The Japanese were not fooled, however: they knew that the U.S. fleet had adopted Ulithi as its new homeport. On November 20, several kaitens—one-man suicide submarines—were released by a large “mother” submarine north of the atoll. At least two of the stealthy little boats penetrated into the lagoon by secondary entrance channels. At dawn on November 20, one struck the tanker Mississinewa. Laden with tens of thousands of tons of avgas, diesel, and bunker oil, the ship erupted in flames.
