October 16, 1939 the German cargo ship Halle was approached by the French cruiser Duguay Trouin about 200 miles west of Dakar, Senegal. Halle was built by Blohm & Voss in 1921 and was now owned by the Hamburg-America Line. She was en route to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain from Portuguese Guinea when the French ship was seen. The 5,989 ton ship would have made a nice prize for the French, but before the ship could be boarded the crew scuttled her.