At 21.53 hours on 30 October 1942 U-659 (Stock) fired a spread of two torpedoes at a ship in convoy SL-125 north of Madeira and observed one hit and the sinking of the vessel after 3 minutes. However, the Tasmania (Master Hans Christian Roder) continued and was sunk by two torpedoes from U-103 fired at 00.12 hours on 31 October.

Tasmania had picked up 44 survivors from Hopecastle, which had been torpedoed in the same convoy two days earlier. One crew member, one gunner and four shipwrecked men were lost. The master, 35 crew members, seven gunners, one passenger (DBS) and 40 shipwrecked men were rescued: most were picked up by the British steam merchant Baron Elgin and landed at Madeira; some were picked up by the British steam merchant Mano and landed at Greenock on 9 November; five were picked up by a corvette and landed at Gibraltar and 20 survivors were picked up by the Alaska, which was later torpedoed by U-510 (Neitzel) on 31 October but reached Lisbon safely on 11 November.