page_title: List of shipwrecks in February 1944
section_title: 17 February
hierarchical_section_title: List of shipwrecks in February 1944 / 17 February
caption_attribution_description: The U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat from Fighting Squadron 9 (VF-9) flies over the beached Japanese destroyer Tachikaze, during Task Force 58's strikes on the Japanese naval base at Truk, Caroline Islands, 16-17 February 1944. VF-9 was assigned to Carrier Air Group 9 (CVG-9) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9). On 4 February 1944, Tachikaze ran aground at Kuop Atoll in Truk Lagoon while returning from Rabaul, and remained stranded there despite efforts to free her. During the Allied "Operation Hailstone" 17–18 February, Tachikaze suffered heavy strafing followed by a torpedo hit in the engine room, which sank the ship by the stern.
context_page_description: The list of shipwrecks in February 1944 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during February 1944.
caption: A U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat passes over the sinking Tachikaze.
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