Fourth Patrol: February–April 1943
Trigger stood out of Midway on 13 February to patrol off the Palau Islands. Two weeks later, she launched four torpedoes at a freighter, but the target managed to steer between them. Heavy air cover prevented a second attack. On 4 March, the submarine attacked a freighter in a rain squall, but all three of her torpedoes missed. On 15 March, Trigger sighted a convoy steaming in two columns. There were two freighters in the right hand column and three in the left, with an escort on the outboard bow of each column. Trigger worked her way between the two columns and launched three torpedoes at each of the leading ships. She hit the lead freighter in the left hand column twice but missed her target on the right because it unexpectedly changed course. Trigger then fired three more torpedoes at the right lead ship at just 700 yards (640 m) and observed two hits before the escorts forced her to go deep. When she surfaced again, there was nothing to be seen. Trigger was later officially credited with having sunk Momoha Maru, a 3,103 ton cargo ship.
That night, the submarine fired six torpedoes at a ship that was being towed by a smaller freighter. Five of the torpedoes missed, and the sixth made a circular run and passed over the submarine's engine room. A shaken crew broke off the attack.
On 20 March, the submarine launched three torpedoes at the lead ship in a convoy of four cargomen. One hit caused the target to list 10° to port and stop, but it soon got underway and rejoined the convoy. Trigger terminated the patrol at the Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, on 6 April.
Read more about this topic: USS Trigger (SS-237)
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