Built 1921
Tonnage 8,400 / 7,900 tons
Cargo. 1,340 tons of general cargo and 760 tons of government stores
Route: Liverpool - East London Via Freeetown
Sunk 9 JUL 43 by U-508 on pos. 05º 50’N 02º 22’E
10 Dead
239 Survivors
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).
At 02.43 hours on 9 July 1943, U-508 attacked 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.
By https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2997.html