At 05.03 hours on 11 March 1943, U-86 attacked with FAT torpedoes on the starboard side of convoy HX-228 and claimed to have sunk a tanker and an ammunition ship, which exploded.
In fact, only the Brant County (Master Norvald Breivik) was hit by one torpedo, which ignited her load of carbide. Of the five men on the bridge, three managed to get to the lifeboat and the other two died: the master in the flames and the other jumped overboard and drowned. Three of the four men in the engine room died and the fourth was unable to stop the engine but managed to get on deck. Among the dead were also eight military passengers. The 24 survivors abandoned ship in one lifeboat and when it was about 200 metres away the flames reached the cargo of explosives. The Brant County disappeared in a huge explosion, which sent pieces of metal and other debris in the air. The survivors were picked up after 30 minutes by the British steam merchant Stuart Prince. One of them was badly burned and died shortly thereafter.