On 20 June 1943 the Santa Maria (Master Robert John Twaddell) struck a mine laid on 7 June by U-214 five miles west of Dakar. The explosion occurred in the vicinity of the #1 hatch and caused the forward magazine to explode that completely destroyed the bow forward of the bulkhead between #1 and #2 holds. Two armed guards manning the gun on the bow were blown overboard, one of them was never found and the other was rescued and hospitalized in Dakar. The most of the nine officers, 48 crewmen and 30 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) on board abandoned ship in two lifeboats and stayed near the ship for two hours until two French Naval tugs arrived. 46 survivors were taken ashore, the rest reboarded the vessel and helped the tugs to tow the ship into the harbour of Dakar, where the ship was dry docked and repaired. On 14 December, she left for New York and arrived after a voyage of 13 days.