May 30, 1942 500 miles ESE of New York U-404 torpedoed and sank the steamer Alcoa Shipper which was inbound to New York from Trinidad. The engines shut down as soon as the torpedo struck and the ship began to sink fast. As the ship went down two of the lifeboats became entangled in the lines and were lost, but twenty-five men got off the ship. The survivors were brought alongside the U-boat and they were questioned and given some assistance. They were picked up two days later by the steamer Margrethe Bakke and landed at New York. Seven crewmen lost their lives in the loss.