anks , ▁ground ▁c ork ▁covered ▁with ▁dies el ▁oil , ▁a ▁wooden ▁sl at ▁from ▁a ▁veget able ▁cr ate ▁with ▁Japanese ▁writing ▁and ▁advert is ements ▁on ▁it , ▁pieces ▁of ▁var n ished ▁ma h og any ▁ins cribed ▁in ▁Japanese , ▁and ▁a ▁piece ▁of ▁deck ▁pl ank ing ▁containing ▁Japanese ▁build ers ’ ▁ins cri ptions — ind ic ated ▁a ▁definite ▁“ kill ” ▁that ▁the ▁Navy ▁ultimately ▁awarded ▁to ▁Ar dent ▁and ▁Rock ford ▁equally . ▁ ▁Post war ▁research ▁revealed ▁the ▁sun ken ▁boat ▁to ▁be ▁, ▁Commander ▁K udo ▁K ane o , ▁that ▁had ▁sa iled ▁from ▁the ▁In land ▁Sea ▁on ▁ 4 ▁October ▁ 1 9 4 4 , ▁to ▁dis rupt ▁American ▁sh ipping ▁between ▁the ▁west ▁coast ▁and ▁the ▁Hawai ian ▁Islands . ▁In ▁s inking ▁I - 1 2 , ▁Ar dent ▁and ▁Rock ford ▁a ven ged ▁the ▁at roc ity ▁I - 1 2 ▁had ▁committed ▁on ▁ 3 0 ▁October , ▁when , ▁after ▁s inking ▁the ▁fre ighter ▁John ▁A . ▁Johnson ▁with ▁two ▁tor ped o es , ▁the ▁sub marine ▁had ▁ram med ▁and ▁s unk ▁the ▁lif eb o ats ▁and ▁ra ft s ▁and ▁then ▁employed ▁machine ▁guns ▁and ▁p ist ols ▁on ▁the ▁ 7 0 ▁surv iv ors . ▁Among ▁the ▁ten ▁men ▁s lain ▁were ▁five ▁sail ors ▁of ▁the ▁merchant man ' s ▁US ▁Navy ▁Ar med ▁Guard . ▁There ▁were ▁no ▁surv iv ors ▁from