Current Information:

Age-29

100, Puller Road, High Barnet

Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, France

The Steam Ship Salta, an ocean going passenger liner built in 1911, was not the luckiest vessel afloat.  In December 1912, she ran aground off the Rio Plata estuary in a storm and in January 1912, she was in collision with the English vessel Palawan. Soon after the war broke out she was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a hospital ship and became HMHS Salta.

On April 10th, 1917 she struck a mine laid by the German submarine UC-26, while preparing to enter the port of Le Havre in northern France, to pick up wounded. A huge explosion smashed the hull near the stern in the engine room and hold number three. Water rushed into the disabled ship which listed to starboard and sank in less than 10 minutes. Despite the rescue effort of nearby ships, only 74 from the 250 on board were saved. The Royal Navy patrol boat P-26, while attempting to rescue the survivors, also struck a mine and was broken in two and 19 of her crew also perished. Among those who lost their lives was William Swallow.