At 02.00 hours on 28 May 1942 the zigzagging, unescorted and unarmed Alcoa Pilgrim (Master Leon Roar Petersen, lost) was hit by a torpedo from U-502 on the starboard side just below the waterline in the engine room. The ship sank in 90 seconds about 150 miles south of the Mona Passage. The crew of nine officers and 31 men had no time to launch a lifeboat and only nine managed to get on board of two rafts. U-502 came alongside one of the rafts and an officer inquired about the name of the ship, her nationality, tonnage and cargo. He also asked if the rafts had sails and wished the men luck. Six days later, the American steam merchant Thomas Nelson picked up the surviving three officers and six men and landed them at Port of Spain on 5 June.