patrol, 31 days of which were spent in a combat area. Despite poor weather, a "groaning" rudder, and numerous leaks, Blackfish had managed to attack three Japanese convoys, as well as perform a special mission. The patrol was deemed "successful" and worthy of the Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia. At Brisbane, Blackfish underwent a two-week refit, during which she had a new SJ radar installed. Eighth war patrol On 22 February, Lieutenant Commander Robert F. Sellars assumed command of Blackfish, and on 1 March 1944 she put to sea, commencing her eighth war patrol. She stopped first at Milne Bay from 6 to 9 March, where she conducted training and took on fuel and provisions. Then on 10 March she headed for her patrol area in company with the submarine . She arrived in her patrol area on 17 March 1944. On 30 March 1944, Blackfish encountered a Japanese convoy and her crew manned their battle stations in preparation for an attack. At , she fired a salvo of torpedoes from her port track, intending to sink the 6,700-gross register ton merchant ship Ryuyo Maru. Unfortunately for Blackfish, the torpedoes passed under Ryuyo Maru′s keel. Blackfish dove, expecting a depth-charge attack, but the convoy′s escorts did not give chase. Due to a lack of fuel, Sellars decided to break off the attack. Blackfish received orders on 6 April 1944 to proceed to Seeadler Harbor on Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands. She arrived there on the 8 April, moored to the port side of the tanker and fueled. The turnaround proved quick, and she put back out to sea at 21:25 the same day. Once back in her patrol area she spotted numerous planes but few ships. Blackfish had a close call with her eponym on 12 April, when, according to her log, some “suspicious-looking objects were spotted 7,000 yards [6,400 meters] from the ship,” and a subsequent, investigation revealed that the objects in question were in fact “several large blackfish.” As April 1944 continued, so did the patrol, with little excitement. On 15 April 1944, Blackfish conducted a reconnaissance of Merir in the Palau Islands. A brief investigation observed a Japanese transport plane making signals to the inhabitants of the island but nothing else came of it. Continued patrolling over the course of the next week revealed consistent plane activity but almost no ships in the area. In one briefly