ship was abandoned and soon enveloped in flames over high. Fleet tugs were immediately brought in to try to extinguish the fire, but in spite of their efforts, at about 09:00 the ship slowly turned over and disappeared. Fifteen minutes later, the fire on the water was out and Ulithi anchorage was again quiet. This ship was the first to be hit by a Japanese Kaiten manned torpedo. The ship sank with a loss of 63 hands as well as the kaiten pilot. Of the five kaiten sent against US ships, only one was successful, but the explosion and fire from Mississinewa was so great that the Japanese Naval Command back in Tokyo were erroneously informed that three aircraft carriers were hit. This resulted in an expansion of the kaiten program, even though it would not significantly affect the war. Mississinewa was hit in the front starboard bow area, the kaiten probably released by Japanese submarine I-47 just outside Ulithi lagoon. Mississinewa received four battle stars for World War II service. Discovery of shipwreck The Mississinewa remained undiscovered in a tropical lagoon of Yap State for over 56 years. On 6 April 2001, the hulk of the shipwreck was found by adventure divers at a depth of roughly north of Mogmog Island, Ulithi, Micronesia. For two months, from July 2001 to August, the sunken wreck leaked oil into the Ulithi lagoon. Officials estimated that 18,000 to 24,000 gallons of oil had been released over the course of two months, threatening coral reefs, sea turtle breeding grounds, and local fishing. Following a typhoon, the island's beaches and the lagoon were contaminated by heavy fuel oil leaking from the wreck. A state of emergency was declared by the Governor of Yap. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Yap Marine Resources Department imposed a ban on fishing in the lagoon. In September 2001, a dive team and contractors hired by the U.S. Navy led a survey to determine the status of the wreck and the potential for environmental damage from the deteriorating hulk. Divers confirmed leaks, finding cracks in two of the Mississinewa's tanks. A second oil leak from the oiler was reported in December 2001 and leaks were plugged in February 2002. An investigation by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme found that the estimated 5,000,000 gallons of oil remaining in the wreck constituted an "unacceptable and ever present risk". The potential