At 18.57 hours on 6 July 1942 the unescorted Bayard (Master Arvid Heiberg) was hit aft by one stern torpedo from U-67 less than 15 minutes after being sighted about 45 miles south of Pascagoula, Mississippi. The explosion destroyed the deck house, stern gun, motorboat, aerial and three vehicles stored on #5 hatch cover and killed two gunners on watch at the gun and most of the deck crew and some engine crew members who had been eating in the aft mess room. The survivors, many of whom were injured, abandoned ship in both port lifeboats while the ship slowly developed a list to port. The master threw the confidential books overboard, carried out a search of the destroyed stern section with the chief officer to make sure that no one was left behind and then left as last man shortly before the Bayard sank by the stern about 10 minutes after being hit. The unarmed Hall PH-2 flying boat V-166 (USCG Air Station Biloxi, pilot Lt D.O. Reed) on an anti-submarine patrol located the boats after one hour and carried out a hazardous open sea landing in order to assist the injured survivors as soon as possible. They took all men aboard, including one man suffering from a possible broken back and severe head injuries and eight had burns of various degrees of seriousness. The overloaded aircraft managed to take off again and proceeded to New Orleans, landing in Lake Pontchartrain off the Yacht basin and transferring the survivors to USCG boats for the trip to shore and medical care in New Orleans.