Lt. Blind. It was later determined that the stern planes had jammed in the full dive position causing the sudden dive. With Fritchen having been washed off the bridge when the submarine dived, it was concluded that Blind had hung on the ship, and sacrificed his life in unlatching the upper conning tower hatch, saving the submarine. Blind posthumously received the Navy Cross for his action. Blind, a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, had married a woman in Australia only two weeks before his death. Crevalle made her way back to Fremantle 22 September. October 1944–February 1945 Crevalle departed Fremantle to head for California. During her voyage, the United States Navy Armed Guard detachment aboard an American Liberty ship mistook her for a Japanese submarine and opened fire on her with a gun when Crevalle was in the Bass Strait south of Melbourne, Australia. Crevalle suffered no damage or casualties.. In California, she underwent an overhaul Mare Island Naval Shipyard, followed by training at Pearl Harbor. In the Pacific Ocean on 15 February 1945, the American Liberty ship — which reported her position as — mistook Crevalle for a Japanese submarine and opened gunfire on her at a range of , firing eight rounds and claiming two hits. All rounds actually missed, and Crevalle — which reported her own position as — suffered no damage or casualties. Sixth and seventh war patrols, March – July 1945 The submarine put to sea on her sixth war patrol from Pearl Harbor 13 March 1945 under the command of Captain Everett Hartwell Steinmetz. Cruising in the East China Sea, she took up a lifeguard station during air strikes preparing for the Okinawa invasion, then on 23 – 25 April, made a hazardous search for a minefield believed to be located near the southern entrance to the Tsushima Straits. She returned to Guam to refit from 3 to 27 May, then sailed for her seventh war patrol in the northeast section of the Sea of Japan under the command of Captain Everett Hartwell Steinmetz. She sank a freighter a day on 9 June (Hokuto Maru), 10 June (Daiki Maru), and 11 June (Hakuzan Maru No. 5); 13 June (two small sailing vessels by gunfire) and on 22 June inflicted heavy damage on the escort ship . Returning to Pearl Harbor 5 July, she got underway once more on 11 August, but received word of