At 08.37 hours on 15 February 1940 the unescorted and neutral Steinstad (Master Ludvik Nilsen) was hit amidships by a G7a torpedo from U-26 and sank within 5 seconds about 75 miles west of the Aran Islands, Ireland. The U-boat had sighted the ship at 19.12 hours the evening before, noticed the Norwegian flag and followed her during the night to stop the vessel according to the prize rules at the first daylight. At 07.50 hours, the Germans fired a shot across the bow of Steinstad which did not react apart from turning towards the U-boat after the third shot was fired. So the following shots were aimed more closely to the ship without actually hitting her and shortly thereafter the crew abandoned ship in two lifeboats. The master and 12 crew members in one of the lifeboats were never seen again, despite of an aircraft search in the area. The other lifeboat with 11 survivors made landfall at Arranmore Island on 20 February.