she again stood down the Brisbane River, cleared Moreton Bay, and entered the Coral Sea bound for the Solomons. On 29 June, she entered her assigned patrol area and headed for the passage between the Russell Islands and Guadalcanal. On 30 June, she was standing down Lunga Roads, and, on 1 July, she arrived off Tulagi where she closed her first target of the patrol. Detected as she prepared to fire, she evaded a depth-charging destroyer and gradually gained sea room. The depth charging, however, aggravated problems of old age and corrosion. Depth control became difficult as leaks developed in an auxiliary tank and in the motor room bilges. The leaks in the latter worsened as she moved out of the immediate area and resulted in a stream of air bubbles which led to aerial detection two hours after she had left the destroyer behind. Thereafter, mechanical problems multiplied; and S-38, unable to remain effective on her station, set a course for Brisbane, arriving on 7 July. For the better part of the next 20 days, S-38 underwent intensive, round-the-clock repairs at the Queensland Government Dry Dock, and, on 28 July, she again headed out across the Coral Sea. On 4 August, she entered her assigned area, New Britain-New Ireland, and commenced patrolling along the Rabaul-New Guinea traffic lanes. By 6 August, she had moved eastward along the New Britain coast, crossed the shipping lanes at the southern entrance to St. George's Channel, and closed the coast of New Ireland. On 7 August, she shifted her search for Japanese shipping further seaward and within hours sighted several targets; but distance, lack of speed and maneuverability, and mechanical breakdowns precluded successful attacks. This was later the main Japanese attack force for the Battle of Savo Island. On 8 August, however, approximately eight miles south of Cape St. George, she sighted a transport escorted by a destroyer and approaching so as to pass close ahead. At 23:09, S-38 rigged for depth charging and prepared to fire. At 23:24, she fired two torpedoes at the transport. Less than a minute later, both exploded on target. The 5628-ton Meiyo Maru went dead in the water. S-38 commenced evasive tactics. At 23:30, the destroyer dropped its first depth charge. At 23:32, Meiyo Maru began breaking up (the second of just two ships confirmed sunk by S-38) and, at 23:39, S-38 headed south. The sunken transport's