Between 23.53 and 23.56 hours on 28 Dec, 1942, U-225 (Leimkühler) fired four single torpedoes at the convoy ONS-154 north of the Azores in 43°23N/27°14W (grid BD 9869). One torpedo damaged the President Francqui and two struck the ship of the convoy commodore the Empire Shackleton. The fourth torpedo detonated after 2 minutes 15 seconds and Leimkühler thought that he had hit another ship, but this can not be confirmed by Allied sources.

Between 07.24 and 07.28 hours on 29 December, U-336 fired three torpedoes at the now straggling President Francqui (Master G. Bayot) that were duds, but she was stopped by one torpedo from U-225 at 08.13 hours in grid CE 2332. After two further duds at 09.16 and 10.10 hours, the tanker was sunk by a coup de grâce from U-336 at 10.25 hours.
Five men were lost and two wounded of the 49 crew members (42 Belgians) and eight gunners on board. The master was taken prisoner by U-225 and landed in Brest on 8 Jan, 1943.