Sinking of Michel

17 October 1943, Pacific, south of Hachijō-jima, Japan

American success; the last German raider sunk

Michel was the last of Germany's disguised raiders still at sea, working from Japan in 1943 under Günther Gumprich. Setting out on a new cruise, she was picked up at night south of Tokyo Bay on 17 October 1943 by the submarine Tarpon, on patrol. Tarpon hit her with two torpedoes and, when she did not sink, two more. Michel went down with 263 of her crew; the survivors reached Japan in boats. Tarpon's crew did not learn what they had sunk until after the war.