16 July to top off her fuel tanks, she proceeded to the South China Sea. Shortly thereafter, on 19 July, Aspro found a convoy of four medium-sized ships in company with five escort vessels off the west coast of Luzon and fired her torpedoes at 05:45 and heard a series of explosions. As a result of this, she claimed to have sunk one ship and damaged a second. The next day, the submarine fired torpedoes at a member of a three-ship convoy, but all apparently missed. On 28 July, Aspro sighted an anchored ship flying a Japanese flag and launched a spread of torpedoes. The submarine heard three explosions, and her target emitted heavy smoke amidships and began listing to starboard and settling by the bow. The vessel became a mass of flames, and her fires continued to rage as Aspro withdrew from the area. A week later, she encountered the moored ship again – hard aground, listing to starboard, and completely gutted by fire. Two large holes in the hull at the waterline were visible. {This was the transport "Peking Maru" of 2,288 tons at 17.33N 120.21E} On 6 August, the submarine spotted two Japanese freighters and opened fire at 10:16. One of these ships was later seen to be listing 15 degrees to port, but still underway. The next day, Aspro attacked a 12-ship convoy. Her torpedoes hit a large freighter which sagged in the middle and started to settle. Following this action, Aspro continued her patrol uneventfully before returning to Fremantle on 18 August. Fifth war patrol, September – October 1944 On 10 September, Aspro sailed for her fifth patrol which took her back to the South China Sea. While still in transit to the patrol area, she found her first targets on 30 September off the northeast coast of Luzon where she met a convoy of seven or eight vessels protected by four escorts. She torpedoed and heavily damaged a freighter. Two days later, she attacked a tanker and heard breaking-up noises for 10–15 minutes. Through her periscope, she saw her victim listing to starboard with her bow high in the air. Soon Aspro lost sight of the ship and claimed to have sunk her. About an hour later, Aspro attacked another freighter in the same convoy. The ship was seen sinking in a vertical dive, stern first. {The 2 Oct 1944 credit was the cargo