 In succession the armed guards fired five shots with the aft 4-inch gun and several rounds of the bow anti-aircraft gun.The last of the five shells struck and disabled a 150 mm gun aboard "Stier" just before it began delivering broadsides of four cannons and machine gun fire.Merchant sailors were trained and used to man the anti-aircraft gun, it fired continually throughout the battle though it misfired a few times because of old ammunition.