Editing SS Stephen Hopkins (section)

==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]] to [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Surinam]], she encountered the heavily armed German [[commerce raider]] {{ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Stier||2}} and her tender {{MS|Tannenfels|1938|2}}.  Because of fog, the ships were only {{convert|2|mi}} apart when they sighted each other.<ref name="Sawyer" />

Ordered to stop, ''Stephen Hopkins'' refused to surrender, and ''Stier'' opened fire.  Although greatly outgunned, the crew of ''Stephen Hopkins'' fought back, replacing the [[United States Navy Armed Guard|Armed Guard]] crew of the ship's lone 4-inch (102&nbsp;mm) gun with volunteers as they fell. The fight was fierce and short, and by its end both ships were wrecks.<ref name="Sawyer" />
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Action of 27 September 1942
| image       = 
| caption     = 
| partof      = [[World War II]]
| date        = September 27, 1942
| place       = off [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Surinam]], [[Atlantic Ocean]]
| coordinates = 
| result      = Mutually destructive engagement
| combatant1  = {{flag|United States|1912}}
| combatant2  = {{flag|Nazi Germany}}
| commander1  = [[File:US Naval Jack 48 stars.svg|23px]] [[Paul Buck (seaman)|Paul Buck]] {{KIA}}
| commander2  = {{flagicon|Nazi Germany|naval}} [[Horst Gerlach]]
| strength1   = 1 [[Liberty ship]]
| strength2   = 1 [[auxiliary cruiser]], 1 supply ship
| casualties1 = 42 killed<br>1 Liberty ship sunk
| casualties2 = 2 killed<br>1 auxiliary cruiser scuttled, 1 supply ship lightly damaged
| notes       = 
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Atlantic Campaign}}
}}

''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]].<ref name="Sawyer" />

Captain Buck was posthumously awarded the [[Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal]] for his actions.<ref name="USMM">{{Cite web |url=http://www.usmm.org/duffyheroic.html |title=Tribute to Paul Buck |access-date=2004-05-04 |archive-date=2004-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040415032619/http://www.usmm.org/duffyheroic.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>  So was [[United States Merchant Marine Academy|US Merchant Marine Academy]] cadet [[Edwin Joseph O'Hara]], who single-handedly fired the last shots from the ship's 4-inch gun.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.maritime.dot.gov/history/gallant-ship-award/ss-stephen-hopkins | title=Ss Stephen Hopkins &#124; Marad }}</ref> Navy reservist Lt. (j.g.) [[USS Kenneth M. Willett#Namesake|Kenneth Martin Willett]], commander of the Armed Guard detachment which manned the ship's 4-inch gun, was posthumously awarded the [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.maritime.dot.gov/history/gallant-ship-award/ss-stephen-hopkins | title=Ss Stephen Hopkins &#124; Marad }}</ref>

The [[Liberty ship]]s {{SS|Paul Buck}}, {{SS|Edwin Joseph O'Hara}}, and {{SS|Richard Moczkowski}}, and the destroyer escort {{USS|Kenneth M. Willett|DE-354|6}} were named in honor of crew members of ''Stephen Hopkins'', and {{SS|Stephen Hopkins II}} in honor of the ship itself.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}