Sant’ Anna was a trans-Atlantic liner that had been converted into a troopship for service during the Great War. She had been requisitioned in 1915, and initially carried French troops to the battles at Salonika. On 11th May 1918 she was carrying 2,025 troops from Africa and France from Bizerta to Thessaloniki, escorted by two British sloops, HMS Cyclamen and HMS Verhana. In the early hours she was torpedoed by German submarine UC-54, and sank off the coast of Tunisia. At least 605 of those aboard died in the sinking.

Sant’ Anna had been built for the Fabre Line by Forge & Chantiers de la Méditerranée, and made her maiden voyage on 27th July 1910, from Marseilles to New York. She was 470 feet long, 9,350grt. She could carry 70 in First, 150 in Second and 1,850 in Third Class. When commissioned the First Class was advertised as having no inside rooms, telephone in every cabin and an outdoor Parisian café, all remarkable attributes for such a vessel at this time.