She was launched on 25 April 1939 and commissioned on 31 July 1941 in the Baltic Fleet,[1] under the command of Captain Pyotr Malanchenko [ru].

With a career total of 44,701 GRT (gross register tonnage) sunk or damaged, she is the highest-scoring Soviet submarine in history.

During her crash dive, the submarine hit the bottom, severely damaging her rudder and destroying her steering gear.

Under the command of Marinesko, then 32, on 30 January 1945, at Stolpe Bank off the Pomeranian coast, S-13 sank the 25,484-ton German armed transport ship Wilhelm Gustloff under Kriegsmarine ensign, overfilled with civilians and military personnel, with three torpedoes.

Recent calculations estimate more than 9,000 people were killed, the worst loss of life in maritime history.