About 35 officer ’ s cabins were vacated and additional bunks were installed , with the Empress taking over the Captain 's cabin . On the morning of 12 April the ship anchored off Halki Island , about 12 miles ( 19 km ) from Constantinople , due to some uncertainty over the final destination for the Russian Royal family . On 16 April Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich and his wife the Grand Duchess Anastasia , the Grand Duke Peter Nicholaievitch and his wife Grand Duchess Milica , Princess Marina , Prince Roman , Count and Countess Tyszkiewich , Baron and Baroness Staal , Mr Boldyreff and Dr Malama with their respective servants left the ship and boarded HMS Lord Nelson destined for Genoa . They were replaced by Count Dimitri and Countess Sophia Mengden , Count George and Countess Irina Mengden , Countess Vera Mengden , Count Nicholas Mengden , Madame Helena Erchoff and two maids . On the morning of 18 April , Good Friday , the ship sailed for Malta . The ship departed on 18 April , bound for Malta to deposit the Russians , before returning to Constantinople .