prompting Comdr. Haskins to report: "The Commanding Officer never wishes to hit an ammunition ship any closer than that one." She teamed up with Bream and 4 November to sink passenger-cargo ship Kagu Maru. After Breams initial attack, Guitarro added four hits before diving to avoid escort vessels. Remaining off western Luzon, Guitarro and her wolf pack next encountered heavy cruiser Kumano in convoy. Damaged in the Battle off Samar, the cruiser had repaired at Manila and was en route to Japan when the submarines struck. Guitarro fired nine torpedoes and gained three hits, but failed to sink the cruiser. Pounded by torpedoes from the other boats, Kumano was finally stopped, towed ashore by one of her sisters, and eventually finished off by carrier aircraft 25 November 1944. Guitarro, meanwhile, had returned to Fremantle 16 November. For her outstanding performance on her first three patrols, the submarine was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation. Fourth and fifth war patrols, December 1944 – May 1945 Guitarro departed Fremantle 11 December 1944 on her fourth war patrol, transiting Lombok Strait 17 December to patrol the South China Sea. After putting in at Mios Woendi 17 January 1945 for repairs, she made an attack with undetermined results on a convoy off Cape Batagan. On 1 March 1945, she was operating on the surface in heavy fog when at 01:10 H Time she sighted a torpedo at a distance of which passed ahead of her. With strong indications of nearby U.S. SD and SJ submarine radars, she challenged what she presumed was a nearby U.S. submarine for 45 minutes via SJ radar signals beginning at 01:25 H Time before receiving a reply and exchanging recognition signals. The other submarine never identified itself, but the torpedo had come from its direction. Although unable to prove conclusively that they had been either in contact with or fired upon by another U.S. submarine, Guitarro′s crew concluded that they had nearly been the victims of a friendly fire incident. Finding targets scarce in her patrol area, Guitarro returned to Fremantle on 15 March 1945. Guitarro again put out to sea 9 April 1945 on her fifth war patrol, and was unsuccessfully attacked by aircraft and a patrol boat in Lombok Strait. She then made her way to the northeast coast of Sumatra, where she engaged in a new mission, the laying of mines, off Berhala Island. After an uneventful