In the early hours of February 3, 1943, a German torpedo struck the troopship Dorchester. The Dorchester was accompanied by three Coast Guard cutters, the Tampa, the Comanche and the Escanaba. While the Tampa continued on to provide protection to the convoy, the Comanche and the Escanaba remained on the scene and helped retrieve survivors.

The sinking claimed the lives of 673 of the 904 men aboard the Dorchester. The Escanaba was later lost with all but two men in June 1943 when strucked by a tornado in the North Atlantic.

The sinking of the Dorchester produced a great show of courage and self-sacrifice on the part of four chaplains who, when the lifejackets ran out, gave theirs to four wounded men. Later on, they were seen standing on the slanted deck of the troopship as it sank; arms linked and their heads bowed in prayer.

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