Between 23.53 and 23.56 hours on 28 Dec, 1942, U-225 (Leimkühler) fired four single torpedoes at the convoy ONS-154 north of the Azores in 43°23N/27°14W (grid BD 9869). One torpedo damaged the President Francqui and two struck the ship of the convoy commodore the Empire Shackleton. The fourth torpedo detonated after 2 minutes 15 seconds and Leimkühler thought that he had hit another ship, but this can not be confirmed by Allied sources.

At 02.55 hours and 02.59 hours on 29 December, U-435 missed the Empire Shackleton (Master Henry Ellington Jones) twice.
At 05.00 hours, U-123 (Schroeter) fired a spread of three torpedoes of which one hit and stopped her in grid BD 9882. The wreck was finally sunk by gunfire by U-435 at 05.43 hours.
The master, the commodore (Vice-Admiral Wion de Malpas Egerton DSO RN), four naval staff members, 32 crew members and seven gunners were picked up by the special service vessel HMS Fidelity (D 57) (Cdr Langlais) on 30 December, which was torpedoed and sunk the same day by U-435.

Four crew members, two gunners and a wireless mechanic were picked up by the HMCS Shediac (K 110) (Lt J.E. Clayton) and landed at Ponta Delgada, Azores. 13 crew members, two naval staff members and two gunners were picked up by the British merchant Calgary and landed at Freetown.