American Liberty ship "Stephen Hopkins

[Carl Schwamberger]

Picked up the links to these two site from another forum. Can anyone confirm or rebuke the accuracy of the events described on them?

http://www.usmm.org/hopkins.html

http://www.ahoy.tk-jk.net/MaraudersWW2/17Stier.html

[binder001]

Yes, the action really ocurred. It sounds like something that Hollywood should have made a movie about This account is in several other naval books. It's a classic "David and Goliath" and stands as a tribute to the US Merchant Marine and the Naval Armed Guard personnel. The Hopkins was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but a Liberty ship can't run from much of anything let alone a German raider, so the crew bravely opted to fight. The action might not get more notice because that it was a "secondary" area versus one of the big battle fronts and also the ship wasn't "Navy" it was Merchant Marine - the USN has a better PR machine.

This action, and a few others is why I chuckle inwardly when the arship fans start going on about the capabilities of one ship over another. The Hopkins/Steier action shows that fortune and bravery can match technical superiority.