The captain of "Externsteine" later told his captors that he thought the attack was being carried out by tanks, and he was amazed that the ships could break through the ice at the speed they did. He opined that the Americans would have to scuttle his ship as it was trapped in the ice. "Externsteine" was renamed "East Breeze" by her captors. However, by using explosives on the ice, the ship was freed. A prize crew of 36 men from both icebreakers soon had the ship under way. At the time, it was the northernmost combat operation ever undertaken by United States forces. "Externsteine" was the only enemy surface vessel captured by United States naval forces during World War II.