aircraft of the Cactus Air Force. By late January 1943, the Japanese had decided to abandon Guadalcanal and had begun to evacuate as many men as possible. Increased Japanese surface activity, and corresponding air cover, tipped off the Americans that major Japanese troop movements were taking place, and orders went out to try to derail the Tokyo Express by any means possible including mines, PT-boats, and air strikes. On 1 February 1943, a large force of Japanese destroyers was sighted heading for "Ironbottom Sound." Tracy, as task group leader, led and in laying a field of 300 mines between Doma Reef and Cape Esperance. That night, the struck one of these mines and was damaged so badly that she was scuttled. Nevertheless, the Japanese managed to extricate their garrison from Guadalcanal. Following this action, Tracy rejoined TF 62 for escort duty and touched at Nouméa, Tulagi, and Efate before heading for Hawaii on 19 April. She reached Pearl Harbor on 1 May and, 11 days later, headed toward San Francisco, California for a much needed overhaul at Mare Island. After refitting, Tracy departed San Francisco on 22 May and spent the next few months engaged in "milk run" convoys between the Hawaiian Islands and the U.S. West Coast. On 10 August, she departed Pearl Harbor and steamed to Samoa, from there setting her course toward Espiritu Santo and the South Pacific. At the end of November 1943, Tracy led a division of minelayers in placing an offensive minefield near Bougainville in preparations for the landings there. Next, operating out of Nouméa for the remainder of 1943, Tracy called at Funafuti, Espiritu Santo, and Guadalcanal through December. On 1 January 1944, she steamed in convoy with , , , , and to the Fiji Islands, arriving at Nandi on 5 January. Underway again the following day, Tracy escorted another convoy to Guadalcanal, conducting gunnery exercises en route, and arrived on 10 January. Later in the month, she departed Efate, New Hebrides, bound for New Caledonia in company with the President Hayes. During the passage, they fought through a storm 1944 Pacific typhoon season before arriving at Nouméa on 19 January. Upon the completion of refueling there, she proceeded to Wellington, New Zealand. For the remainder of January and continuing into May, she threaded her way among the Pacific Isles, escorting convoys and carrying out exercises en route. On 3 June, she