During the return to Britain of convoy QP 13, HMS Niger led a column of merchantmen in bad weather with visibility reduced to one mile. HMS Niger had been unable to take bearings due to the weather but made a sighting of land, which was in fact an iceberg. She had unfortunately led the convoy into a British minefield off Iceland. She was mined at 22.40 hours in position 66 35'N, 23 14'W as were six of the merchants she was escorting, all but one also sank