At 23.57 hours on 25 September 1942, U-96 (Hellriegel) fired a spread of two G7e torpedoes at convoy RB-1 about 670 miles west of Achill Head and reported two hits on a passenger ship of the Reina del Pacifico type (17,702 grt). In fact, the ship hit was the New York (Master Chilion Mayers) which had been used for coastal passenger services before the war and her high superstructure and twin funnels led Hellriegel to overestimate his target. She was the ship of convoy vice commodore and was immediately abandoned by the master, 54 crew members, three convoy signalmen and ten gunners after being torpedoed on the port side. HMS Veteran (D 72) (LtCdr T.H. Gardwood, RN) and HMS Vanoc (H 33) (Cdr C.F.H. Churchill, RN) began to rescue survivors, but the latter soon rejoined convoy after picking up the carpenter and one gunner from a raft and landed them at Londonderry on 27 September. About one hour after she was torpedoed, the New York was spotted by U-91 which did not realize that she had been abandoned and thus missed with a spread of three G7e torpedoes fired at 01.22 hours on 26 September. However, the ship eventually sank after being hit by one G7a torpedo fired by U-91 at 01.35 hours. 28 survivors, including the master, had been picked up by HMS Veteran which was sunk later that day by U-404 (von Bülow) with all hands.