Germany's invasion of Norway in April 1940, the ship was seized by the German navy (Kriegsmarine) and subsequently repurposed as a troop transport.
What was Operation Hannibal?
Operation Hannibal was a large-scale maritime evacuation effort by Nazi Germany towards the end of World War II, aimed at rescuing German military personnel and civilians trapped in pockets along the Baltic Sea from the advancing Soviet Red Army.
When and where was the Goya sunk?
The Goya was sunk on 16 April 1945 in the Baltic Sea by torpedoes fired from the Soviet submarine L-3.
How many people died in the sinking of the Goya?
Out of an estimated 6,700 people on board, approximately 6,517 perished. Only 183 individuals survived, making it one of the deadliest single-incident maritime losses in history.
Why was the loss of life so high?
The high death toll was primarily due to severe overcrowding, the rapid sinking of the ship (reportedly within minutes), the freezing temperatures of the Baltic Sea, and the chaos of a nighttime attack, which severely hampered rescue efforts and survival chances.