The Steuben, carrying wounded personnel and refugees, left the port of Pillau on 10 February 1945.
On board were nearly 3,000 wounded people, around 800 refugees, the ship’s crew and numerous doctors, nurses and medical staff.
Medical treatment continued throughout the voyage, including emergency operations and amputations; many seriously wounded patients nevertheless died of their injuries.
Off Stolpmünde, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the Soviet submarine S-13 under Alexander Marinesko, who had also sunk the Wilhelm Gustloff less than two weeks earlier.
Many of the wounded who managed to leave the sinking ship died in the freezing water.
Only 659 people survived; more than 3,600 died in the disaster according to the figures given here.