ample deck space, swimming pool, and large, airy public rooms, the ship challenges cornparison with one of the new cabin class liners, but from the large number of chairs visible in the salons it may be surmised that it is probably far more crowded than the usual ocean liner. According to the writer's guide, the passengers eat in two sittings, the first call for breakfast being at 6:30 a.m. During the day, the passengers may play on the sport deck or divert themselves by games arranged by the Reiseleiter. Evenings they may listen to concerts or lectures, witness films, or play cards and drink beer in the salons. Numerous loudspeakers are provided to carry announcements to every part of the ship. In view of the fact that the WILHELM GUSTLOFF is intended to be a model ship, the crew is ideally cared for, their smoking room being fully as comfortable as that customarily to be found in tourist class on the better liners. It is reported that the crew of a British freighter rescued by the WILHELM GUSTLOFF during a storm were amazed at the luxury of this ship built for the working man's vacationing. Second thoughts following on first impressions inspire perhaps less astonishment for the ship itself, which after all could be reproduced by any public body determined to spend a correspondingly large sum on its construction (conservatively estimated at about RM 12,000,000), than for the organization that can sponsor such pro- |