German auxiliary cruiser Stier Stier ( HSK 6 ) was a German auxiliary cruiser during World War II . Her " Kriegsmarine " designation was Schiff 23 , to the Royal Navy she was Raider J . The name " Stier " means " bull " , and represents the Taurus constellation in the German language . She was the last German raider to break out into the Atlantic in World War II . Early history . Built by Germaniawerft in 1936 as the freighter " Cairo " , she was operated by the Atlas Levant Line ( ALL ) until being requisitioned for Kriegsmarine services in November 1939 . After merchant warfare operations in the Baltic Sea , she was converted into a mine layer and was planned to be used during Operation " Sea Lion " . After this operation was canceled , the now renamed " Stier " was modified into an auxiliary cruiser in April 1941 , first at the Wilton shipyard Rotterdam and later at Oderwerke , Stettin , and Kriegsmarinewerft , in Gotenhafen ( Gdynia ) . Raiding voyage . On 10 May 1942 she left Germany for operations in the Atlantic . Moving by stages down the English Channel , and after an engagement with British coastal forces on the 13th which saw the loss of two torpedo boats ( German ) and one MTB ( British ) , " Stier " reached Royan in occupied France on the 19th . From there she departed under the command of " Fregattenkapitän " ( later " Kapitän zur See " ) Horst Gerlach for operations in the South Atlantic . After a cruise of 4½ months , in which she engaged and sank three ships , on 27 September 1942 the ship was sunk during a battle with an American cargo ship the , which was also lost . During her operation the " Stier " sank four ships , totalling 29 , 409 tons ( GRT ) . Final engagement . On 27 September 1942 " Stier " encountered the Liberty ship " Stephen Hopkins " en route from Cape Town to Paramaribo . Closing in foggy conditions the two ships sighted each other around 08 : 52 at a distance of 4 , 000 yards . Gerlach sent his men to action stations ; the master of the " Stephen Hopkins " was suspicious of the unidentified vessel and did the same . The " Stephen Hopkins " had a small defensive armament ( 1 × 4 inch gun astern , and several machine guns ) , but when firing commenced , around 08 : 55 , she put up a spirited defence . She scored several hits on " Stier " , damaging her engines and steering gear . However , overwhelmed by fire from " Stier " , the " Hopkins " drifted away ; by 10 am she had sunk . Forty - two of her crew were killed in the action , and three more died later ; the fifteen survivors finally reached Brazil 31 days later . " Stephen Hopkin " ' s commander , Captain Paul 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 . Meanwhile " Stier " had been fatally damaged ; unable to make headway , and not responding to the helm , Gerlach made the decision to abandon ship . " Stier " exploded and sank at 11 : 40 . All but two of her crew survived and were rescued by the supply ship , which was accompanying " Stier " at the time of the action .