At 06.43 hours on 4 Feb 1942 the unescorted and unarmed San Gil (Master Walter W. Koch) was hit on the port side in the engine room by one torpedo from U-103, while steaming at 13 knots on a nonevasive course. The explosion killed two men on watch below, destroyed the port lifeboat and the radio equipment. The flooding of the engine room caused a sharp list to starboard. When they sent distress signals with the emergency radio the U-boat fired with the 37mm and 20mm AA guns at the bridge from the starboard side to prevent further use of the radio and scored 8-12 hits. At 07.23 hours, a coup de grâce struck amidships on the starboard side and caused the ship to sink in 5 minutes. The survivors had abandoned ship in two lifeboats, were picked up by USS Nike (WPC 112) on the same day and landed at Lewes, Delaware.