July 11, 1942 off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago the Stanvac Palembang, a tanker sailing unescorted, was torpedoed and shelled by the U-203. Most of the crew managed to abandon the ship and make it into the lifeboats but seven were not so lucky and were killed. It was not until the next day that a US sub chaser, the USS PC-8, located the 45 survivors and brought them safely to shore.

One man who was injured and remained in hospital while the other 44 boarded the Robert E. Lee bound for home. They joined 28 crewmen from the Andrea Brovig, a Norwegian tanker sunk by the U-128 on June 23. The journey across the Gulf of Mexico was nearly complete when on July 30 the U-166 fired one torpedo at the Robert E. Lee when she was almost to New Orleans. The torpedo proved to be a fatal blow to the nearly 20 year old ship and she sank 15 minuets later. The USS PC-566 depth charged the U-166 and sank her with all hands while other ships rescued the survivors of the Robert E. Lee. Among the 25 killed was Alexander Moreno, one
of the survivors of the Stanvac Palembang's crew.

The other two U-boat's were also eventually sunk. The U-203 on Apr. 25, 1943 off Greenland and the U-128 on May 17, 1943 in the South Atlantic.

Wreck of the SS Robert E. Lee.

Wreck of the U-166.