SS ''Stephen Hopkins'' was a

United States Merchant Marine United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...

that served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. She was the only US merchant vessel to sink a German surface combatant during the war. She was built at the

Permanente Metals Corporation Permanente Metals Corporation (PMC) is best known for having managed the Richmond Shipyards in Richmond, California, owned by one of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser's many corporations, and also engaged in related corporate activities. These four ...

(Kaiser) shipyards in Richmond, California. Her namesake was Stephen Hopkins, a

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

and signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

.Sawyer, L. A. and Mitchell, W. H. ''The Liberty Ships: The History of the "Emergency" Type Cargo Ships Constructed in the United States During the Second World War,'' Second Edition, pp. 13, 141-2, Lloyd's of London Press Ltd., London, England, 1985. . She was operated by Luckenbach Steamship Company under charter with the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

and

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...

Action of 27 September 1942

She completed her first cargo run, but never made it home. On September 27, 1942, en route from

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

to Surinam, she encountered the heavily armed German

commerce raider Commerce raiding (french: guerre de course, "war of the chase"; german: Handelskrieg, "trade war") is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than enga ...

and her tender . Because of fog, the ships were only apart when they sighted each other. Ordered to stop, ''Stephen Hopkins'' refused to surrender, and ''Stier'' opened fire. Although greatly outgunned, the crew of ''Stephen Hopkins'' fought back, replacing the Armed Guard crew of the ship's lone 4-inch (102 mm) gun with volunteers as they fell. The fight was fierce and short, and by its end both ships were wrecks. ''Stephen Hopkins'' sank at 10:00. ''Stier'', too heavily damaged to continue her voyage, was scuttled by its crew less than two hours later. Most of the crew of ''Stephen Hopkins'' died, including Captain Paul Buck. The 15 survivors drifted on a lifeboat for a month before reaching shore in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Captain Buck was posthumously awarded the

Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal The Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Merchant Marine (USMM). The decoration is the highest award which can be bestowed upon members of that service. It is awarded to any seaman in the USMM who, on ...

for his actions. So was US Merchant Marine Academy cadet Edwin Joseph O'Hara, who single-handedly fired the last shots from the ship's 4-inch gun. Navy reservist Lt. (j.g.) Kenneth Martin Willett, commander of the Armed Guard detachment which manned the ship's 4-inch gun, was posthumously awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

. The

s , , and , and the destroyer escort were named in honor of crew members of ''Stephen Hopkins'', and in honor of the ship itself.

Recognition

*O'Hara Hall, the gymnasium facility at the

United States Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serve as officers in the United States Merchant ...

, is named in honor of Midshipman O'Hara. *Captain Paul Buck, master of SS ''Stephen Hopkins'', was given the

by The President of the United States. For determination to fight his ship and his perseverance in engaging the enemy to the utmost until his ship was rendered helpless. The award was given by Admiral Emory S. Land. *George S. Cronk, Second Engineer on the ship, sailed his lifeboat 2,200 miles for 31 days to save his shipmates. He was given the

by the President of the United States. The award was given by Admiral Emory S. Land. *SS ''Stephen Hopkins'' was awarded the Gallant Ship Award for outstanding courage against overpowering odds by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration.

References

External links

The Gallant Liberty Ship SS ''Stephen Hopkins'' Sinks a German Raider
from American Merchant Marine at War – U.S. Maritime Service Veterans
Gallant Ship Award Citation
from U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration.

from

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

.
Tribute to Paul Buck
and an account of the battle.
Website
for Liberty Ship '' SS Jeremiah O'Brien''
Website
for Liberty Ship '' SS John W. Brown''
The Gallantry of An “Ugly Duckling”: Outgunned by the Nazi raider, the Stephen Hopkins could have struck her colors. Instead she elected to fight, Robert L. Vargas, American Heritage Magazine, December 1969
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen Hopkins Liberty ships Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Ships built in Richmond, California 1942 ships Maritime incidents in September 1942 Auxiliary cruisers Ships named for Founding Fathers of the United States

Action of 27 September 1942

Recognition

See also

References

External links