July 14, 1917 the cargo ship Exford was torpedoed and sunk by the U-48 230 miles southwest of Brest, France. Six of the crew were killed leaving the thirty survivors adrift. A stroke of luck came for them when the Hain Line's SS Trelissick arrived and pulled them from the water. However the next day, July 15 the UC-72 found the Trelissick and she joined the Exford on the bottom of the sea.

The thirty survivors from Exford were joined by twenty-nine from Trelissick in the boats. It turned out to be another lucky day as the USS Harvard SP-209 arrived and picked them all up and delivered them to Brest.