A German war loss, the Wilhelm Gustoff is shown cruising off Madeira on a 6 + 4 pf issue in aid of the German Winter Help Fund in 1937. This vessel was built by Blohm and Voss at Hamburg for the "Kraft Durch Fraude" ("Strength through Joy ") movement, a department of the Ger¬man Government's Labour Ministry, concerned exclusively with recreation and holidays for German workers.
The Wilhelm Gustoff was the flagship of the fleet of cruising vessels and was one of three sisters. A twin-screw motorship of about 24,000 gross tons on dimensions: 639.8ft. x 77.Ift. x 42.9ft., she had accommodation for 1,460 passengers and a speed of 15 knots. On May 22, 1939 she was reported off Beachy Head in company with the German ships Robert Ley, Monte Pascoal, Stuttgart, Sierra Cordoba and another vessel. The ships, all bound West, were reported in the early morning and it was surmised they were on their way to Spain to embark German troops returning home after the Spanish Civil War. The Wilhelm Gustoff was torpedoed and sunk in Danzig Bay on January 30, 1945.
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