[2] The six Vorpostenboote assembled at the Hook of Holland and set out for their outpost position along the route of the convoy early on the morning of 12 February.

As they did so, the group was attacked by two British Lockheed Hudson bombers as well as several Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane fighters.

It and the nearby Freiburg were able to hit one of the bombers several times, causing it to lose altitude, clip the masthead of John Mahn, and fall into the sea.

The second explosion caused the John Mahn to begin to sink; however, the bow machine gun continued to fire and registered several hits on nearby bombers.

[2] While several vessels were damaged by mines and British aircraft, including Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, V 1302 John Mahn was the only German ship sunk during the entire Channel Dash.

[4] Samples taken from the wreck and nearby sediment show the presence of heavy metals like nickel and copper and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which have changed the local microbial ecology and point to the larger problem of shipwreck pollution.