[2] The ships departed Sydney on 31 July 1942[3] and were met by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group C-1.

As western Atlantic coastal convoys brought an end to the Second Happy Time, Admiral Karl Dönitz, the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (commander in chief of U-boats), shifted focus to the mid-Atlantic to avoid aircraft patrols.

The submarine reappeared crossing the destroyer's bow at a range of 50 yards (46 m), and both ships opened fire.

It punched holes through the destroyer's plating that set some petrol tanks on the deck afire and disabled 'A' gun.

This caused Lieutenant Sorber, the senior surviving officer, to order the submarine to dive, but this meant that she had to hold a straight course while doing so.