The Norlantic was sunk on May 13, 1942 by U-69 north of Venezuela, twenty-two men got off the ship, most into lifeboats, but four had to get on rafts. Those in the lifeboats were lucky, they were picked up three days later, but one man died of his injuries in the boat. Two of the survivors on one of the rafts drifted until May 24 when they were picked up.

The last two were not so lucky, they were not picked up until June 19, and then over 1,000 miles west of where the sinking took place. A tug pulled the ragged men from the raft just a few miles off the coast of Nicaragua, they had somehow miraculously survived.

U-69 and the commander that sunk Norlantic survived only until Feb. 17 of the following year, U-69 and the whole crew were sunk off Newfoundland.