 Two days later , El Occidente sailed for Reykjavík , where she arrived on 1 March , just in time to depart with Convoy PQ 12 for Murmansk . After the convoy arrived at Murmansk on 12 March , El Occidente unloaded her cargo and took on a partial ballast load of chromium ore . She departed in Convoy QP 10 on 10 April . At 01 : 29 on 13 April , while at position 73 ° 28 ′ N 28 ° 30 ′ E , German submarine U @-@ 435 under the command of Siegfried Strelow fired one or two torpedoes which struck El Occidente in the engine room , nearly breaking the vessel in half . El Occidente went down stern first within two minutes , with no time to launch lifeboats . Within 30 minutes of her sinking , HMS Speedwell , one of the convoy 's escorts , rescued 21 of the ship 's 41 @-@ man crew ; the remaining 20 crewmen died . 
