During this engagement, seven French destroyers managed to escape the harbor and attempted to make their way to the invasion beaches. At 08:55, "Massachusetts" increased speed in order to attack the destroyers. The battery at El Hank continued to fire on the ship, and at 10:00, one of the 7.6-inch shells from the coastal battery struck her on the port side between the two forward main gun turrets. The shell penetrated the deck armor and started a small fire that was quickly extinguished. At this time, the French cruiser and another two destroyers left the port. "Massachusetts" and "Tuscaloosa" sank the destroyer , and at 10:05 a 16-inch shell from "Massachusetts" struck the destroyer "Milan", and put her out of action. "Primaguet" was forced to retire after she was hit by a 16-inch shell from "Massachusetts" and a number of smaller caliber shells from the American cruisers and . During the operations off the North African coast on 8 November, "Massachusetts" fired 786 main battery shells and 221 rounds from her 5-inch guns.