Sinking of the SS Stephen Hopkins
| Action of 27 September 1942 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| United States | Nazi Germany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Paul Buck † | Horst Gerlach | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Liberty ship Stephen Hopkins |
Auxiliary cruiser Stier Supply ship Tannenfels | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
42 killed Stephen Hopkins sunk |
2 killed Stier scuttled Tannenfels lightly damaged | ||||||
Picture of Stephen Hopkins at her launch. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Stephen Hopkins |
| Namesake | Stephen Hopkins |
| Builder | Permanente Metals Corporation |
| Launched | May 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk in battle September 27, 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Liberty ship |
| Tonnage | 7,181 GRT |
| Length | 441.5 ft (135 m) |
| Beam | 57 ft (17 m) |
| Draught | 27.75 ft (8 m) |
| Propulsion | triple expansion, 2,500 ihp (1,900 kW) |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Armament | 1 × 4 in (102 mm)/50 caliber gun (Mark 9) 2 × 37 mm cannon; 6 machine guns |
SS Stephen Hopkins was a United States Merchant Marine Liberty ship that served in World War II. She was the only US merchant vessel to sink a German surface combatant during the war.
Steamship Stephen Hopkins was built at the Permanente Metals Corporation (Kaiser) shipyards in Richmond, California. Her namesake was Stephen Hopkins, a Founding Father and signer of the Declaration of Independence from Rhode Island. She was operated by Luckenbach Steamship Company under charter with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration.