HSK STIER

HSK Stier: German Auxiliary Cruiser in World War II

HSK Stier, also known as Schiff 23 (Ship 23) to the Kriegsmarine and Raider J to the Royal Navy, was a German auxiliary cruiser that operated in World War II as a commerce raider in the South Atlantic. Rather than a conventional warship, the auxiliary cruiser was originally built as a freighter. She was used by the Kriegsmarine to disrupt Allied shipping lines by sinking or capturing vessels during the war. Stier was an unarmored auxiliary cruiser, unlike some later German raiders. One of the ship’s most significant features was her shallow-draft and small size, which allowed it to pass as a neutral or Allied ship by repositioning her funnel and masts and changing other characteristics. The purpose of these was to allow the raider to enter a port without arousing suspicion. This made the ship a significant threat to merchant ships, as the disguised ship would appear to be harmless.

The HSK Stier was originally built in 1936 as the Cairo freighter for the Atlas Levant Line and was built at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel. At 134 meters (440 ft 7 in) long, with a gross register tonnage of 4,778, the ship was not remarkable as a merchant vessel. These specifications were, however, adequate to convert the ship into an auxiliary cruiser that was armed for commerce-raiding. Stier was built for merchant work, mainly carrying dry cargo, and was requisitioned for the Kriegsmarine in November 1939 for service in the Baltic Sea. In early 1941, the ship was modified by a series of German shipyards in Wilton in Rotterdam, Oderwerke in Stettin, and Kriegsmarinewerft in Gotenhafen (now Gdynia) for operation as a commerce raider. It was renamed Stier (bull), after the constellation Taurus, and commissioned on 11 November 1941, as HSK Stier (auxiliary cruiser Stier).

For its function, it was well-equipped with six 15 cm (5.9 in) guns to attack merchant targets, two 3.7 cm and four 2 cm anti-aircraft guns to defend against aircraft, and two torpedo tubes for offensive capabilities. Two Arado Ar 231 seaplanes were carried for reconnaissance, although they were so small and lightly-built that they could not operate in more than calm seas. The ship was powered by one diesel engine that drove one propeller at a maximum speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), which was not fast but was enough to catch slower-moving merchant ships. The top speed was too slow to outrun any Allied warship that might find the raider, however, limiting the range of safe cruising areas and requiring the auxiliary cruiser to avoid well-traveled sea lanes as much as possible. The operational range was approximately 50,000 nautical miles (93,000 km; 58,000 mi). At full capacity, the crew complement of the HSK Stier was 324, and it was commanded by Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain) Horst Gerlach, later promoted to Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea).

What made HSK Stier special?

As an auxiliary cruiser, the main role of the HSK Stier was as an armed raider that would use disguises to travel to target areas to attack merchant shipping without arousing suspicion. The ship was unarmored and was built not as a warship but as a merchant ship with a freighter configuration to allow it to fit in with normal maritime traffic to avoid attracting attention. Armed with six 15 cm (5.9 in) guns, two 3.7 cm and four 2 cm anti-aircraft guns, and two torpedo tubes, its major disadvantage as an auxiliary cruiser was that it lacked armor for defense and was not very fast. As a raider, the HSK Stier was designed for stealth, not speed, and this made its surface speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) a disadvantage, as it was not sufficient to outrun any warship it was likely to encounter. An auxiliary cruiser’s speed, armament, and endurance were also generally insufficient to allow it to take merchantmen by prize crews and serve as a convoy escort, unlike many British armed merchant cruisers. Like its raiding allies and contemporaries, such as Thor, Atlantis, Möwe, Kormoran, Orion, Pinguin, Stier, Indianola, Pretoria, and Komet, it was designed for commerce raiding on the high seas, and these missions required endurance, surprise, and maneuverability in addition to speed and armament.

key roles in major battles

Germany built armed merchant cruisers and auxiliary cruisers to attack Allied shipping in convoy lanes with its navy’s entire strength as it was bound by treaty. The Kriegsmarine was forced to challenge Royal Navy domination of the seas and the 1935 Anglo-German Naval Treaty’s restriction against building surface ships that limited the German surface warship fleet. This resulted in German commerce raiders designed to attack Allied shipping. Stier was used to destroy supply lines bringing oil, food, and raw materials to Europe from the Americas and Africa by sea. These ships were the last of the German auxiliary cruisers that broke out into the Atlantic, and it left Germany on 10 May 1942, passing the Channel under the cover of darkness and a fog.

On 13 May 1942, Stier was encountered by British coastal forces; and, in the resulting action, the Germans lost two torpedo boats and the British one motor torpedo boat. It then put in at Royan, France, on 19 May, and, after resupplying, continued to the South Atlantic. By then, the best sea areas were under heavy convoy and air patrol, so the ship cruised in less-frequented waters between Cape Town and South America. Stier was ultimately successful, sinking four ships over its 4½-month career, with a total of 29,409 gross register tons (GRT). One of the ships that Stier sank was the American tanker Stanvac Calcutta. Her slow speed also restricted potential routes so that the raider had to avoid well-traveled convoy lanes where the ship was most likely to encounter Allied escorts.

HSK Stier was also not particularly well equipped for reconnaissance, with the plane that it was intended to use in this role being extremely underpowered and only able to take off under favorable conditions. As such, the ship was mostly limited to attacking any targets it was able to sight visually, though it occasionally received intelligence on likely targets from other German ships. The HSK Stier carried out commerce-raiding missions in less frequented areas of the South Atlantic in the South Atlantic. The area for the commerce-raiding ship to cruise in was the vast triangle formed by the south of Cape Town, South America, and the south Atlantic.

A major engagement was the battle with SS Stephen Hopkins.

The notable battle of the career of the HSK Stier was with the American Liberty ship SS Stephen Hopkins. This battle took place in the South Atlantic on 27 September 1942, and it ended the career of the raider. At the time of the attack, Stier and her supply ship Tannenfels were drifting in a fog, with German crews off the ships cleaning marine growth on the ships’ bottoms. The German auxiliary cruiser first spotted the American Liberty ship SS Stephen Hopkins at 08: 52 AM when the two ships were 4,000 yards (3,700 m) apart. The Stephen Hopkins was on a voyage from Cape Town to Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana, and had a gross register tonnage of 7,181 GRT. The ship was in good condition and was captained by Paul Buck, who was an experienced American ship’s captain. Gerlach, who commanded HSK Stier, ordered the raider to action stations at the first sight of Stephen Hopkins, sure of an easy victory. At 08: 55 AM, the battle between the two ships commenced, with Stier initially opening fire with her 15 cm (5.9 in) guns. Despite the fact that the American merchant ship had a far inferior armament of only one 4-inch gun, two 37 mm guns, and six machine guns, the Stephen Hopkins crew was able to successfully defend their ship in the battle.

The determined defense of the SS Stephen Hopkins was able to critically damage Stier, including her engines and steering gear. Edwin Joseph O’Hara was particularly noteworthy during the battle as the captain of the 4-inch gun that was manned by just one sailor. After the rest of the crew was killed, he fired the gun until it was overpowered by the Germans, receiving fatal injuries for his actions. The SS Stephen Hopkins was heavily damaged by the end of the battle at 10: 00 AM and was sunk, the wreck sinking by the stern, but 42 of her crew were killed in the engagement, including the captain. Three of the fifteen remaining survivors would later die during a 31-day, 1,800-nautical-mile (1,700 mi; 3,400 km) lifeboat journey across the Atlantic to Brazil, with those who survived reaching Barro de Itabapoana.

The entire party was hailed as heroes in the United States after the battle, with Captain Paul Buck and cadet Edwin Joseph O’Hara each receiving the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal posthumously. Stier was damaged in the battle so that it was impossible for the ship to move, as the raider had lost engine power and steering in the engagement, fires had broken out that could not be put out with firefighting equipment that was rendered inoperable by damaged electrical power, and the crew was ordered to abandon ship. The ship was scuttled by the Germans to prevent it from falling into Allied hands, and scuttling charges were detonated at 11: 40 AM, with the ship sinking soon after. All but two of the crew survived, with the majority transferring to Tannenfels and returning to France on 2 November 1942.

Legacy and impact

The ship’s most significant contribution to the Kriegsmarine’s commerce-raiding campaign was the overall 29,409 GRT of four Allied ships that were sunk in her 4½-month career. This was a better-than-average total for the war, and it helped to disrupt Allied supply lines and hurt enemy morale and naval resources. At the same time, HSK Stier did not sink many ships, and, in its later stages of the campaign, it was easier to use less-risky U-boats to attack merchant shipping.

The battle with SS Stephen Hopkins is the best-known engagement of the ship’s career and has become a symbol of merchant ship crew bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. The engagement was a morale-booster for the Allied merchant fleet, and it was directly responsible for the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal’s creation. SS Stephen Hopkins helped to inspire the Liberty ship USCGC Itasca (WAE-27), which was later built by the Maritime Commission in the United States.

Stier’s design was relatively successful for its purpose as an auxiliary cruiser, and the short-range reconnaissance seaplanes she was designed to operate were particularly poor in this role. Nevertheless, the HSK Stier was sunk in its final battle after being damaged by the inadequate armament of SS Stephen Hopkins. The Kriegsmarine made the shift to using U-boats rather than surface raiders later in the war as surface raiders were much easier to hunt down and destroy.

HSK Stier has had several other post-war uses that have seen the ship serve in other conflicts and uses. These have included some involvement in both the Iran–Iraq War and in Lebanon and the Gulf War. HSK Stier is best-remembered for her role in the battle with SS Stephen Hopkins, which has made it to several different forms of media.

Final Thoughts

HSK Stier was an auxiliary cruiser that was used by the Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was notable for her role in disrupting Allied shipping lanes and as an innovative new German warship that was extremely well-armed for her type. This armament allowed her to sink four ships before her career was ended by the merchant crew of SS Stephen Hopkins. She was scuttled after her final battle to prevent her from being captured by the Allies.