she reported, blew up and sank soon thereafter. However, this fourth sinking was not confirmed by Japanese records. In the meantime, the other two American submarines were trying to finish off the fleeing remnants of the shattered convoy and managed to sink two ships, one with the aid of American naval aircraft. Trepang, now out of torpedoes, sped back to Pearl Harbor, arriving before Christmas. Following this war patrol, Davenport, one of the most highly decorated submariners of the war, left Trepang for shore duty as an instructor at the United States Naval Academy. Third war patrol: January – March 1945 Again sailing for Honshū, Trepang—now under Cmdr. Allen R. Faust—teamed up with submarines , , , and , known as "Mac's Mops," on an anti-picket boat sweep past Nanpō Islands, the eastern island chain south of Tokyo, to clear the sea lanes for the aircraft carriers of Task Force 58 which in turn was about to strike the Japanese home islands to neutralize them during the assault on the strategic island of Iwo Jima. Trepang encountered no worthwhile targets during the patrol and had to settle for performing lifeguard duty for aircraft carrier assaults on Tokyo. On 24 February 1945, the submarine sank the 875-ton freighter Usuki Maru and blew the bow off another small coastal vessel. While maneuvering to finish off the crippled ship, several antisubmarine vessels appeared on the scene from behind a nearby headland and converged on the fleet boat. Trepang dove deep as the Japanese subjected her to a seven-hour depth charge barrage. On 14 March, Trepang sank the IJN Guardboat Kaiko Maru off Inubosaki. On 17 March, Trepang attacked and sank 117-ton picket boat Tsukiura Maru (a converted bonito and tunny fishing boat) off Torishima. Fourth war patrol: April – May 1945 Following her return to Guam in March, Trepang headed for the Yellow Sea, a "hazardous duty" area due to its vast stretches of shallow water. Despite the danger, the submarine performed well, sinking the 1000-ton landing craft Transport Number 146 on 28 April; the 4667-ton, heavily laden freighter, Miho Maru two days later; and Minesweeper Number 20 which blew sky-high with a hit on her magazine on 4 May. In addition, the submarine surfaced to shell a junk with a load of lumber. The sole member of this victim's crew, a Korean, understood little sign language, and looked to be of little