At 21.37 hours on 21 December 1941 HMS Audacity (D 10) (Cdr D.W. Mackendrick, RN) was hit at the stern by one of four torpedoes fired by U-751 while escorting convoy HG-76 about 470 miles west of Cape Finisterre. The Germans reloaded two of the bow torpedo tubes as fast as possible in order to attack the stopped aircraft carrier again, firing a spread of two torpedoes at 22.55 hours and the U-boat withdrew after launching the stern torpedo too at 22.57 hours. The latter missed, but the others struck the stricken vessel and caused her to sink by the stern in less than 15 minutes. The survivors were picked up by HMS Convolvulus (K 45) (T/Lt R.S. Connell, RNR), HMS Marigold (K 87) (Lt W.S. Macdonald, RNVR) and HMS Pentstemon (K 61) (LtCdr J. Byron, RNR).