Admirals Praise Minelayers

TUE 2 FEB 1943
Pacific
Japanese destroyer Makigumo is damaged by mine laid by light minelayers Tracy (DM-19), Montgomery (DM-17) and Preble (DM-20) off Cape Esperance the previous night; she is scuttled by destroyer Yugumo, 09°10'S, 159°45'E. Admiral William F. Halsey Jr., Commander South Pacific Force, lauds the success of the mining mission as resulting from "bold execution of a sound plan," while Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, calls it a "splendidly conducted operation... carried out by old ships, inadequate in speed and gun power..."

USAAF B-17s and P-39s sink Japanese cargo vessel Keiyo Maru off the Shortlands.

USAAF B-24s (5th Air Force) sink Japanese cargo vessel Kenkoku Maru while en route from Kokope to
New Guinea, between Lolobau Island and New Britain, 04°58'S, 151°12'E.

Atlantic
German submarine U-456 attacks convoy HX 224 in the North Atlantic and torpedoes U.S. freighter Jeremiah Van Renssalaer at 54°50'N, 28°55'W; 10 of the 28-man Armed Guard are lost; the ship is scuttled by escorts later the same day.