eight-ship convoy, guarded by three destroyers and air cover. She sank 5975-ton cargo ship Tokushima Maru and scored hits for unknown damage to two other freighters. Searching the southern border of her assigned patrol area, Picuda found another convoy hugging the north coast of Luzon on 21 September and sent 1948-ton freighter Awaji Maru to the bottom. Picuda made rendezvous with and , then set course in company with these two submarines to terminate her third war patrol in the lagoon of Majuro Atoll on 3 October. At Majuro, Picuda, now under the command of Evan T. Shepard, her final wartime skipper, formed a new wolf-pack with Queenfish and Barb, and departed 27 October. Topping off with fuel at Saipan, 1 November and 2 November, the wolf pack set course to range over the northern waters of the East China Sea, westward of Kyūshū. Picuda sent 9433-ton passenger-cargo vessel Mayasan Maru to the bottom of the sea 17 November in the area southwest of Nagasaki. On 23 November, closing a convoy off the Korean Archipelago and stealing between two lead escorts, Picuda sank 6933-ton freighter Shuyo Maru and 5296-ton passenger-cargo ship Fukuju Maru. She departed her patrol area six days later and returned from her fourth patrol to moor in Apra Harbor, Guam, on 2 December. On 29 December, Picuda put to sea for her fifth war patrol in the Formosa Straits and the East China Sea off the east coast of China from Shanghai to Kam Kit. On 7 January 1945, Picuda received a contact report from Barb and closed a convoy in the straits of Formosa to inflict severe damage with four torpedo hits on 10,045-ton tanker Munakata Maru. On the afternoon of 8 January, she again received a convoy contact report from Barb and slipped between two escorts of the starboard screen about four hours before midnight to pick out two large passenger-freighters. Three bow tubes fired at each target resulted in one hit on each. She swung and fired stern shots at a tanker, then discovered an escort dead ahead, range, and was forced to clear the area. The 2854-ton coastal tanker Hikoshima Maru, hit by both Picuda and Barb, was disabled and ran aground. The freighter Meiho Maru had a similar experience, and severe damage was inflicted on 6600-ton freighter Hisagawa Maru as well as 6516-ton coastal tanker Manju Maru. Picuda having flashed a contact