the night, hoping to get a clear shot by daylight. With the convoy′s smoke in sight, Blackfish dove at 08:40 on 7 January 1944 and prepared to attack. Unfortunately for Blackfish, the convoy′s low speed and zigzagging thwarted her attempts at getting a clear shot. As the opportunity faded, Davidson remarked "our last hope was one of the patrolling destroyers, which we managed to close to but without a very good set[-]up because of the constant changes of course and speed.” Given the circumstances, Blackfish pulled back. During the early morning hours of 8 January, one of the destroyers in the convoy came within sight again and Blackfish turned toward her on the surface and put all four of her diesel engines "on the line" to get into an attack position. A rain squall intervened and obscured the destroyer, however, and no attack developed. As the rain passed, the convoy — consisting of a small tanker of approximately 4,500 gross register tons, two cargo ships of about 4,500 gross register tons, and two destroyers — came into clearer view. Persistent rain caused further sight and sound issues which delayed any chances of an attack. Believing she had the leader of the column in sight and having finally gained a good position as the convoy emerged from the rain, Blackfish fired six torpedoes. Anticipating a quick reprisal, she dove to . The Japanese began a depth-charge attack. Blackfish survived, but ultimately could not determine if she had made any successful hits against the convoy. After evading the escorts, Blackfish resumed her patroll. Between 9 and 14 January 1944, Blackfish′s patrols proved relatively uneventful, but on the evening of 15 January she began tracking a Japanese convoy. Unfortunately for Blackfish, her radar went out and the ships disappeared. Nonetheless, Davidson moved to head them off the next day. At midday on 16 January, Blackfish sighted smoke and closed in. The convoy appeared to consist of a cargo ship of about 6,000 gross register tons, one small tanker of about 4,500 gross register tons, and an escorting destroyer. Blackfish launched an attack, but the convoy’s low speed and zigzag forced Davidson to “fire down the throat" of the cargo ship and then fire "an angle shot from the stern." Blackfish fired all six of her bow tubes, and her second torpedo hit its target; her cfrew heard several explosions. Meanwhile, the Japanese destroyer