[Rooster]

USS Starfish
January 10th, 1942

After leaving Pearl received several reports of attacks and warships leaving the area and coming my way, military intelligence has proved as effective now as it was the days leading to 12-7-41. Several dispatches sending the Starfish chasing fleets with several hundred miles head start have been lost.

Our initial patrol was Honshu Island but we now sit safely at 160 feet depth off Yokuska. We have from this vantage point been able to use the waters depth as a hide during the day and as dusk arrives slip up to scope depth and slowly hunt our prey as we see fit.

The two merchants from earlier and the two warships taken over the last 72 hours have given us a moral boost and perhaps a swagger in our duties. The men have performed in a stellar manner and we’ve not even went to general quarters as of yet. We have hunted and taken as we saw fit with little to no challenge from the enemy.

I am unsure why this is; perhaps they do not suspect us to be this deep in their own back yard. If so it is the same self secure feeling that has left good men and machinery at the bottom of Pearl.

We are at 65% fuel and 6 torpedoes. Deck ammunition is plenty as we have not used it but for the two merchants ships.

My December 7th anger tells me to slip into Tokyo and leave Tojo a turd on his door step but the conservative side tells me that this is not my ship as Captain Russell is set to resume command duties when we arrive back at Pearl and that we lack the needed stores to take a true fight to them this deep into their backyard.

Plan to stand by this day and look for a prey tonight at before dawn slip back to Honshu for some light merchant hunting or back to Pearl for refit and resumption of command by Capt. Russell.

J. Ryan
X.O. (Acting Captain)
USS Starfish