At 22.50 hours on 28 November 1942 the unescorted Evanthia (Master C. Valmas) was hit on port side amidships by one G7a torpedo fired from a stern torpedo tube of U-181 while steaming on a non-evasive course at 10 knots in a bright moonlit night about 70 miles northeast of Inhaca Lighthouse. She quickly began to settle on an even keel and the crew of 30 men and two gunners (the ship was armed with two anti-aircraft guns) abandoned ship in two lifeboats in moderate seas within five minutes. The mast collapsed and brought the aerial down just after they had sent a distress signal. However, the Evanthia did not sink so the U-boat surfaced half an hour later and shelled her until she sank after 45 minutes. About 70 of the 107 rounds fired with the deck gun were hits, but every fourth round of incendiary ammunition was a dud. The survivors pulled their lifeboats to the nearby Praia de Sepúlveda and were later transported by road to Lourenço Marques via Vila João Belo.