arriving at san francisco 17 march, "mercury" underwent overhaul and then resumed cargo runs between pearl harbor and the u.s. west coast and among the hawaiian islands. on 7 june she got underway once more for the war zone, anchoring south of garapan, saipan, on the 26th. less than 5 hours later, at 2131, a japanese bomber came through the smokescreen at an altitude of about 92 feet and headed for the ship's superstructure. the plane's torpedo hit the amidships living compartments on the port boat deck and continued on, breaking in two without detonating. the torpedo's main body was found in the 1st lieutenant's room and its fuse was located in the engine room, while the explosive components (tnt) of its warhead were spread over the port boat and bridge decks. the plane itself fell victim to the after starboard boom which stood passively in the enemy's path, knocking the plane out of control upon collision and causing it to crash 500 yards off the starboard quarter.