Bamako
French Motor merchant
Photo courtesy of State Library of New South Wales
| Name | Bamako | ||
| Type: | Motor merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 2,357 tons | ||
| Completed | 1930 - Burmeister & Wain´s Maskin & Skibsbyggeri A/S, Copenhagen | ||
| Owner | Compagnie de Navigation Paquet, Marseilles | ||
| Homeport | Marseilles | ||
| Date of attack | 9 Apr 1943 | Nationality:  French | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-515 (Werner Henke) | ||
| Position | 14° 57'N, 17° 15'W - Grid EK 4633 | ||
| Complement | ? men (17 dead and ? survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Freetown (30 Mar) - Dakar (8 Apr) - Saint-Etienne - Casablanca - Algeria | ||
| Cargo | 2800 tons of coffee | ||
| History | Completed in May 1930 | ||
| Notes on event | At 02.34 hours on 9 April 1943 the Bamako (Master Henri Bouchaud), escorted by La Gracieuse, was hit by two stern torpedoes from U-515, capsized and sank very fast about 15 miles north-northeast of Dakar. The U-boat had observed the harbor of Dakar since 6 April, followed the two ships when they left port and retreated northwards on the surface after carrying out the torpedo attack. La Gracieuse dropped depth charges without being able to locate the attacker and then searched in vain together with HMS ML-1044 and HMS ML-1141, which were sent to assist from the nearby harbor. | ||
| On board | We have details of 2 people who were on board. | ||
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