The story
1,277 French Navy sailors captured by the British on 3 Jul departed Southampton, England, United Kingdom aboard French passenger liner Meknes for Marseille in southern France for repatriation. At 2230 hours, German torpedo boat S-27 fired a torpedo at the French ship off the northern Brittany coast in the English Channel despite her displays of neutrality, killing 416. British destroyers HMS Viscount, HMS Wolverine, HMS Sabre, and HMS Shikari rescued the survivors.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.