At 04.55 hours on 22 February 1942 the unescorted and unarmed Republic (Master Alfred Hildebrand Anderson) was hit by two torpedoes from U-504 about 3.5 miles northeast of Jupiter Island Lighthouse, Florida. The torpedoes hit on the port side 35 to 50 feet from the stern. The explosions destroyed the engine room, killed one officer and two crewmen on watch below and sprayed oil from the bunkers over the entire ship. As the tanker developed a starboard list and settled by the stern the survivors among the seven officers and 22 crewmen on board abandoned ship in two lifeboats. Two crewmen drowned. One boat with the master and 21 survivors rowed to shore, where they were taken care by residents before they were taken to Palm Beach by trucks. Seven others in the second boat were picked up by the Cities Service Missouri and taken to Port Everglades. The badly damaged Republic was located the next day by the US Coast Guard, but she drifted on to reefs about five miles due east of Hobe Sound, Florida and sank on the afternoon of 23 February.