At 04.56 hours on 10 June 1942, U-559 fired a spread of three torpedoes at the convoy AT-49 between Alexandria and Mersa Matruh, reported one hit on a tanker and one on a freighter and observed that the tanker burned for 24 hours and the freighter was towed away with the stern deeper in the water. The ships hit were Athene and Brambleleaf.

The Brambleleaf (Master Herbert Allister Shacklock) was struck by one torpedo near the bow. Two officers and five crewmen were lost. The master, 49 crew members and three gunners abandoned ship and were picked up by RHS Vasillisa Olga (D 15) and landed at Alexandria.
The badly damaged tanker was later reboarded and towed to Alexandria, where she was used as oil hulk. On 15 Sep, 1944, the hulk sank suddenly over the stern and was declared a total loss. The wreck was later salvaged and broken up in La Spezia in April 1953.