Hearing of these allied sighting reports (also made by the Russian submarine K-21 and a Catalina patrol aircraft) through intelligence, Admiral Raeder cancelled the sortie, ordering the surface fleet to return to port and left the Luftwaffe and U-boats to attack the convoy.

On the night that Italy ceased hostilities, Unshaken captured the Italian submarine Ciro Menotti and escorted her to Malta.

Unshaken then came alongside Menotti, and able seaman Ronald "Sharky" Ward boarded the Italian vessel and secured the conning tower hatch to prevent her from diving.

The situation looked as if it might turn ugly, until the loaded deck gun was pointed at the Italian commander from a distance of about 13 feet (4 m).

[2] After returning to home waters in mid-1944, Unshaken sank the German cargo ship Asien off Lista in Norway.