By January of 1945, the Allies were closing in on the Germans on all fronts, causing soldiers and civilians alike to flee. Many fled to ports along the Baltic Sea where the Germans were evacuating everybody. Operation Hannibal. While some made it out, many were not as lucky. But many who boarded the MV Wilhelm Gustlof will live down in history as being one in thousands who perished in the deadliest ship sinking in history on January 30, 1945