Japanese shipping, decimated by continual submarine and air attacks, was becoming increasingly difficult to find. When "Parche" left Pearl Harbor 19 March 1945, she headed directly for the east coast of Honshū, Japan. "Parche" sank escorting 615-ton Minesweeper No. 3 off Kobe Zaki 9 April. On 11 April "Parche" made a gun attack, sinking a small freighter of about 800 tons. She torpedoed another small vessel the next day. On 13 April "Parche" sank a fishing trawler. Two hours later she again opened fire on a small observation boat, leaving it blazing stem to stern. Two Japanese planes caused her to dive, leaving all her guns loose and much of her ammunition exposed. A heavy explosion shook her on the way down, but inflicted no damage.