The Arriaga (Master Gunnar Gjertsen) had left Baltimore in convoy to the Yucatan Channel, where convoy was dispersed on 18 Jun 1942.
At 19.33 hours on 23 Jun 1942, the unescorted Arriaga was struck by a torpedo from U-68 on the port side just forward of the after house ripping a huge hole in the side of the ship, destroying the port lifeboat, killing the Chief Engineer Harry L. Hovland and blowing a hole in the engine room bulkhead. Also the steering gear was out of action causing the ship to swing 90° before stopping. U-68 surfaced 100 yard from the Arriaga and shelled her for a short time. The two armed guards on board returned fire with the old 6pdr gun on the after part of the ship with no results. The tanker was abandoned by the remaining 22 crewmen and two armed guards in the starboard lifeboat and one raft, before she sank 10 minutes after the attack about 50 miles off the coast of Colombia.
On 25 June, a Colombian fishing vessel took the boat in tow and later dropped the tow near the small town Pajaro. The crew rowed the distance to the beach and was then towed to Rio Hacha by another Colombian fishing vessel. At this place the British consul took care of the survivors and they were eventually taken to Barranquilla and then by plane to Miami.