USS Whale ( SS - 239 ) , a " Gato " - class submarine , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for a whale , an extremely large , aquatic mammal that is fishlike in form . The USS Cachalot ( SS - 170 ) ( Cachalot , another name for a Sperm Whale ) commissioned on 1 December 1933 preceded the Whale . Her keel was laid down on 28 June 1941 by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard of Vallejo , California . She was launched on 14 March 1942 ( sponsored by Mrs . A . D . Denny , wife of Captain A . D . Denny , the commanding officer of the shipyard ) , and commissioned on 1 June 1942 , with Lieutenant Commander ( Lt . Cmdr . ) John B . Azer ( Class of 1930 ) in command . Dock trials and initial shakedown training commenced on 30 July . The submarine — escorted by destroyer — departed San Francisco , California , on 4 August and arrived at San Diego , California , two days later . Between 30 July and 9 September , she conducted type training in the San Diego and San Francisco areas . First war patrol , October – November 1942 . " Whale " got underway from San Francisco on 23 September and arrived at Pearl Harbor four days later . The submarine departed Hawaii on 9 October 1942 , headed via Midway Island for " Empire waters " ( the seas surrounding Japan ) , and conducted training dives and battle surface drills " en route " . She arrived at her assigned patrol area off Kii Suido on 25 October and began to reconnoiter the vicinity which had been designated for a naval mine field . Her original plans had called for the submarine to lay mines offshore . However , after sighting several outbound freighter s about from the coast , executive officer Frederick " Fritz " Harlfinger II ( who later commanded convinced Azer that the mines be planted as close in as possible . Hence " Whale ' s " first war patrol was conducted " within spitting distance " of the Japanese beach . " Whale " was the first American submarine to plant mines in Empire waters . During the war , no one on the American side knew how effective these mines proved to be , but a postwar analysis of Japanese shipping records credited " Whale ' s " minefield with sinking five enemy ships . The following day , " Whale " arrived at Seto Saki hoping to intercept some inbound freighter traffic . By the light of a full moon , she sighted a large freighter directly ahead and fired a three - torpedo spread at the target . Two torpedo es hit the cargo ship , and she went down by the bow with her screws in the air . " Whale " sighted a second target astern of the freighter , launched three torpedoes , and observed that target listing slightly to port and heading for the beach . " Whale " fired a stern shot at a third freighter and heard a heavy torpedo explosion after 43 seconds . From 27 – 29 October , " Whale " patrolled the entrance to Bungo Suido . On 30 October , while off Ichie Saki , " Whale " spotted two freighters and a torpedo boat as escort ; she launched two torpedoes at each of the ships , but scored only one hit . The torpedoes alerted the escort which bore down on the submarine and attacked her with depth charge s . A 17 - hour chase ensued in which " Whale " , although badly damaged , managed to shake the torpedo boat three times . After an unsuccessful search for a disabled sampan , " Whale " made rendezvous with an escort and proceeded to Pearl Harbor where she underwent repairs from 10 November 1942 through 2 January 1943 . The next day , " Whale " got underway from the Submarine Base , Pearl Harbor , bound for the Marshall Islands . After conducting training dives and drills en route , she arrived in the Wotje and Kwajalein area on 10 January for two days ' patrol off those atolls . Second war patrol , January – February 1943 . On 13 January 1943 , " Whale " began cruising the shipping lane from Kwajalein to Truk . She sighted a freighter and pursued her quarry for before finally managing to work into position dead ahead of the target . She then launched four torpedoes . The first hit struck the freighter aft and broke off about of the stern ; the second struck just forward of the bridge , and the fourth also exploded on target . Within six minutes , 3 , 550 ton " Iwashiro Maru " sank , and " Whale " resumed her voyage toward Truk , running submerged . " Whale " conducted surface patrols on the Truk - Empire shipping lanes until 17 January when she sighted a passenger / freighter bringing in troop reinforcements . Through the periscope , " Whale " observed hundreds of uniformed soldiers crowding the decks . She fired nine torpedoes and scored eight direct hits . All hits were necessary to sink the 9 , 815 ton " Heiyo Maru " ; the cargo must have been of such a nature as to prevent her from sinking more rapidly . The next seven days were spent patrolling the Caroline Islands . On 25 January while on a surface patrol along the Truk – Empire line , " Whale " sighted smoke in the bright moonlight and fired a three - torpedo spread from the stern tubes at the target . Only one torpedo scored a hit . The tanker , " Syoyo Maru " , sent up a flare which summoned an escort to her rescue . " Whale " went deep and sustained light damage from several depth charges . The following evening , " Whale " sighted the smoke of a steamer about on her starboard bow . She closed and launched one torpedo . A dull thud was heard throughout the boat , and no explosion occurred . The next morning ( 27 January ) , the submarine fired a three torpedo spread at the steamer but heard no explosions . A fourth torpedo also failed to explode , and the target , " Shoan Maru " turned away from the submarine , presenting only her stern to view . " Whale " fired a fifth and sixth torpedo ; the latter passed directly below the target ' s stern and must have run under its full length without detonating . The Japanese ship then began dropping depth charges as she drew away . " Whale " fired her last remaining torpedo which hit the target just abaft her stack , causing her to lose power . Apparently , " Shoan Maru " sank as a result of this attack , for " Whale " was credited with the kill . After this action , " Whale " set her course for Midway , where she arrived 2 February 1943 and commenced preparations for her next patrol . Third war patrol , February – April 1943 . Refitting was completed on 16 February . Four days later , Lt . Cmdr . Azer was relieved of command by Lt . Cmdr . Albert C . Burrows . On the last day of the month , after various test dives and underway tests , " Whale " got underway for the Mariana Islands on her third war patrol . She arrived off Tanapag Harbor , Saipan , on 10 March and began patrolling the shipping lanes between the Mariana Islands and Japan . On the evening of 19 March , " Whale " sighted two large freighters and one torpedo boat or destroyer as escort . Just after daylight the next morning , the submarine finally worked into a favorable attack position ; she fired spreads of three torpedoes at each freighter , and hit both . The first target , tentatively identified as " Mogamigawa Maru " , sank rapidly by the stern . The second , a cargo ship resembling " Arizona Maru " , was plagued by several heavy internal explosions following a second torpedo hit . " Whale " , mistaking these secondary explosions for bombs , went deep . Upon discovering her mistake , she started to surface but was greeted by a barrage of depth charges from the escort . " Whale " dove again but again came under attack – this time from the air – when she attempted to return to examine the wreckage . The submarine suffered extensive damage during this attack , which prevented her learning the fate of her targets . This was by far " Whale " ' s closest escape . " Whale " continued to patrol shipping lanes to Kobe and Tokyo and , while off Tanapag Harbor on the evening of 22 March , she sighted the masts of two ships and the smoke of a third , all leaving the harbor . " Whale " tried to close but lost contact . The next morning , the submarine gained a position ahead of two freighters and fired two spreads of three torpedoes each . Two hits were observed on each target , one under each stack and a second under each stern . The closer freighter , " Kenyo Maru " , blew up with a tremendous explosion and sank in four minutes leaving no survivors . Part of the stern of the farther ship blew into the air , and she appeared to be sinking slowly by the stern as she signaled rapidly with a blinker light . Fearing the approach of an escort , " Whale " fired a fourth torpedo which ran " hot , straight and normal " for one minute , then circled , heading back in the direction of " Whale " . " We went to and prayed " , the commanding officer later reported . The erratic torpedo changed its mind after reaching " Whale " ' s beam and headed back for the freighter , finally exploding . The target was awash from stern to stack and on fire forward . At morning twilight , the ship was still burning with her bow up and her stern under . The submarine spent the next two days patrolling the Kobe - Saipan , Empire - Truk shipping routes . On the morning of 25 March , she sighted the smoke of a small freighter and pursued it throughout the remainder of that day and the next , firing seven torpedoes at the target , all misses . Either the target ' s draft had been overestimated or the torpedoes ran too deep , or both . This poor torpedo performance was bitterly disappointing to the submarine ' s crew . " The thought of the fuel expended , " her commanding officer lamented , " on the long , endaround runs , coupled with the loss of the torpedoes themselves , made ' heartbreaking ' but an inadequate euphemism . " On 28 March , " Whale " was on the surface , intending to cross the Saipan - Truk route , when she spotted the smoke of a small freighter headed for Truk . She fired a three torpedo spread ; the target made an unanticipated zig , and all three torpedoes missed . A lack of fuel forced " Whale " to abandon her quarry , and she headed north along the Empire – Truk route . " Whale " headed homeward on 31 March , and she arrived at Midway on 6 April . She refueled there , had her last torpedo removed , and sailed for Hawaii the following day , conducting daily training of gun crews and test dives for radio reception " en route " . She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 11 April and underwent refitting , subsequent tests , and then training . " Whale " got underway westward again on 5 May and arrived at Midway four days later to undergo repairs to her hydraulic system and her air search radar . " Whale " departed Midway to begin her fourth war patrol on 10 May . Fourth war patrol , May – June 1943 . " Whale " was ordered to take station east of Wake Island at 05 : 00 on 16 May , to assist in guiding in the Army Air Corps B - 24 Liberator bombers to that island for a bombing attack and to pick up the crews from any plane that was shot down or ditched . She arrived on 15 May and was ordered to remain on the surface until released by the Bombardment Group Commander or attacked by the enemy . " Whale " sat surfaced in broad daylight until 09 : 45 waiting for the bombing to commence . At that time , observers on the submarine saw a flight of seven Liberators heading for Wake , and the attack began . Radar picked up a contact at and coming in fast . As " Whale " submerged , a bomb exploded astern of the submarine , causing no damage . At 19 : 22 , " Whale " received a message releasing her from duty , and she proceeded to the Saipan area . From 20 – 24 May , " Whale " patrolled the shipping lanes between Japan , Truk , and Saipan . On the latter day , she conducted a search for a submarine base reportedly on Rota ; finding nothing , she surfaced and headed for Guam . The following day , " Whale " sighted the masts of three ships in the harbor at Apra , Guam , anchored in such a way as to be protected by reef islands . A retriever type sampan appeared to be the only antisubmarine measure . Waiting outside the harbor , " Whale " sighted and then tracked the 3 , 580 ton freighter " Shoei Maru " . At 00 : 14 on 26 May , " Whale " fired her first torpedo which hit with a blinding , orange flash midway between the stack and bow of the freighter . The explosion blew away the ship ' s entire bow , and she sank in four minutes with no survivors . On 5 June , " Whale " sighted the masts of a seaplane tender , and tracked and closed the target . The submarine launched four torpedoes , scoring three hits . The target ' s screws stopped instantly , and powerful , rumbling explosions came from the target . However , the tender must have managed to limp to port since postwar study of Japanese records did not confirm a kill . An escort was " running wild " toward " Whale " , so she went deep and eluded her pursuer . The submarine spent the next three days patrolling the Saipan area and , on 8 June , set a course for the Empire – Truk route through the Mariana Islands . The next day , she sighted the masts and kingpost s of two large freighters about abeam of each other with an escort ahead of and between them . " Whale " launched three torpedoes at the first freighter , scoring two hits . She then shifted to the second freighter and fired the fourth , fifth , and sixth torpedoes . Tremendous explosions from the first ship were followed by two more explosions . The submarine commander concluded that one or more of the latter spread of torpedoes — aimed at the second freighter — hit the first , already damaged target . " Whale " fired another three - torpedo spread at the second freighter and soon heard two heavy explosions followed by a deep , rumbling detonation with the accompanying water noises which suggested that a ship was breaking up . " Whale " then headed eastward and touched at Midway on 17 June , before continuing on toward Hawaii . She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 21 June and commenced refitting . Fifth war patrol , July – September 1943 . After almost a month there , " Whale " returned to Midway , completed her refitting , and sailed for the Tokyo – Truk shipping lanes to begin her fifth war patrol . Stormy weather , heavy seas , and poor visibility persisted from 4 – 6 August . A wave washed over and covered the entire bridge structure , and large amounts of water flooded into the conning tower and down to the control room and the pump room . " Whale " headed southwest , to the east of the Bonin Islands . The continual pounding in heavy seas had cracked a number of battery jars , bringing the total of disabled cells to 10 forward and 13 aft . On 7 August 1943 , " Whale " covered the Tokyo - Truk lane east of the Bonins . The following day , " Whale " ' s periscope watch sighted a large aircraft ferry and her escort . When everything was ready to fire a spread of bow shots , the forward gyro regulator failed , and it was necessary to shift to manual operation . After one torpedo hit , 7 , 149 ton " Naruto Maru " stopped dead in her tracks , listed to starboard and started going down slowly by the stern . " Whale " fired another torpedo which hit amidships and prodded the ship into sinking faster . The submarine escaped aircraft bombs and set course for the Tokyo - Truk route . From 9 – 19 August , she patrolled the Tokyo - Truk route , the Bonin area , and the East China Sea where , on 20 August , she was caught in a typhoon . She weathered the three - day storm with her only severe problem being a low main storage battery . On 24 August , " Whale " positioned herself west of Kusakaki Shima and intercepted an enemy convoy headed for Nagasaki . " Whale " fired a salvo of four torpedoes and , other than hearing four explosions , did not manage to ascertain their effect . The ships were last seen going over the horizon , and pursuit was impractical due to the submarine ' s proximity to Nagasaki and the condition of her battery . " Whale " was en route to Midway when she sighted two large cargo ships and a destroyer escort . She fired a salvo of three torpedoes , followed by a fourth stern shot . All four shots missed , and " Whale " continued toward home , touching at Midway on 2 September and pushing on toward Hawaii the following day . " Whale " arrived at Pearl Harbor on 7 September and commenced a major overhaul which lasted until 7 December . Sixth war patrol , December 1943 – February 1944 . " Whale " arrived at Midway on 25 December 1943 and departed for her sixth war patrol . For two weeks , " Whale " patrolled the Tokyo – Truk shipping lanes , Minami Shima , and the Mariana , Ryukyu , and Bonin Island areas . On 14 January 1944 , she received a dispatch from submarine stating that a convoy was headed in " Whale ' s " direction . " Seawolf " attacked the convoy the next day and sank a tanker , expending all of her torpedoes . " Seawolf " continued to trail the convoy , and " Whale " made radar contact on 16 January . " Whale " launched three torpedoes and sank the larger of the freighters , " Denmark Maru " . However , she suffered minor damage from an ensuing barrage of depth charges . " Seawolf " verified the sinking and reported that the last freighter headed south alone . Since she lacked torpedoes , " Seawolf " unsuccessfully tried to engage the freighter with gunfire . But she assisted by driving the freighter in " Whale ' s " direction and by passing along the target ' s zig zag plan and speed . " Whale " fired four straight bow shots with one hit observed between the bow and stack . Four other explosions were heard and assumed to be either internal explosions or the torpedoes . The target seemed undamaged except for a slight trim down by the bow , and it was imperative that the ship be sunk expeditiously in order to avoid further depth charges by the escorts . " Whale " fired another stern shot which hit squarely under the stack , and the target , " Tarushima Maru " , started down by the bow while " Whale " filmed her sinking . However , a postwar analysis of Japanese losses does not credit " Whale " with this kill . " Whale " patrolled the Marianas and the Bonins from 18 – 23 January . On 24 January , she made contact with an enemy submarine and attempted an end - around , but her maneuver was thwarted by a fire in the trim pump which filled the control room with smoke , forcing " Whale " to surface . Two days later " Whale " — low on fuel — headed for Midway , arriving on 3 February for refitting . Lt . Cmdr . James B . Grady relieved Burrows as commanding officer on 9 February . A casualty to the starboard propeller necessitated a trip to Pearl Harbor , and it was not until 13 March that " Whale " returned to Midway , the staging port for her seventh patrol . Seventh war patrol , March – May 1944 . The next day , " Whale " got underway for a rendezvous point where she joined submarine on 23 March and patrolled along a likely shipping route east of Tori Shima and the Bonins . On 25 March , " Whale " changed course , passed between Tokara Shima , entered the East China Sea on 29 March , and conducted patrols off the western coast of Kyūshū , including Quelpart Island and Iki Shima . On 8 April , she torpedoed an unescorted freighter , " Honan Maru " , which exploded and sank within 15 seconds . Nine days later , " Whale " made contact with two small destroyers or torpedo boats but was unable to close . She headed toward Nagasaki and patrolled uneventfully until 23 April when she was detected by a patrol boat east of Asuseki Shima . " Whale " " turned tail at high speed and soon lost contact . " She proceeded toward the Bonin Islands and made rendezvous with destroyer escort on 2 May . The following day , she entered Majuro for refitting and a three - day training period . Eighth war patrol , May – July 1944 . Again ready for sea , " Whale " ( with destroyer as escort ) departed Majuro on 28 May for her eighth war patrol . She released the destroyer the following day and proceeded to the Japanese home islands . On 7 June , she made contact with a convoy traveling in two parallel columns : four freighters in the starboard column and two in the port . They were screened by three escorts . " Whale " chose the largest ship , a transport of about 10 , 000 tons , as her first target . She fired a three - torpedo spread , then shifted to a second freighter and fired another three - torpedo spread . A hit under the stack of the first target was followed by two timed hits on the second target . Immediately , depth charges began to drop , " Whale " cleared the area to the southeast and later received a report of a crippled freighter in tow north of her . From 12 June to 4 July 1944 , " Whale " patrolled off the southern coasts of Japan . She sighted several Japanese aircraft and a properly lighted hospital ship . On 5 July , " Whale " surfaced and set course for Midway where she arrived on 11 July . She pushed on toward Hawaii the following day and arrived at Pearl Harbor after a four - day passage . An extensive refitting lasted until 12 August and was followed by training exercises . Ninth war patrol , August – October 1944 . " Whale " got underway on 24 August for her ninth patrol . Shortly before , Admiral William " Bull " Halsey had requested a sizable force of submarines to form a reconnaissance line between the western Caroline Islands and the Philippine Islands to act as offensive scouts during Operation " Stalemate " , the invasion of the Palau Islands . This flotilla , nicknamed the " Zoo " , consisted of nine submarines organized into three " wolfpacks " under the overall command of Captain Charles W . ( " Weary " ) Wilkins in submarine . " Whale " and joined Wilkins ' own pack , which was known as the " Bears . " " Whale " arrived at Tanapag Harbor , Saipan , on 3 September and the next day got underway in company with the other " Bears " and coastal minesweeper which acted as their escort . She proceeded to a rendezvous with on 8 September about from Samar Island , Philippines . She spent the next eight days making emergency repairs and conducting training dives , patrolling on station , and submerging to avoid detection by unidentified aircraft . On 17 September , the position of the " Bear Pit " was changed to the southeast of Formosa , and " Whale " arrived on station on 20 September . Four days later , she received orders to disband and proceed as a coordinated attack group of four submarines called the " Bears " to " Convoy College " , the north end of the South China Sea , between Luzon , Formosa , and China . She entered those strategic waters on 25 September and , the following day , she surfaced in Bashi Channel , from Y ' Ami Island of the Batan Islands , and proceeded to her patrol station south of Garan Bi , Formosa . On 27 September , " Whale " evaded a small patrol craft and the next day submerged for a periscope patrol south of Formosa . On 29 September , she made rendezvous with " Seahorse " , received written instructions for conducting the remainder of the patrol ; and set her course for a new station southwest of Formosa . The submarine arrived on station on 3 October and submerged some north of Cape Borjeador , Luzon , and patrolled around Calayan and Dalupiri islands in the Babuyan group . " Wilkins ' Bears " searched the Luzon Strait on 6 October and found a convoy of at least nine ships . Using a high periscope , " Whale " could see two large tankers , a large tender , and two " Hibiki " - class destroyers patrolling ahead of the tanker . " Whale " fired six bow tube shots at the tanker , then submerged quickly to avoid detection . The escorts dropped 34 depth charges , none of which was uncomfortably close . Meanwhile , " Seahorse " verified the sinking of " Whale " ' s target , " Akane Maru " , and herself sank a destroyer that was picking up survivors from the tanker . The next day , " Whale " received a message extending her patrol for seven days and ordering her to rendezvous with submarines and in the area northwest of Luzon on 9 and 10 October , respectively . " Whale " was harassed by plane contacts throughout the daylight hours of 16 October and she ordered to take a new station at the southwest end of Ryukyu Shoto in anticipation of a Japanese fleet sortie which never occurred . Three days later , " Whale " was ordered to head for Midway for refitting ; she arrived there on 29 October . Tenth war patrol , November 1944 – January 1945 . " Whale " got underway on 21 November for her tenth war patrol . She reached the Ryukyus on 4 December and operated off those islands through the end of the year . On 22 December , she sighted eight twin engine planes and three trawlers . She launched four torpedoes at the trawlers without scoring a hit and then cleared the area . The following day , while submerged southeast of Nakano Jima , " Whale " sighted four trawlers . She went to gun - action stations and fired at the ships using four - inch ( 102 mm ) and . 50 - caliber guns . None of the fishing vessels fought back , and all were sunk within 80 minutes . On 4 and 5 January 1945 , " Whale " and sister ship searched unsuccessfully in the waters near Sufu Gan for a life raft containing 11 survivors of a downed B - 29 Superfortress . There were heavy seas and visibility was only , and the B - 29 did not answer calls on the lifeguard frequency . That lack of communication greatly hampered the rescue operation . On 6 January , " Whale " received orders to proceed via Midway to Hawaii , arriving at Pearl Harbor on 15 January . She soon pushed on to the west coast and entered the Mare Island Navy Yard on 26 January 1945 for an overhaul . Eleventh war patrol , June – August 1945 . After she returned to Pearl Harbor via San Francisco , California , it was discovered that the submarine ' s hydraulic plant required an overhaul . This delayed departure on patrol for one month . Meanwhile , Lt . Cmdr . Freeland H . Carde , Jr . , relieved Commander ( Cmdr . ) James B . Grady . On 15 June , fully loaded with provisions and torpedoes , " Whale " commenced her 11th war patrol . En route to the Marianas , " Whale " conducted training drills – emphasizing evasive dives from aircraft – and battle surface drills . She arrived at Saipan on 21 June and , the next day , commenced patrolling across the Japan – Wake Island supply lines until 30 June when she headed for Guam . She arrived there on 6 July and got underway the following day for lifeguard duty . From 8 – 23 July , " Whale " conducted lifeguard patrols in the areas of Nanpō Islands , Marianas , and Bungo Suido . " Whale " sighted several American B - 29 Superfortress and B - 24 Liberator bombers overhead . She also encountered a few freighters afloat but could not get in position to attack . On occasion at night , she spotted Japanese planes that were searching the water for lights . During this period , " Whale " rescued 15 downed aviators , saving several under adverse conditions . For example , on 26 July , while going in close for a rescue , " Whale " sighted 43 floating naval mines in 20 minutes , many close aboard . As a result of this lifeguard duty , " Whale " discovered many flaws in the air - sea rescue doctrine and made several noteworthy recommendations to improve future operations . " Whale " commenced patrol east of Okino Shima on 30 July and ran into heavy seas : " Couldn ' t hold our own with this current , so took soundings each half hour . " On 4 August , she submerged for patrol off Bungo Suido and , four days later , made rendezvous with submarine to take on board a rescued pilot . On 9 August , " Whale " received 16 aviators and one patient who were transferred from submarine , using a rubber boat with lines on bow and stern for propulsion . On 11 August , " Whale " received orders to proceed to Saipan for fuel and to Midway for refitting . She arrived at Saipan on 14 August . The next day , President of the United States Harry S . Truman announced the final Japanese capitulation . " Whale " sailed in company with submarine for Hawaii and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 25 August 1945 . Post - war operations , August 1945 – 1960 . " Whale " departed Pearl Harbor on 30 August , bound for the Panama Canal , and arrived there on 14 September . After a three - day stay , " Whale " sailed for New York City and arrived at Tompkinsville , Staten Island , on 23 September . In October , she moved north via Newport , Rhode Island , and entered Boston , Massachusetts , harbor on 23 September for the Navy Day celebration . She arrived at New London , Conn . , on 30 October 1945 to prepare for inactivation . " Whale " was decommissioned in January 1947 , berthed in New London , Connecticut , and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . She was towed to Portsmouth , New Hampshire , where she arrived on 8 April 1948 . " Whale " made several visits to Portsmouth and New London during the summer , and she finally came to rest at New London on 11 September 1948 . The submarine was partially activated from 14 November to 14 December 1956 in order to replace submarine . " Whale " departed New London on 12 January 1957 and , on 22 January , arrived at New Orleans , Louisiana , where she was recommissioned upon arrival . " Whale " was decommissioned for the last time in September 1957 and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1960 . While at New Orleans , she was sold for scrap on 29 September 1960 . " Whale " earned 11 battle star s during World War II , sinking 57 , 716 tons of Japanese shipping .