De la Salle
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| 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. | ||
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