The Andrea F. Luckenbach was a cargo steamer built in 1919 at Quincy, Massachusetts for the Luckenbach Steamship Company. On March 10, 1943 she was sailing in convoy HX-228 heading to Liverpool carrying army equipment and explosives. Waiting for the convoy were several U-boats that had been directed to them using
B-Dienst intercepts. One of the boats was U-221 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Hartwig Trojer. While other boats attacked as well, Trojer (nicknamed Count Dracula by his crew) lined up a shot at the lead ship in a line of ships and fired one torpedo. The British steamer Tucurinca was hit and sunk with the loss of one man.

On board the Andrea F. Luckenbach the U.S. Navy armed guard, who were already at their guns, were now on high alert. A periscope was spotted off the port bow by the Quartermaster, but it was too late. Seconds later a torpedo exploded a little forward of the stern, a second torpedo slammed into the ship not far from the point of impact of the first torpedo. Two direct hits was all it would take, the explosive cargo in the ship soon detonated tearing off the stern and the stern gun, dooming the ship and killing the gun crew.

The master, Rolf Neslund, immediately ordered the ship be abandoned and two boats were lowered, many of the survivors got into them, but a number had to jump overboard and swim for it. Many of those who jumped were later picked up, sadly not all of them could be found. In all twenty-two men were lost. The sixty-two survivors were picked up by SS Orangeleaf. (Sources differ on total number of casualties between 20 and 22.)

Neslund later commended the commanding officer of the Armed Guard, Ens. John P. Kelly;
"He directed his gun crew in a calm manor which is a credit to the U.S. Navy. He manned his guns and gave orders to his crew until the last. Before he left the bridge he gave his life preserved to a member who did not have one. I did not see him leave the ship."

According to another crewman Kelly could not swim and was never seen again after jumping overboard. I have been unable to determine if he received any decoration for his courage.

Trojer and U-221 escaped the counterattacks to fight another day, by Sept. 27, 1943 he had sunk 11 ships and one U-boat (U-254 in a collision), but that was his last day as he and his crew fell to an aircraft attack.