Kula Gulf

As a result of the U.S. landing on New Georgia on June 30, 1943, the Japanese, led by Rear Admiral Teruo Akivama, made an attempt to land reinforcements with ten destroyers, resulting in the Battle of Kula Gulf, July 5-6, 1943. Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth, USN, led Task Group 36.1. In the battle, USS Helena (CL-50) was hit by three torpedoes. Broken into three parts, she sank, resulting in the loss of nearly 170 crewmen. The Japanese lost destroyer Nizuki and destroyer Nagatsuki ran around at Kolombangara. USS Radford (DD-446) and USS Nicholas (DD-449) helped to rescue the light cruiser's survivors. Naval History and Heritage Command

1943: During the night of 4-5 July, in preparation for these landings, a task force of cruisers (Honolulu, Helena, and St. Louis) and destroyers (Nicholas, O’Bannon, Strong, and Chevalier) under Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth, bombarded enemy positions and gun installations in the Vila-Stanmore and Bairoko Harbor areas. The original plan called for a heavy concentration of fire on Enogai Inlet, but at the last moment this was abandoned upon instructions from the task force commander, because our reconnaissance photographs revealed no evidence of enemy shore batteries in the Enogai area. Since there was little possibility of surprise, the heaviest concentration of fire was reserved for artillery emplacements, instead of troop bivouac areas, which had been the principal targets in previous bombardments. The destroyers Nicholas and O’Bannon on the western end of the line and the Radford on the eastern end were firing on the same targets as the cruisers when opportunity offered. For several minutes the Radford was kept from joining in because the Jenkins blanked her fire. The Jenkins was the only one of the destroyers which fired torpedoes during this phase, but she did not fire her guns during the engagement.

The Strong and Helena were struck and sunk by Japanese torpedos a day apart.The Nicholas and O'Bannon (Chevalier and Radford) were involved in rescuing survivors.

USS O'Bannon fought in many surface actions. The Battle of Kula Gulf (6 July), in which O'Bannon fought with three cruisers and three other destroyers against ten Japanese destroyers, swept the enemy from the area, though an American cruiser was lost. But a week later, a second battle had to be fought in the same waters against a Japanese cruiser, five destroyers and four destrover-escorts. The same American force sank the Japanese cruiser and turned the smaller ships away, losing none themselves.

Naval History and Heritage Command

Office of Naval Intelligence U.S. Navy

Laying a smoke screen, as seen from her own bridge in The Solomons,1943

John Bailey

[email protected]