Hello there,
Any information please on the torpedo attack and sinking of the French Ship De-La-Salle. We know this happened at about midnight on the 9th July, 1943 and was manned by a French Captain and crew. My mother is a survivor from this ship. I look forward to your reply. Many thanks.
Gordon Swain.
West Wales. UK.
Gordon,
The ship originally French was captured by the British and transferred to the Ministry of War Transport.
From http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/2997.html
Name De la Salle
Type: Steam passenger ship
Tonnage 8.400 tons
Completed 1921 - Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd, Whiteinch, Glasgow
Owner Elder Dempster Lines Ltd, Liverpool
Homeport London
Date of attack 9 Jul, 1943 Nationality: British
Fate Sunk by U-508 (Georg Staats)
Position 05.50N, 02.22E - Grid EV 6729
- See location on a map -
Complement 249 (10 dead and 239 survivors).
Convoy ST-71
Route Liverpool - Freetown - Walvis Bay - East London
Cargo 2103 tons of general and government cargo
History Built as French De la Salle for Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Paris.
In August 1940, the De la Salle was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine, renamed H-17 (H for Le Havre group) and used as transport for the planned operation Seelöwe (Invasion of Britain).
On 28 Oct, 1941, the vessel was returned to her French owner, later captured by Britain and transferred to Ministry of War Transport (MoWT).
Notes on loss At 02.43 hours on 9 Jul, 1943, U-508 attacked the convoy ST-71 60 miles southwest of Lagos in the Gulf of Benin and torpedoed the De la Salle and Manchester Citizen. The ships were sunk by coups de grâce at 04.25 and 04.52 hours.
The master, 129 crew members, 12 gunners and 97 passengers from the De la Salle (Master J. Le Mancheewere) were picked up by the FFL Commandant Detroyat (J 1166) and the British merchant Calabar and landed at Lagos. Eight crew members and two passengers were lost.
Convoy ST.71
Depart Freetown on 3 July 1943.
Arrive Takoradi on 8 July 1943.**
Hague's records contain 7 merchants and 4 escorts (7 ships TDS)
Vessel
Pdt.
Tons
Built
Cargo
Notes
ARMERIA
ESCORT 03/07/1943 - 08/07/1943
BRITISH COAST (Br)
889
1934
COLLEGIAN (Br)
7,886
1923
Matadi
COMMANDANT D'ORVES
ESCORT 03/07/1943 - 08/07/1943
COMMANDANT DETROYAT
ESCORT 03/07/1943 - 08/07/1943
DE LA SALLE (Fr)
8,400
1921
Walvis Bay
LISS (Nor)
5,932
1921
MANCHESTER CITIZEN (Br)
5,343
1925
Sunk By U 508
MEERKERK (Du)
7,995
1916
OCEAN VANITY (Br)
7,174
1942
SNOWDROP
ESCORT 03/07/1943 - 08/07/1943
** It was the next day 9 July 1943 that De La Salle was sunk by U-508 ( my note Mac )
FFL Commandant Detroyat (K 183)
Corvette of the Flower class
Navy The Free French Navy
Type Corvette
Class Flower
Pennant K 183
Built by Hall, Russell & Co. Ltd. (Aberdeen, Scotland)
Ordered 25 Jul, 1939
Laid down 19 Sep, 1940
Launched 9 Jun, 1941
Commissioned 16 Sep, 1941
End service , 1947
Loss position
History Transferred to the free French Navy upon completion on 16 September 1941.
Returned to the Royal Navy in 1947 and scrapped at Troon in February 1948.
Former name HMS Coriander
Noteable events involving Commandant Detroyat include:
9 Jul, 1943
Commandant Detroyat picks up 239 survivors from the British passenger ship De la Salle and 76 survivors from the British merchant Manchester Citizen that were torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-508 60 nautical miles south-west of Lagos in the Gulf of Benin in position 05º50'N, 02º22'E.
U-508
Type
IXC
Ordered 20 Oct, 1939
Laid down 24 Sep, 1940 Deutsche Werft AG, Hamburg (werk 304)
Launched 30 Jul, 1941
Commissioned 20 Oct, 1941 Oblt. Georg Staats
Commanders
20 Oct, 1941 - 12 Nov, 1943 Kptlt. Georg Staats (Knights Cross)
Career 6 patrols 20 Oct, 1941 - 30 Jun, 1942 4. Flottille (training)
1 Jul, 1942 - 12 Nov, 1943 10. Flottille (front boat)
Successes 14 ships sunk for a total of 74.087 GRT
Fate
Sunk 12 Nov, 1943 in the Bay of Biscay north of Cape Ortegal, Spain, in position 46.00N, 07.30W, by depth charges from a US Liberator aircraft (VB-103/C). 57 dead (all hands lost).
12 Nov, 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:American B-24 Liberator (Sqdn VB-103/C). Both the aircraft and the boat perished and no man from either survived. 57 men died from the boat and 10 from the plane.
Best regards,
Mac.
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