Chief Officer Albert Clark was on watch in Cyprian Prince, which was following at a safe distance of four cables astern of Exmouth on a course of 330° at 10 knots. Both vessels continued to steam northwards as night fell. The sea was calm, and visibility good. The Exmouth's stern light was still in sight of the Cyprian Prince at 04.44hrs when Clark heard one explosion, and thinking Exmouth was dropping depth charges, called Captain Wilson, who was in his bunk, to the bridge. Wilson had arrived on the bridge when, at 04.48hrs there was a second detonation, which Clark described as “a terrific explosion, much louder than the first”.

At 04.50, the Cyprian Prince stopped her engines to look for survivors. Her helm was turned to port to clear the upturned hull of the Exmouth. Voices were heard in the water, and flickering or flashing lights were seen, and at 04.51, she went full ahead and put her helm over to starboard to close the men in the water. At 04.53 she stopped engines again and, according to Marine Gunner Ronald Sheen, about 10 men could be heard in the water.

Captain Wilson had already ordered men to stand by the boats, ready to go and pick up the survivors, but considered that stopping in good visibility to rescue them carried too great a risk of his own vessel being torpedoed. At 04.56hrs he rang down for full ahead and turned to port, leaving the men in the water. Cyprian Prince continued northwards alone with its urgent cargo of searchlights, anti-aircraft guns, and mobile units, Scammel trucks, cars and ammunition for the defence of Scapa Flow. (This was less than three months after HMS Royal Oak had been torpedoed in Scapa Flow by U-47 (KK Gunther Prien).

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