Torpedo damage - 2nd battle of Kula Gulf - Kolombangara Island
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Torpedo damage - 2nd battle of Kula Gulf - Kolombangara Island |
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Battle of Kolombangara in Kula Gulf. 0205 Standby to reverse course 0204 Fires can be seen on several targets. 0205 St. Louis now in lead, followed by HELENA, then HONOLULU . 0206 Torpedo wake astern 0207 Torpedo wake off starboard bow. 0208 Torpedo supposedly passed under us about Turret No. 3. 0209 Commence firing again 0210 First salvo is direct hit. 0211 One enemy ship blew up 0212 Shifted targets again. 0214 Cease fire and standby for another run 0215 Target speed is now zero 0218 HELENA opens fire off port beam 0219 30 rounds per turret left 0220 Another enemy ship has blown up. 0221 Commence firing again. 0222 Cease fire. 0223 Directors 1 and 2 have lost target, they think it has sunk 0224 HELENA and HONOLULU still firing, but we can’t find any more targets 0229 Another target on screen 0230 Jap ship burning on our starboard side. 0232 Surface target, 17,000 yards, bearing 332 degrees relative. 0233 Several underwater explosions felt 0237 100 rounds of powder left between Turrets 4 and 5. 0240 Target at 12, 000 yards open fire with Star Shells. 0242 One of ours Destroyers is firing off our starboard bow. 0245 Still making 25 knots. Course is 2320 0248 Unidentified target at 5000 yards off starboard Beam. 0249 Radar No six out of commission 0251 Admiral Ainsworth orders cease fire. 0252 Heavy underwater explosion felt 0253 No more targets available 0254 Speed now 28 knots. Course 290 0255 HELENA is dropping back 0308 Heavy Underwater explosion Felt 0313 Two of our Tin "Cans" are being sent into the harbor to look for ships. Can’t locate the HELENA 0319 Surface contact on screen off port Bow at 5000 Yards. 0323 Bow of a ship has been sighted, sticking straight up out of the water. It May be the HELENA. 0324 Standby to illuminate with searchlights, to look for the HELENA. 0326 HONOLULU is illuminating with searchlights now. 0327 Fifteen miles from N. Georgia Island. 0330 Searchlights have picked up object in water and report states "Sorry to report object sighted is CL-50 Helena 0331 Standby for 28 knots 0332 RADFORD is investigating what is believed to be the wreck of the HELENA. 0333 It is HELENA, she is believed to have been sunk by torpedoes 0334 No survivors picked up yet HELENA is thought to have sunk at 0308, when last large underwater explosion was felt. 0335 RADFORD and JENKINS standing by to pickup HELENA survivors. 0337 Official report Is HELENA sunk during action with enemy. 0340 Speed now 28.5 knots. 0341 Destroyers report they are now in midst of survivors. 0345 Now retiring to Tulagi at 28knots all ships in Jap task Force are believed sunk. 0348 Target Dead Ahead, and planes reported five miles astern. 0350 The "Cans" report they have picked up 400 survivors so far 0402 RADFORD reports a large ship 13,000 yards off her Bow 0406 RADFORD is being attacked while picking up survivors stand by to make 180 degree turn to go back to protect the RADFORD. 0411 Two large ships coming out of Kula Gulf 0412 NICHOLAS is still picking up survivors both of the enemy ships have opened fire, and RADFORD seems to be in trouble. 0415 NICHOLAS has Engaged the two ships and is launching a Torpedo attack against them. we are closing slowly but are still to far away to help. 0417 The two ships are running, like I wish we would. 0432 Jap ships can’t be found So we are once again heading for Tulagi. 0445 All Stations rest Easy, RADFORD and JENKINS are still picking up survivors. 0515 Destroyers report they are finishing off the HELENA 0642 Light Ship. 0645 The screening "Cans" report O’BANNON has expended all but five Torpedoes, and NICHOLAS has expended all hers. 0700 Ninety friendly planes in the vicinity. 0730 RADFORD and JENKINS report that survivors were scattered and it took some time to get them on board. 0800 In the last 140 days we have expended 175 tons of ammo., 81,000 gallons of fuel oil, firing 1100 rounds six Inch, or forty three salvos of fifteen six Inch projectiles 0830 Twenty enemy planes over Kula Gulf, headed this way. 0900 Thirty unidentified aircraft picked up on Radar. 1027 RADFORD and JENKINS are now heavily covered by our aircraft. 1030 Passed two Destroyers dispatched to pick up remaining survivors. 1130 Dropped anchor in Tulagi Harbor. 1230 RADFORD and JENKINS coming in. JENKINS transfers over 300 men to HONOLULU and RADFORD transfers 438 men to St . Louis 1630 Underway for ESPIRITU with five "Cans" pass Task Force 19 which is probably headed for Munda.
July 7 At 0830, 78 more survivors were picked
up on east side of Kula Gulf. also picked up the
Radford's and JENKINS whaleboat crews. 1945 Set Condition II Excerpts received from Wm. M. Goode Jack. During the Battle of Kolombangara we were screened by ten destroyers. GWYN is the only one I remember because she was obliterated. You may remember that I was critical of ADM Ainsworth in Kula Gulf because his indecision led to the melee that resulted in the loss of HELENA. In Kolombangara he was unaware that the Jap DDs had the capability to reload torpedoes underway and ordered a pursuit believing that the Japs were retiring to the north. In fact they were reloading tubes and
reversed course to renew their attack, damaging ST. LOUIS, HONOLULU and
LEANDER. You correctly called the July 13 action the Battle of Kolombangara
instead of the Second Battle of Kula Gulf. Regards. Bill Goode |