Orcades' crew and gunners fought to fend off the submarine and save their ship, and it took U-172 two and a half hours and seven torpedoes to sink her.

Their route took them via Gibraltar, Palma, Toulon, Naples, Port Said, Suez, Aden, Colombo, Fremantle, Adelaide and Sydney to Brisbane.

[2] On 9 October 1942 Orcades left Cape Town for Liverpool carrying 741 passengers, 3,000 tons of general cargo and 2,000 bags of mail.

On 10 October at 10:28 hrs she was about 220 nautical miles (410 km) south-west of the Cape Town when U-172, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Carl Emmermann, hit her port side with two torpedoes: one forward in her no.

Her steering gear and port engine were disabled but she remained afloat, so most of her crew and passengers were able to prepare to abandon ship.

A few hours after the liner's sinking a Polish merchant ship, Gdynia America Line's 7,031 GRT Narwik, reached Orcades' boats.

Despite the risk of further submarine attack, Narwik spent several hours rescuing 1,022 survivors and searching for three missing lifeboats until 03:30 hrs on 11 October.

[4] Orcades' Master, Captain Charles Fox, was made a CBE and awarded Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea.