Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Kubva kuAdmiralties, "Manatee" akaenda kuchamhembe kunotsigira masimba ipapo aifukidza kumhara kweLeyte
. Basa rake rokugadzira mafuta rakaramba riri muPhilippines kusvikira pakupera kwaFebruary 1945, paakadzokera kuUlithi, uko mwedzi mitatu yakanga yapfuura imwe yengarava dzehanzvadzi dze"Manatee", oiler USS "Mississinewa" (AO-59), yakanga yakanyudzwa neKaiten, torpedo yokuzviuraya yeJapan. Kubva kuUlithi, "Manatee" yakadzokera kuLeyte Gulf kunopa mafuta mauto anobhururuka achienda kunorwa kuOkinawa. Pana 28 March iye akatanga shuttling mafuta kubva Ulithi kuti anotakura mapoka kushanda muHondo Okinawa. Akaramba achishanda mutsetse uyu wekutakura kusvikira kuchengetedzwa kwechitsuwa musi wa 21 June, mazuva 82 mushure mekutanga kwekutanga. Musi waJuly 2, "Manatee" akarayirwa kuti abatane nedzimwe ngarava dzinotakura mafuta nokukurumidza mukutsigira zvikwata zvevatakuri munguva yekurova pazvitsuwa zveJapan. Vanotakura mafuta vaifamba usiku kuti vasangane nevatakuri vengarava, vaidziisa mafuta mumakiromita 322 kubva kumhenderekedzo yegungwa yomuvengi, uye ipapo vaidzokera. Kurongwa kwakanaka uye kukurumidza kutakura ngarava dzaiva nemafuta dzisina chinhu kuenda kuUlithi kunotengeswa mafuta kwakaita kuti ngarava dzaitakura mafuta dziwane mafuta akawanda.