USS Blackfish

USS ''Blackfish'' (SS-221), a ''Gato''-class submarine in commission from 1942 to 1946, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the blackfish. During World War II, she completed five war patrols in the Atlantic Ocean between October 1942 and July 1943 in waters extending from Dakar, Senegal, to the north of Iceland. She supported the Allied invasion of French North Africa in Operation Torch in November 1942, and is credited with sinking the German ''vorpostenboot'' V 408 ''Haltenbank'' off the north coast of Spain in February 1943.

Later in 1943, ''Blackfish'' proceeded to the Southwest Pacific. Between 19 October 1943 and 14 August 1945, she completed seven war patrols in an area including the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the Yellow Sea. She sank one Japanese cargo ship of 2,087 gross register tons during her Pacific patrols. She completed her twelfth and final war patrol on 14 August 1945.

Decommissioned in 1946, ''Blackfish'' later served as a non-commissioned training ship for United States Naval Reserve personnel from 1949 to 1955. She was sold for scrapping in 1959.

Construction and commissioning

''Blackfish'' was laid down on 1 July 1941 at Groton, Connecticut, by the Electric Boat Company. She was launched on 18 April 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Ida H. Mel, wife of Captain Henry F. Mel, head of the Navy Purchasing Office in New York City. She was commissioned on 22 July 1942 with Commander Raymond W. Johnson in command.

Service history

World War II

July–October 1942

Following her commissioning ''Blackfish'' spent three months outfitting and training. She completed it in October 1942.

Atlantic operations

=First war patrol

=
Assigned to Submarine Squadron 50 for operations under Commander, Naval Forces, Europe, ''Blackfish'' — now under the command of Lieutenant Commander J. F. Davidson — departed New England on 19 October 1942 to begin her first war patrol, shaping a course for French West Africa, where she was to conduct reconnaissance patrols off Dakar, Senegal, in support of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa. During her voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, she mostly ran submerged during daylight hours. On 5 November 1942, after 17 days in transit, she arrived at her assigned patrol station off Dakar.

''Blackfish'' conducted her first full day of reconnaissance on 6 November 1942. During the morning hours, a heavy mist prevented her crew from making any good observations, but by the early afternoon, as visibility improved, the crew managed to take some photographs of the area. On 7 November 1942, ''Blackfish'' reconnoitered Dakar Point and Gorée Island, noting that at Point Manuel several buildings believed to be part of a naval base were under construction on reclaimed land in the area.

On 8 November 1942, Operation Torch began in earnest with Allied amphibious landings in French Morocco and Algeria. ''Blackfish'' continued her patrol of the Senegalese coast, on the lookout for Vichy French forces heading for French Morocco. Surface traffic in the area was light and ''Blackfish''′s log reported some "doubt" as to whether it was “the best patrol area,” given that “A position south to southwest of Point Manuel offers the best opportunities for observing the harbor but very little chance of successful attack in case ships hug the coast.” The day concluded without ''Blackfish'' making contact with enemy forces.

''Blackfish''′s patrol proved significantly more eventful on 9 November 1942. While patrolling submerged north of Pointe des Almadies, ''Blackfish'' sighted a Vichy French convoy of three cargo ships escorted by a destroyer. Once in range, she fired two torpedoes at each cargo ship and then prepared for a potential counterattack by the destroyer. Her torpedoes missed the first cargo ship, which ''Blackfish'' attributed to her torpedoes suffering a "loss of depth control." However, her second torpedo struck the second cargo ship, a 7,110- gross register ton vessel, abaft her stack and ''Blackfish''′s sound operator reported that the ship's screw stopped. Meanwhile, the destroyer sped up and dropped a series of eight depth charges. ''Blackfish'' dove to and cleared the area to the northwest, running silently.

Following the action on 9 November 1942, ''Blackfish'' encountered few other particularly exciting events. On 12 November, her crew sighted a small trawler deemed too small for a torpedo attack. On the night of 12 November, she observed a peculiar flashing searchlight on Cape Verde Point that appeared to be making some type of signal. Nothing developed that evening, but on 13 November 1942, ''Blackfish'' patrolled the area again in case the light was signalling incoming convoys. Unfortunately for ''Blackfish'', bad weather developed and visibility became severely limited, and in consequence she nearly collided with a previously undetected ship, which ultimately she did not identify. She dove prior to making contact and narrowly avoided a collision.

On 14 November 1942, ''Blackfish'' received word that her duty with Task Force 34 had concluded, and she headed for her primary patrol sector in the vicinity of Dakar. She continued her patrol with nothing of import occurring for the remainder of her time there. She eventually headed north, and on 26 November 1942 she rendezvoused with the Royal Navy ''Hunt''-class destroyer off The Lizard on the southwest coast of England and then steered toward Scotland. She moored to the dock at Rosneath, Scotland, on 27 November 1942 and began a refit. During her first war patrol, she traveled and expended of fuel oil.

=Second war patrol

=

Following her refit, ''Blackfish'' put back to sea, arriving in her patrol area in the Atlantic Ocean north of Spain off Punta de Estaca de Bares for her second war patrol on 27 December 1942. Over the course of about three weeks, she scoured the area in search of enemy activity. She encountered British forces, numerous fishing trawlers, and an occasional Spanish merchant ship, but no enemy forces in the course of her patrol. She returned to Rosneath, mooring there on 18 January 1943, thus ending her second war patrol with little to show for it other an account of a minor episode of laryngitis among her crew, a few photographs, and some intelligence on merchant ships and fishing vessels.

''Blackfish'' remained at Rosneath in upkeep status for the rest of January 1943. She underwent minor repairs and established two shore leave periods, which afforded her crew at least five days of leave.

=Third war patrol

=

On 1 February 1943, ''Blackfish'' got underway for her third war patrol, bound for a patrol area in the Bay of Biscay near Bilbao, Spain. She departed Rosneath in company with the Royal Navy destroyer and the U.S. submarine . ''Shikari'' and ''Barb'' parted company with ''Blackfish'' on the morning of the 2 February. Over the course of the next several weeks while patrolling in her assigned area, she encountered a daily flurry of Spanish fishing and cargo vessels. On several occasions, she received notification of the passage of the Vichy French ships ''Winnetou'', ''Livadia'', and ''Nordfels'' steaming from Bilbao to Bordeaux, France. She was unable to engage any of them owing to an apparent effort by those ships to travel on days of low visibility and exceptionally bad weather conditions.

At 10:50 on 18 February 1943, ''Blackfish'' happened upon approximately 30 small fishing boats headed for Bermeo, Spain, and her log noted that the boats appeared to have sighted her. It may have very well been that sighting which prompted the events of the next day. At 17:40 on 19 February 1943, ''Blackfish'' observed two small vessels that appeared to be large fishing trawlers traveling in a column which did not display any Spanish colors. ''Blackfish''′s commanding officer called the crew to general quarters and initiated an attack approach. The first ship’s small bow made her difficult to make out, and several suspenseful minutes passed. At last, at 17:49, ''Blackfish'' clearly observed German colors and identified both ships as converted trawler-type submarine tender vessels with guns mounted fore and aft.

''Blackfish'' fired two torpedoes from her bow torpedo tubes at the lead ship, and another two at the second. The second of the vessels, the disguised ''Vorpostenboot'' (patrol boat) ''V 408 Haltenbank'', suffered a fatal hit by one of ''Blackfish''′s torpedoes. ''Blackfish'' immediately was subjected to a depth-charge attack, as well as, according to her log, “something, which sounded like a bomb, but that did not produce much shock.” As she dove, five bombs and four depth charges exploded, the third of which reportedly detonated very close aboard and “jarred the ship considerably.” The blast had in fact cracked the conning tower door frame, which caused some minor flooding. ''Blackfish'' bottomed out in of water, then maintained total silence for a full hour. At 19:18, she cleared the area. ''Blackfish'' surfaced at 22:20, and her crew made some minor repairs while inspecting her for additional damage. Having taken an account of herself, ''Blackfish'' sent word of her damage and then continued her patrol.USS Blackfish Report of Third War Patrol, available vi

retrieved 4 November 2010.

Early on the morning of 20 February 1943, ''Blackfish'' received orders to return from patrol. She sped back to port and arrived safely in Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth, England, on 22 February 1943. In addition to the action that took place on 19 February, the patrol resulted in ''Blackfish''′s keen observation that, according to her patrol report, “the traffic of Spanish ships east of Bilbao appears excessive considering that Pasajes is the only Spanish port. Although the ships are covered with Spanish flags and cruise very close inshore, it is almost certain that some are enemy ships, and that all of them are not going to Pasajes but are bound for some French port.”

Shortly after her return to England, ''Blackfish'' proceeded to the Royal Naval Dockyard at Devonport, England. She underwent repairs and testing there from 5 March to 4 April 1943.

=Fourth war patrol

=

At 09:00 on 5 April 1943, ''Blackfish'' got underway for her fourth war patrol and headed for the waters of Inchmarnock at the northern end of the Sound of Bute in the Firth of Clyde on the coast of Scotland to perform practice approaches with the British patrol yacht . Gale-force winds, rain, and poor visibility hindered all training efforts, and by 15:00 ''Blackfish'' had shaped a new course, proceeding in company with the former French Navy minesweeper to Muckle Flugga in the Shetland Islands. On 7 April 1943 she parted company with ''La Capricieuse'' and made for the waters of Norway and Iceland.

Overall, the patrol was uneventful with the exception of some environmental challenges. With air temperatures remaining between , a buildup of ice on ''Blackfish''′s hull presented one of the more significant challenges of the voyage. In one instance the ice slowed her diving time by approximately two minutes while she tried to avoid an unidentified airplane.

On 14 April 1943, ''Blackfish'' believed she sighted a periscope roughly off her port bow, but a subsequent search revealed nothing. It was the first of several sightings that likely were false as, according to ''Blackfish''′s log, "a certain amount of wreckage has been sighted from time to time and a piece of this may have been mistaken for a periscope." The crew also spotted some mines and observed a few airplanes, most of which were friendly, but ultimately, encountered no enemy ships.

Due to ''Blackfish''′s position so far to the north and given the season, the consequent continual daylight made it possible ''Blackfish'' to conduct much of the patrol on the surface, and her crew believed that access to fresh air while surfaced made for better living conditions. In his reflections on the patrol Lieutenant Commaner Davidson observed that "the excessive smoking and steaming of the main engines in cold weather is a very serious military hazard and an immediate remedy is considered vital." On 11 May 1943, ''Blackfish'' anchored at Lerwick, Scotland, and at 10:00 on 12 May again got underway. In short order she joined ''Barb'' and ''La Capricieuse'', and the three vessels headed for Rosneath in company. ''Blackfish'' anchored at Rosneath on 14 May 1943, concluding her fourth war patrol.

=May–June 1943

=
From 14 May to 8 June 1943, ''Blackfish'' remained at Rosneath undergoing upkeep. During that time her crew received nine days of shore leave. On 2 June, she carried out local training, during which she conducted gunnery exercises and approaches with a British S-class submarine. On 3 June 1943, ''Blackfish'' returned to Rosneath.

=Fifth war patrol

=

''Blackfish''′s fifth war patrol began on 8 June 1943 with her departure from Rosneath in company with ''Barb'' and the British patrol vessel HMS ''Cutty Sark''. During the patrol, ''Blackfish'' spent long hours submerged with no exercise and limited food selection for her crew, which contributed to some illness among the crewmen. She sighted some merchant ships on 4 July 1943. On 5 July she received orders to return to the United States. She moored to Pier 15 at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, on 26 July 1943, concluding her fifth war patrol.

July–October 1943

Upon her arrival at Groton, ''Blackfish'' underwent repairs, during which she replenished her supplies and her crew conducted training for their upcoming deployment to the Pacific for the war with Japan. With her repaits concluded, she set out for Brisbane, Australia. Upon reaching the Panama Canal Zone, she transited the Panama Canal and briefly conducted training in Panama Bay before continuing her journey. She arrived at Brisbane in September 1943 and spent three weeks undergoing a refit there.

Pacific operations

=Sixth war patrol

=
On 19 October 1943, ''Blackfish'' set out on her first war patrol in the Pacific and sixth overall, headed for the waters around New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Bismarck Islands. En route to her patrol area, she conducted multiple night radar training exercises on 20 October with her escort, the submarine rescue vessel . The two parted company on 24 October. At 05:13 on 26 October ''Blackfish'' arrived at Tulagi in the Solomon Islands and moored to an oil barge for fueling. On 27 October 1943, she rejoined her escort and got underway again at 06:00.

While assigned to a scouting line on 3 November 1943, ''Blackfish'' was on the surface when she encountered a Japanese convoy of two merchant ships, which her crew estimated at approximately 4,000 to 6,500 gross register tons, escorted by one patrol boat. Because ''Blackfish'' was patrolling along a scouting line, there was some question as to whether or not she should attack and give away the scouting line′s position to the Japanese. Davidson noted that "after reading and re-reading my orders, I decided I had no choice but to let them go by in order not to disclose the position of the scouting line." ''Blackfish'' dove and the convoy passed unharmed. In Davidson′s words, the incident was "pretty hard to take, after five patrols without a legitimate target."

On 4 November 1943, ''Blackfish'' suddenly sighted a large Japanese convoy escorted by several planes. Upon sighting the aircraft, she dove and a depth charge exploded nearby, but she escaped unscathed. On 6 November, she moved to a new patrol line north of Mussau Island in the St Matthias Islands. On 7 November at 11:05, an Imperial Japanese Navy floatplane attacked her and forced her to dive, ''Blackfish''′s log noting that the floatplane apparently was "trying to get in a rain squall to work on us at his leisure." She remained submerged for several hours, over the course of which she heard 14 aircraft bombs and depth charges explode overhead. Davidson later received information that a large Japanese convoy had been moving through the area at the time.

On 11 November 1943, ''Blackfish'' stalked a Japanese destroyer, but the submarine attacked first. Each missed opportunity to strike the enemy hit hard at the heart of the crew. After another frustrated attack opportunity on 14 November 1943, Davidson lamented that "a submariner’s dream almost came true. I guess I don’t live right."

''Blackfish''′s luck turned when she sighted a Japanese convoy on 22 November 1943. She trailed the column of ships and patiently waited to assume a proper attack position. At 11:21, she dove in preparation for an attack. Twenty minutes passed before she suddenly heard several explosions, which her crew believed to be depth charges, and the Japanese convoy changed course and disappeared. The convoy’s escorts had been attacking ''Drum'', which was nearby.

''Blackfish'' regained contact with the convoy and continued following it into the evening of 22 November 1943. While on the surface at 00:06 on 23 November 1943, she fired a spread of six torpedoes at the 4,500-gross register ton cargo ship ''No. 2 Yamato Maru'' at . Davidson felt certain that at least three of the torpedoes hit their mark. The attack instantly alerted the escorting submarine chasers, which converged on ''Blackfish''. She quickly dove. The convoy’s escorts pursued ''Blackfish'' for nearly 40 minutes, but in the end she outran them.

''Blackfish'' resumed her pursuit of the convoy and sighted its smoke at approximately 11:11 on 23 November 1943. Davidson observed that there was one less ship present in the convoy, which led him to believe that ''Blackfish'' had in fact sunk one of the cargo ships in the previous attack. ''Blackfish'' began an attack approach but the escorts detected her some off and forced her to withdraw.

''Blackfish'' continued to track the convoy well into 24 November 1943. She reached an attack position at 23:08 on 24 November and launched a spread of six torpedoes at the stern of an unidentified cargo ship in the Japanese column located at . ''Blackfish''′s crew heard five explosions between three and four minutes after firing, but could make no observation of the resulting damage because the convoy’s escorts quickly closed in. They pursued ''Blackfish'' for a full 30 minutes, but at length she escaped unharmed.

''Blackfish'' sighted a Japanese convoy on 26 November 1943 and then shortly thereafter lost track of it in a rain squall. She reacquired the convoy a few hours later, but as she assumed an attack position on the surface, one of the convoy’s submarine chasers attempted to engage her, forcing her to dive. Over the course of several hours ''Blackfish'' endured a sonar-guided attack by more than 20 depth charges. Davidson observed that ''Blackfish''′s rudder was exceedingly loud, and he believed that the Japanese ability to locate ''Blackfish'' was directly related to her inability to keep quiet. Following a prolonged siege, the Japanese broke off their attack and ''Blackfish'' resumed her patrol.

''Blackfish'' left her patrol area on 28 November 1943. She stopped off at Tulagi for fuel on 1 December 1943, and on 4 December she made contact with her escort aircraft. She then proceeded to Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea, where she completed her sixth war patrol after 46 days at sea, 32 of them in Japanese-controlled waters. With her crew in high spirits, she underwent a standard two-week refit at Milne Bay.

''Blackfish''′s patrol was deemed "successful" and her crew was authorized to wear the Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia. As ''Blackfish''′s first war patrol in the Pacific Theater, it served as a learning experience for both her commanding officer and her crew. Although ''Blackfish'' had attempted both of her primary attacks on Japanese convoys at excessive range, her commanding officer and crew "benefited greatly from the experience and will undoubtedly inflict greater damage to the enemy on the next patrol," according to a post-patrol assessment of her performance.

During her refit, ''Blackfish'' had a gun installed forward and her noisy rudder was fixed. Meanwhile, her crew spent two weeks at a military recreation camp on the beach for rest and relaxation, which included, among other things, horseshoes, volleyball, and swimming. During ''Blackfish''′s third week at Milne Bay, her crew′s retreat ended, and she began an intensive training program under the supervision of Submarine Division 82.

=Seventh war patrol

=

Esorted by ''Coucal'' and in company with the submarine , ''Blackfish'' set out from Milne Bay on her seventh war patrol on the morning of 25 December 1943. Shortly after conducting some drills on 25 December, it became apparent that her radar needed repairs, which forced ''Blackfish'' to return to Milne Bay on 26 December. With repairs completed by 19:15 on 26 December, ''Blackfish'' put back to sea and hurried to rejoin ''Redfin'' and ''Coucal'' at Point Mast. On 27 December, ''Blackfish'' participated in training and drills with ''Coucal'' and ''Redfin'', then at 13:59 the three vessels charted a course for Tulagi. They arrived at Tulagi on 28 December and awaited further orders. For the next several days ''Blackfish'' patrolled in the local area, occasionally docking at Tulagi. On two separate occasions several U.S. Navy officers came aboard to witness a series of what were called "special radio tests." On 31 December 1943, ''Blackfish'' escorted the submarine chaser to Point White, a task she completed without incident.

While conducting regular patrols in her area of the Solomon Islands from 3 to 5 January 1944, ''Blackfish'' experienced a bout of extremely foul weather which made a noticeable impact on her operations, prompting Davidson to remark that the " swells were the biggest I have seen in this area." On 5 January, ''Blackfish'' sighted two Japanese cargo ships, but due to the weather she shortly thereafter lost contact with them. At 12:00 on 6 January, with the weather slightly improving, she detected a Japanese convoy and began tracking it. Approximately an hour later she received a radio call to help the submarine , but ''Balao'' was roughly away, so Davidson opted to maintain contact with the convoy. ''Blackfish'' continued to track the convoy through the night, hoping to get a clear shot by daylight.

With the convoy′s smoke in sight, Blackfish dove at 08:40 on 7 January 1944 and prepared to attack. Unfortunately for ''Blackfish'', the convoy′s low speed and zigzagging thwarted her attempts at getting a clear shot. As the opportunity faded, Davidson remarked "our last hope was one of the patrolling destroyers, which we managed to close to but without a very good set p because of the constant changes of course and speed.” Given the circumstances, ''Blackfish'' pulled back. During the early morning hours of 8 January, one of the destroyers in the convoy came within sight again and ''Blackfish'' turned toward her on the surface and put all four of her diesel engines "on the line" to get into an attack position. A rain squall intervened and obscured the destroyer, however, and no attack developed. As the rain passed, the convoy — consisting of a small tanker of approximately 4,500 gross register tons, two cargo ships of about 4,500 gross register tons, and two destroyers — came into clearer view. Persistent rain caused further sight and sound issues which delayed any chances of an attack. Believing she had the leader of the column in sight and having finally gained a good position as the convoy emerged from the rain, ''Blackfish'' fired six torpedoes. Anticipating a quick reprisal, she dove to . The Japanese began a depth-charge attack. ''Blackfish'' survived, but ultimately could not determine if she had made any successful hits against the convoy. After evading the escorts, ''Blackfish'' resumed her patroll.

Between 9 and 14 January 1944, ''Blackfish''′s patrols proved relatively uneventful, but on the evening of 15 January she began tracking a Japanese convoy. Unfortunately for ''Blackfish'', her radar went out and the ships disappeared. Nonetheless, Davidson moved to head them off the next day. At midday on 16 January, ''Blackfish'' sighted smoke and closed in. The convoy appeared to consist of a cargo ship of about 6,000 gross register tons, one small tanker of about 4,500 gross register tons, and an escorting destroyer. ''Blackfish'' launched an attack, but the convoy’s low speed and zigzag forced Davidson to “fire down the throat" of the cargo ship and then fire "an angle shot from the stern." ''Blackfish'' fired all six of her bow tubes, and her second torpedo hit its target; her cfrew heard several explosions. Meanwhile, the Japanese destroyer approached ''Blackfish'' at high speed. ''Blackfish'' dove rapidly to escape from the area, but before she departed her crew observed the 2,087-gross register ton ''Kaika Maru'' rolling over on her starboard side; 27 of the 102 passengers aboard ''Kaika Maru'' perished in the sea. Davidson believed he sank the other merchant ship as well, but it was in fact only damaged. ''Blackfish'' weathered a barrage of depth charges that lasted from 16:56 until 20:13. In contemplating the lengthy Japanese counterattack, Davidson observed "I don′t know whether it was a coincidence or not, but every time we made any noise at all the destroyer would drop one or two more on us.” ''Blackfish'' and her crew endured 43 depth charges in total, but eventually she shook off the pursuing destroyer by heading into a heavy rain squall.

''Blackfish'' patrolled from 17 to 23 January 1944 with little to report other than some bad weather. Late on the evening of 24 January she received orders to shape a course for Tulagi, where she arrived at around 05:45 on 28 January, moored, and fueled. That same day, Davidson proceeded to nearby Guadalcanal for a special duty assignment with Commander, Task Force 31. After he returned, a party of six officers and two enlisted men and their equipment embarked and ''Blackfish'' got underway to Point White. On 30 January, the radar went out again, and the persistent problems with the radar notably shook Davidson’s confidence in the equipment.

While in her patrol zone in the early morning of 3 February 1944, ''Blackfish'' sighted smoke and subsequently discovered a Japanese convoy consisting of two medium-sized merchant ships, two ''Fubuki''-class destroyers, and one other unidentified escort of approximately 1,000 displacement tons. Having assumed a good position around 09:49, ''Blackfish'' fired a spread of six torpedoes at a distance of and immediately "went deep." Two of the Japanese escorts began using sonar and dropped some 14 depth charges. Following the attack, ''Blackfish'' remained submerged throughout the night of 3–4 February 1944, due primarily to the proximity of nearby Japanese air bases.

Patrolling continued without any excitement through 7 February 1944. On 8 February, ''Blackfish'' arrived at Tulagi. She set out again on 9 February on the last leg of her patrol. On 13 February she sighted Cape Moreton Light, and shortly thereafter on the same day arrived at New Farm Wharf in Brisbane, Australia, ending her 49-day patrol, 31 days of which were spent in a combat area. Despite poor weather, a "groaning" rudder, and numerous leaks, ''Blackfish'' had managed to attack three Japanese convoys, as well as perform a special mission. The patrol was deemed "successful" and worthy of the Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia. At Brisbane, ''Blackfish'' underwent a two-week refit, during which she had a new SJ radar installed.

=Eighth war patrol

=

On 22 February, Lieutenant Commander Robert F. Sellars assumed command of ''Blackfish'', and on 1 March 1944 she put to sea, commencing her eighth war patrol. She stopped first at Milne Bay from 6 to 9 March, where she conducted training and took on fuel and provisions. Then on 10 March she headed for her patrol area in company with the submarine . She arrived in her patrol area on 17 March 1944.

On 30 March 1944, ''Blackfish'' encountered a Japanese convoy and her crew manned their battle stations in preparation for an attack. At , she fired a salvo of torpedoes from her port track, intending to sink the 6,700-gross register ton merchant ship ''Ryuyo Maru''. Unfortunately for ''Blackfish'', the torpedoes passed under ''Ryuyo Maru''′s keel. ''Blackfish'' dove, expecting a depth-charge attack, but the convoy′s escorts did not give chase. Due to a lack of fuel, Sellars decided to break off the attack.

''Blackfish'' received orders on 6 April 1944 to proceed to Seeadler Harbor on Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands. She arrived there on the 8 April, moored to the port side of the tanker and fueled. The turnaround proved quick, and she put back out to sea at 21:25 the same day. Once back in her patrol area she spotted numerous planes but few ships. ''Blackfish'' had a close call with her eponym on 12 April, when, according to her log, some “suspicious-looking objects were spotted 7,000 yards ,400 metersfrom the ship,” and a subsequent, investigation revealed that the objects in question were in fact “several large blackfish.”

As April 1944 continued, so did the patrol, with little excitement. On 15 April 1944, ''Blackfish'' conducted a reconnaissance of Merir in the Palau Islands. A brief investigation observed a Japanese transport plane making signals to the inhabitants of the island but nothing else came of it. Continued patrolling over the course of the next week revealed consistent plane activity but almost no ships in the area. In one briefly exciting moment on 21 April, a plane caught ''Blackfish'' somewhat off guard and dropped a small bomb on her, but she emerged unscathed. On 26 April 1944, ''Blackfish'' received orders to perform lifeguard duty for Allied airstrikes, then report to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for lifeguard duty. Accordingly, she departed her patrol area.

While en route to her lifeguard station on 27 April 1944, ''Blackfish'' encountered a Japanese convoy. The ensuing pursuit resulted in several hours of constant maneuvering. Sellars marveled that although the Japanese ships "can see fairly plainly through the mist," they did not take notice of ''Blackfish''′s presence during the chase. He concluded that they did not have radar, and having gained an advantageous position he gave the order to fire four torpedoes at one of the ships ay an approximate distance of . Following the launch, a large cloud of black smoke appeared over the target. The convoy’s escort and the ship ''Blackfish'' had targeted then faded out of view. ''Blackfish'' scoured the waters for nearly an hour but did not locate any of the ships.

Numerous plane sightings over the next several days forced ''Blackfish'' to remain submerged for long periods of time. On 2 May 1944, she slightly shifted her patrol zone and began searching the waters between Yap and Palau for possible shipping. On 4 May she shifted over to her lifeguard duties, and her log noted with some surprise that "no planes have been sighted since the first day in this area." On 6 May, ''Blackfish'' departed the area to proceed to Pearl Harbor, arriving there on 19 May 1944, concluding her eighth war patrol.

''Blackfish''′s eighth patrol was one of the longest made by any submarine during World War II, having lasted a total of 80 days. Despite the prolonged time at sea, the patrol had also produced little damage to Japanese shipping, although ''Blackfish'' had conducted her lifeguard and reconnaissance missions, and the patrol was deemed "successful" and worthy of the Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia. In his patrol report, Sellars observed that "a submarine should not be left on patrol for too long a period. This was brought home to us by the fact that the efficiency of all hands decreases rapidly after the fifty-day period. The lookouts, particularly, involuntarily slacked up, as shown by the bombings from planes, which came from directly overhead," and furthermore that "the boys were very tired."

=May–September 1944

=

After taking on provisions at Pearl Harbor, ''Blackfish'' departed on 21 May 1944 and arrived at Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s Submarine Repair Base at San Francisco, California, on 27 May. Her crew went ashore for leave while she underwent a three-month overhaul. After its completion, and with 24 new crew members embarked, she set out from San Francisco on 31 August 1944, shaping a course for Pearl Harbor. She arrived there on 7 September 1944 and spent several days conducting independent exercises.

=Ninth war patrol

=

For her ninth war patrol, ''Blackfish'' operated as part of a submarine wolfpack designated Task Group 17.11. The wolfpack also included the submarines and , with ''Shark''′s commanding officer in overall command. ''Blackfish'' began the patrol on 23 September 1944, departing Pearl Harbor and heading for Saipan in the Mariana Islands in company with ''Seadragon'' and ''Shark''. The three submarines entered the harbor at Saipan on 3 October 1944, and ''Blackfish'' moored alongside the submarine tender there. Early on the morning of 4 October, the wolfpack set out for its patrol area but quickly encountered several problems. First, a typhoon crossed the wolfpack′s track, then ''Shark'' began to experience electrical problems. On 5 October, the task group entered the eastern end of the Saipan safety lane, and where ''Shark'' resolved her electrical issues. The three submarines remained in the area during the night of 5–6 October 1944 to wait out the storm.

The three submarines departed the Saipan safety lane on 6 October 1944 amid force 8 winds and seas. Several times, green water broke over her bridge, causing seawater to flood through her conning tower hatch. Her crew at first bailed out the conning tower with buckets, then rigged a canvas water scoop which directed the water from the lower conning tower hatch into the large drain in the control room deck. ''Blackfish'' also experienced several 50-degree rolls and a great deal of sea sickness among her crew. The typhoon continued on 7 October, Sellars commenting that the waves “are still mountainous, 50 to 60 feet 5 to 18 meterswith gale

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