At 13.02 hours on 16 Jun, 1940, the unescorted Wellington Star  was hit in the bow by one G7a torpedo from U-101 about 300 miles west of Cape Finisterre. After the crew abandoned ship in four lifeboats, the U-boat fired three coups de grâce at 14.23, 14.40 and 14.58 hours, but the first two were duds.

 

The ship developed a list and settled but did not sink after the last torpedo had hit underneath the bridge. The U-boat surfaced, questioned the survivors and sank the ship with 31 rounds from the deck gun at 16.45 hours.

 

The master and 51 crew members were picked up after eight days by the French steam merchant Pierre L.D. and landed at Casablanca on 24 June. The same day, the remaining 17 crew members in a lifeboat made landfall at Figuera da Foz near Oporto.