At 18.43 hours on 26 Oct, 1942, the unescorted Anne Hutchinson (Master John Wilhelm Stenlund) steamed a zigzag course off East London, South Africa, when the lookouts spotted a torpedo fired by U-504 that passed 20 yards ahead of the vessel. A second torpedo struck the starboard side abaft the engine room in the #4 hold. The explosion created a hole 14 feet by 16 feet, knocked out the electrical systems, broke the main shaft and stopped the engines and killed three men sitting on the #4 hold, but did not destroy the bulkheads on either side of the hold. A third torpedo was fired and struck the fireroom, causing the boilers to explode. U-504 surfaced and fired a single shot at the midship´s house to hasten the crew to their boat stations. The surviving eight officers, 29 crewmen and 17 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, four 20mm and two .30cal guns) abandoned ship in four lifeboats.
The Liberty ship stayed afloat and on 29 October, the South African armed trawler HMSAS David Haigh (T 13) and a harbor tug later attempted to tow the ship to port, but were not powerful enough. Dynamite charges were placed aft under the ship, cutting her in two. The after section sank and the fore section was towed to Port Elizabeth by the armed trawler, arriving there on 1 November, but was declared a total loss.
Six hours after the attack, the American steam merchant Steel Mariner picked up ten men from one boat and landed them in Durban two days later. Also on 28 October, the remaining boats landed at Port Alfred, South Africa, the 44 occupants were later taken to Port Elizabeth.

On 9 December, 10 of these arrived at Baltimore aboard the American steam merchant Frederick Lykes. On 13 December, six landed at Philadelphia aboard the American steam merchant Robin Doncaster. On 31 December, 12 landed at Philadelphia aboard the British motor merchant Anna Maersk. The remaining survivors were repatriated on various other ships from East London, South Africa.