tons) which had been torpedoed and sunk on 25 September 1942 by USS Sargo (SS-188), and the cargo ship Yamafuji Maru (5359 tons). The submarine completed her first patrol with a surface gunfire engagement on 3 November, sinking an ocean-going sampan. Finback returned to Pearl Harbor on 20 November. 1943 Third and fourth patrols During her third war patrol, between 16 December 1942 and 6 February 1943, Finback served for some time as escort for a carrier task force, forbidden to reveal herself by making attacks during that part of the patrol. Later, she engaged the Japanese coaster Yachiyo Maru (271 tons) in a surface gun duel on 17 January, leaving the enemy craft abandoned and sinking. After refitting at Midway, Finback made her fourth war patrol between 27 February and 13 April, scouting shipping lanes between Rabaul and the Japanese home islands. On 21 March, she damaged the troop transport Sanuki Maru (7158 tons), during an attack in which one of the two torpedoes that hit the ship failed to explode, and from 24 to 26 March made a difficult chase of a convoy. When in position to attack, she fired three torpedoes at each of two ships and was immediately fired upon, then forced deep by an efficient depth-charge attack. Almost out of fuel, Finback was forced to break off the contact, and set course for Wake Island and Midway. On 5 April, passing a reef south of Japanese-held Wake, Finback sighted the troop transport Suwa Maru, beached and well down by the stern. After manoeuvring, Finback was able to elude a patrol boat and a searching airplane before torpedoing and sinking the 10,672-ton ship previously damaged by two of Finback'''s sister submarines. Fifth and sixth patrolsFinback refitted at Pearl Harbor from 13 April to 12 May 1943 for her fifth war patrol. Through most of this patrol, she patrolled off Taiwan, and along the shipping lanes from the Japanese home islands to the Marshalls. On 27 May, she sank IJA cargo ship Kochi Maru (2910 tons), and on 8 June, the auxiliary minelayer Kahoku Maru (3277 tons). Finback sank another merchant vessel four days later. After refitting at Fremantle, Western Australia 26 June – 18 July, the submarine sailed for her sixth war patrol along the Java coast. Her first contact was made 30 July, and she sank the IJA cargo ship Ryuzan Maru (4719 GRT) and