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O’Hara, Edwin Joseph Edwin Joseph O’Hara Born: November 27, 1923 Hometown: Lindsay, CA Class: 1943 Service: Merchant Marine Position / Rank: Engine Cadet Date / Place of death: September 27, 1942 / South Atlantic, 28-08 S, 11-59 W Date / Place of burial: September 27, 1942 / Lost at Sea South Atlantic, 28-08 S, 11-59 W Age: 18 After sailing across the Pacific with war cargo, the Stephen Hopkins called at Durban and Cape Town, South Africa before sailing across the South Atlantic, bound for Paramaribo, Suriname. On September 27, 1942 the visibility was reduced due to fog and haze. Despite having five lookouts no one aboard the Stephen Hopkins sighted either the German Raider Stier (known as Raider J) or its supply ship Tannenfels until 1235 GCT when they appeared out of the mist. Ordered to stop by the Stier, the Stephen Hopkins’ master, Captain Paul Buck, refused and turned the ship away from the Germans to bring his heaviest weapon to bear, a single 4″ gun. The Stier was armed with six 150mm guns, one 75mm gun, a twin 37mm anti-aircraft gun and four 20mm anti-aircraft guns with modern fire control and trained naval gunners. The ship also had two float planes and two torpedo tubes. The Tannenfels was only armed with anti-aircraft machine guns. Against this armament the Stephen Hopkins had one 4″ gun, two 37mm and several .50 and .30 caliber anti-aircraft machine guns manned by a small detachment of Naval Armed Guard and the ship’s crew. At 1238 the Stier began firing on the Stephen Hopkins at close range. Shrapnel and machine gun bullets rained down on the Stephen Hopkins’ crew wounding or killing several men, including the Armed Guard Commander, Lieutenant (j.g.) Kenneth M. Willett, USNR. Despite his wounds, Willett got the guns manned and began returning fire at a range of about 1,000 yards. Willett steadfastly continued to direct fire from the Stephen Hopkins on the two German vessels while the ship’s Captain, Paul Buck, maneuvered to keep the ship’s stern pointed at the German ships. In their exposed post the Naval Armed Guard crew was decimated by shells and machine gun bullets, leaving only the wounded Willett to keep the 4″ gun firing at the Stier’s waterline, inflicting heavy damage. When the ammunition magazine for the 4″ gun magazine exploded, Willett was out of action. However, Cadet Edwin J. O’Hara who was nearby rushed forward to take his place firing the five shells left in the ready service locker. O’Hara fired the five remaining shells on the Tannenfels, before being mortally wounded by enemy fire. http://kingspointww2.org/ohara-edwin-joseph/