Kiwis & Limeys Do Their Share; Vichy French Get Theirs; "Elihu Yale is later written off as a total loss"

TUE 15 FEB 1944
Pacific
TF 31 (Rear Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson) lands Third New Zealand Division (Major General H. E. Barraclough) on Green Island, east of New Ireland. TF 38 (Rear Admiral Walden C. Ainsworth) (two light cruisers and five destroyers) covers the operation from the south; TF 39 (Rear Admiral Aaron S. Merrill) (two light cruisers and five destroyers) from the north and east; Solomons-based aircraft also operate in support. During Japanese air attack on invasion shipping, tank landing ship LST-486 is damaged by near-miss of bomb off Green Island.

Naval aircraft from Abemama, Gilbert Islands, bomb Wake Island.

Submarine Aspro (SS-309) sinks Japanese submarine I-43, transporting sailors from the Sasebo Special Landing Force to Truk, 280 miles east-southeast of Guam, 10°23'N, 150°23'E.

Submarine Gato (SS-212) sinks Japanese guardboat No.3 Taiyo Maru off Rabaul, New Britain, 04°00'N, 150°10'E.

Submarine Snook (SS-283) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Hoshi Maru off south coast of Korea, 34°23'N, 128°23'E.

Submarine Steelhead (SS-280) damages Japanese cargo ship Enju Maru 110 miles from Chichi Jima.

Submarine Tinosa (SS-283) attacks Japanese convoy east of Mindanao, P.I., sinking army cargo ship Odatsuki Maru east of Dinagat Island, 09°30'N, 127°00'E (see 16 February 1944).

British submarine HMS Tally Ho sinks German-manned Italian cargo submarine UIT-23, 04°53'N, 100°15'E.

USAAF B-25s and A-20s damage auxiliary netlayer Matsu Maru at Rabaul.

USAAF B-25s (14th Air Force) sink Vichy French patrol craft Ping Sang off Hongay, French Indochina, 21°00'N, 107°22'E.

Mine laid by 14th Air Force B-24s on 10 February sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Ryoka Maru off entrance to Yangtze River, 31°16'N, 121°46'E; a mine also sinks merchant cargo ship Hoshi Maru off south coast of Korea, 34°27'N, 128°45'E.

Mediterranean
Off Anzio, destroyer escort Herbert C. Jones (DE-137) is damaged by radio-controlled bomb, 41°27'N, 12°35'E, and large infantry landing craft LCI(L)-2 is damaged by mine, 41°24'N, 12°43'E. Bomb holes freighter Elihu Yale; the explosion start fires that spread to tank landing craft LCT-35 alongside, destroying that vessel as well. Firefighting efforts by fleet tug Hopi (ATF-71) ultimately prove successful but Elihu Yale is later written off as a total loss. Two of the 40-man Armed Guard perish in the attack, as do three of the 45-man merchant complement and seven of the 182 stevedores working cargo. Tank landing craft LCT-152 rescues survivors from Elihu Yale and LCT-35.