Once again, "Atik"s crew could be seen embarking in her boats, as their ship clung stubbornly to the surface. "U-123" surfaced at 22:27, confident that "Atik" was no longer a threat, and continued to watch until 22:50, when a cataclysmic explosion blew her to pieces. Ten minutes later, "U-123" buried her only casualty, the midshipman killed by the Q-ship's machine gun fire. "Atik"s entire crew perished, either in the blast or during the severe gale that blew up soon after the ship disintegrated.