The Warwick Deeping was built in 1934 by Cochrane & Sons Shipbuilders of Selby for the Newington Steam Trawling Company of Kingston upon Hull as a North Sea fishing trawler.

At 22:30 on the night of 11–12 October 1940 she was on patrol in the English Channel, about 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) south of the Isle of Wight, in company with HMS Listrac (former French armed merchant ship),[2] when she encountered five German torpedo boats; Falke, Wolfe, Greif, Kondor and Seeadler[1] which had sailed from Cherbourg to sortie along the English coast.

She was promptly shelled, causing a large explosion aboard, and then torpedoed and sunk, with the loss of her captain and 11 men.

[4] The Warwick Deeping attempted to escape, but was relentlessly attacked, and hit by a torpedo, which failed to explode.

Now helpless and sinking, the crew abandoned the ship, but instead of delivering the coup de grace the German torpedo boats unexpectedly broke off their attack and sailed away.