At 00.56 hours on 23 Nov, 1942, the unescorted Goolistan (Master William Thomson), a straggler from station #53 in convoy QP-15, was hit by one of two torpedoes from U-625 between Bear Island and Spitzbergen. The U-boat had spotted the ship one hour earlier and approached for a submerged attack, but experienced some difficulties due to the ice cold weather as important gauges were frozen, the periscope became stuck on twelve meters and the periscope head had to be constantly freed from ice by diving. The explosion set the cargo on fire and the crew began to abandon ship when she settled slowly. At 01.45 hours, the burning vessel sank after being hit underneath the bridge by a coup de grâce at 01.18 hours. The Germans questioned the occupants of the lifeboats and were told that the master had remained aboard when they asked for him. However, the survivors were never found, the master, 41 crew members and ten gunners were lost.