SS France IV (1896)

SS France IV was a French ocean liner that was shelled by SMU U-38 in the Mediterranean Sea 85 nmi south west of Cape Teulada, Sardinia, Italy (38.13333°N, 9.9°W), while she was travelling from Mudros, Greece to Marseille, France.

Construction
France IV was constructed in 1896 at the Forges & Chantiers shipyard in La Seyne, France. She was completed in 1896 and she was named France IV and served from 1896 until her demise in 1915. The ship was 121.1 m long, with a beam of 12.8 m and a depth of 9.3 m. The ship was assessed at. She had a Triple expansion steam engine driving a single screw propeller and the engine was rated at 474 nhp.

Accident Of 1906
On 1 March 1906 France IV ran aground with 800 passengers on board at Ilha Bela, near Santos, Brazil, following a navigational error and fog. The passengers were picked up by the SS Poitou. She was refloated on 4 March 1906 and returned to service later that year.

Sinking
On 7 November 1915, France IV was on a voyage from Mudros, Greece to Marseille, France when she was shelled by the German submarine SMU U-38 in the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of Sardinia. After numerous explosions and fires, the crew and passengers abandoned the ship and she sank a few hours later. There were no casualties.

Wreck
The wreck lies at (38.13333°N, 9.9°W), but the wrecks current condition is unknown.