At 04.33 hours on 9 Jan 1943, U-124 attacked convoy TB-1 and hit the Broad Arrow with two torpedoes and sank the Birmingham City with one torpedo at 04.36 hours.

The Broad Arrow (Master Percy Louis Mounter) in station #31 was struck on the port side by the first torpedo at the after magazine. The explosion tore open the entire after end of the vessel and she flooded rapidly and settled by the stern. The explosion probably killed seven of the eight armed guards on board (the ship was armed with one 5in and two .30cal guns). Moments later the second torpedo struck forward of amidships and set the cargo on fire, so that the tanker lit up the entire convoy. All hands standing on watch on the bridge (including the master) and in the engine room were killed by the explosions. She began to settle more evenly and sank stern first at 07.00 hours. The survivors of the eight officers and 31 men abandoned ship within five minutes without orders in two lifeboats and two rafts. Some men stranded on the burning tanker and in the water, because the lifeboats were launched with only a few men in it. Three officers, 22 crewmen and one armed guard were picked up by USS PC-577 about ten hours later and landed them at Paramaribo the next day. The Second Mate died on board and the Pumpman died from burns in the hospital. Both were buried in Paramaribo.