SS Azemmour

With 500 tonnes of steel and 716 tonnes of ordinary cargo, Azemmour, captained by Jean Guillaume, set off from London for Nantes on March 18, 1918.

On the 20th, while the Azemmour was approaching the Needles, UB-59 launched a torpedo at her. The first torpedo either missed the ship entirely or raced along her side, creating barely a tremor. The crew took note of this, and a few minutes later, upon spotting a periscope, took evasive action.

The U-boat’s skipper, Fritz Wassner, gave pursue and fired another torpedo. The French steamer was not able to avoid being hit by the torpedo a second time, and the resulting explosion did considerable damage to the vessel. Captain Guillaume issued an urgent order for the men to evacuate ship. The French ship sank in less than five minutes. There were a total of 10 crew members, however only 5 were lost before the admiralty yacht Maid of Honour came to their rescue.

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