The SS Karlsruhe was a German cargo ship from 1905 of the Hamburg America Line, which was sunk on 13 April 1945 with great loss of life by Soviet aircraft, during Operation Hannibal.

The ship was built in 1905 at Schichau Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven for the Hamburg America Line.

On 13 April 1945, she was attacked by Soviet planes north of Stolpmünde and hit with a torpedo.

Speculation persists some crates inside may contain art/ornaments looted from the Catherine Palace's Amber Room in 1941, taken to Königsberg and lost in 1945.

[1][2] Divers subsequently discovered that the crates on the ship contained military equipment and personal belongings.