Before dawn broke on August 3, 1942, the USS Gudgeon rode low in the Pacific, east of Truk, silent and alert. The day began in darkness, the kind submariners know too well. A world of sweat, tension, and stale air under pressure. At 0440 Kilo time, Gudgeon’s lookouts caught sight of a merchant-type vessel pushing smoke on the horizon, bearing 260 true. She wasn’t moving fast, maybe ten knots, slow enough to tempt a skipper hungry for a clean shot.