Thus it was at 5.30 p.m. on February 4th, about 40 miles north of Londonderry that Captain W. R. D. Irvine of the _Aurania_ saw a torpedo approaching his ship, which eventually struck her between the funnels. The _Aurania_ immediately listed heavily to port, but then righted herself. The boats were immediately lowered and the crew and passengers, with the exception of Captain Irvine himself and some of his officers, were all safely aboard them within ten minutes after the torpedo had exploded. No sooner had they got into the boats, than the _Aurania_ was again struck by a second torpedo, a third following in the wake of this, just as the Captain and the remaining officers were coming down the ropes into the last boat. Seven men in the engine-room were killed by the explosions of the torpedoes, and two others were lost by drowning. The crew were in the boats for about one and a half hours, when they were picked up by some mine-sweepers. [Illustration: THE “AQUITANIA’S” GARDEN-LOUNGE AS HOSPITAL WARD] It was then seen that the ship was not sinking, and Captain Irvine with some of his crew, returned on board and made her fast with hawsers to one of the trawlers that had arrived on the scene. During the night, however, the ship broke adrift, and when day broke she was nowhere to be seen. A message was then received from one of the naval patrols to the effect that the _Aurania_ had drifted ashore at Tobermory, nearly 50 miles from the place where she had been torpedoed. Unfortunately, she had grounded at a very exposed position and in the heavy weather that followed she went to pieces, it being found impossible to salve her. She was a particularly severe loss in that she was a new ship, only on her eighth trip.