For the next two years, the former USS Luzon, now the IJN Karatsu operated mostly in conjunction with the Imperial Japanese Army to conduct counter-guerrilla operations, with secondary escort/patrol missions.
It was during one of these missions that she helped sink the American submarine USS Cisco (SS-290), assisted by two Nakajima B5Ns from the IJN 954th Air Group.
On 3 March 1943, the Karatsu was torpedoed off the Philippine Islands by the USS Narwhal (SS-167), and had to be towed back to Cebu with her bow blown back to the bridge. The damage was too extensive for repairs at Cebu and she was towed to Manila to No. 103 Repair Facility at Cavite.
On 22 January 1945, before repairs could be completed, she was ordered to depart immediately to prevent capture. Unable to do so, the Japanese sank the Karatsu in order to block the main channel into Manila Bay on 5 February 1945.
She was struck from the IJN List on 10 April.
--GreGen
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