At 13.43 hours on 1 July 1942, U-97 fired a spread of two torpedoes at Marilyse Moller (Master Douglas Stewart Pethick) about 27 miles west of Rafah, Palestine. The small freighter steamed on a non-evasive course at 4.5 knots, escorted by HMS Burra (T 158) (Lt W.J.C. Harrison, RNVR), when she was hit by one or possibly two torpedoes and sank immediately after breaking up in a huge explosion. The ship had been missed by a first torpedo at 13.41 hours. The escort dropped three depth charges on the presumed position of the attacker and then carried out a complete search of the area without locating the U-boat. The armed trawler then returned to the sinking position and picked up the chief officer, one gunner and three crew members from wreckage, but one of the latter died before the survivors were landed at Port Said. The master, 29 crew members and four gunners (the ship was armed with one 20mm and four machine guns) were lost.