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The 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. She was built at the Permanente Metals Corporation (Kaiser) shipyards in Richmond, California. Her namesake was Stephen Hopkins, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Rhode Island.〔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. ISBN 1-85044-049-2.〕 ==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, she encountered the heavily armed German commerce raider ''Stier'' and her tender the ''Tannenfels'' with one machine gun. Because of fog, the ships were only two miles (3 km) apart when they sighted each other.〔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. ISBN 1-85044-049-2.〕 Ordered to stop, the ''Stephen Hopkins'' refused to surrender, and the ''Stier'' opened fire. Although greatly outgunned, the crew of the ''Hopkins'' fought back, replacing the 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.〔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. ISBN 1-85044-049-2.〕 The ''Stephen Hopkins'' sank at 10:00. The ''Stier'', too heavily damaged to continue its voyage, was scuttled by its crew less than two hours later. Most of the crew of the ''Hopkins'' died, including captain Paul Buck. The survivors drifted on a lifeboat for a month before reaching shore in Brazil.〔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. ISBN 1-85044-049-2.〕 Captain Buck was posthumously awarded the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal 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. O'Hara was the second cadet to receive this award, and the first to receive it posthumously. Navy reservist Lt. (j.g.) Kenneth Martin Willett, gun boss for the 4-inch gun, was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. The Liberty ships SS ''Paul Buck'', SS ''Edwin Joseph O'Hara'', and SS ''Richard Moczkowski'', and the destroyer escort were named in honor of crew members of the ''Stephen Hopkins'', and SS ''Stephen Hopkins II'' in honor of the ship itself. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「SS Stephen Hopkins」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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