Discovery On 26/27 December
ON-154 was routed south to avoid storms and remained distant from escort support groups and out of range of Allied patrol bombers for longer than most convoys. U-662 reported the convoy on 26 December. That night U-356 torpedoed the leading ships from two of the starboard columns. Empire Union was hit at 0140, Melrose Abbey was hit ten minutes later. Both British freighters sank at about 0230. Toward rescued 63 survivors from the first ship and 47 from the second.
In a second attack, U-356 torpedoed the Dutch freighter Soekaboemi at 0410, and the British freighter King Edward at 0415. King Edward sank within three minutes. U-356 was detected by the escorts and was sunk with no survivors following depth charge attacks by St. Laurent, Chilliwack, Battleford and Napanee. At dawn, Toward rescued 25 men from the King Edward and assisted Napanee, recovering all but one of Soekaboemi's crew. Soekaboemi remained afloat when abandoned at 0730.
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