At 12.04 hours on 7 Jan 1943, HMS Jura (T 169) (Lt E. Havercroft, RNR) was hit on the port side amidships by one of two torpedoes from U-371 and sank by the bow with a still turning propeller within 90 seconds about 35 miles east-northeast of Algiers, Algeria. The vessel was on passage to Philippeville as second ship of three in a port quarter line, led by HMS Stronsay (T 178) (Lt A.F.W. Boumphrey, RNVR) on a non-evasive course at 10 knots. Just before the attack the last ship, HMS Ruskholm (T 211) (Lt Robert Erskine, RNVR), had picked up a submarine contact and actually heard the torpedoes being fired, even observing one as surface runner, but was unable to warn the others in time. The vessel then immediately dropped a depth charge on the contact, followed by a first pattern of five depth charges while HMS Stronsay launched a lifeboat to pick up survivors and then joined the counter-attack. However, she didn’t get a contact and just dropped six depth charges close to the second pattern of six charges dropped by HMS Ruskholm, which also lost contact after dropping a third pattern of six depth charges at 12.31 hours. The U-boat was not damaged in the attacks and escaped to the east. At 13.15 hours, the lifeboat with 20 survivors was hoisted back aboard HMS Stronsay that soon returned to Algiers because some of the survivors were severely injured, arriving in the harbor about 8 hours later. HMS Ruskholm searched the area for a few hours, sinking some wreckage with six shrapnel rounds and then proceeded to Philippeville. The commander, two officers and 14 ratings were lost.