SS Leto
Cargo Steamship · Netherlands · Lost 1942 · The Gulf of St Lawrence
The Dutch freighter Leto was sunk by U-553 hours after the Nicoya, on the opening night of the Battle of the St. Lawrence, with twelve lives lost.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Leto, a Dutch steam freighter, was found by chance and torpedoed by U-553 several hours after the same submarine sank Nicoya on May 12, 1942, off the Gaspé coast. She sank in about twelve minutes; only a small boat and a raft got away, and twelve of her 43 crew and passengers died before rescue reached the survivors. Her loss, alongside Nicoya's, opened the Battle of the St. Lawrence.
Vessel
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- Steel
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- 4712
- Steam
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Loss
- May 12, 1942
- Enemy action
- St. Lawrence River off the Gaspé coast, near Cloridorme, Quebec
- St. Lawrence River / Gulf of St. Lawrence
- Not established
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- 43
- 12
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The Wreck Today
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Position
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- Position not established
- Cloridorme, Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (72/100)
Exact wreck position and present condition are not established in the sources reviewed.
Legion Magazine (Marc Milner, "The Battle of the St. Lawrence Begins")
Tonnage, casualty figures, sinking sequence.
Context of the Battle of the St. Lawrence.
