Battle of Kula Gulf

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Kula Gulf


caption=USS "Helena" and "St. Louis" in action at Kula Gulf, seen from "Honolulu"
partof=the Pacific Theater of World War II
date=6 July 1943
place=Kolombangara, Solomon Islands
result=Inconclusive
combatant1=flag|United States|1912
combatant2=flag|Empire of Japan
commander1=Walden L. Ainsworth
commander2=Teruo Akiyama †
strength1=3 cruisers,
4 destroyers
strength2=10 destroyers
casualties1=1 cruiser sunk,
168 killed [Morison, "Breaking the Bismarcks", p. 194.]
casualties2=2 destroyers sunk,
324 killed [Nevitt, "Combinedfleet.com", [http://www.combinedfleet.com/lancers.htm] & Morison, "Breaking the Bismarcks", p. 174. Breakdown of deaths by ship: "Niizuki"-300, "Amagiri"-10, "Nagatsuki"-8, and "Hatsuyuki"-6.] |

The naval Battle of Kula Gulf (Japanese: クラ湾夜戦) took place in the early hours of 6 July 1943 during World War II and was between United States and Japanese ships off the coast of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands.

Background

On 5 July, Task Group 36.1, commanded by Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth, and consisting of light cruisers USS "Helena", USS "Honolulu", and USS "St. Louis", plus four destroyers, had received word of another Tokyo Express run down "the Slot", and proceeded northwest past New Georgia.

The Allies were in the process of launching their next offensive in the Solomon Islands, having just landed troops on the island of Rendova as a preliminary step in seizing the major Japanese airstrip at Munda on New Georgia. In support of this landing, which was to set up an initial beachhead for moving U.S. troops across Blanche Channel to New Georgia, Ainsworth had the night before conducted a cruiser bombardment of Vila on Kolombangara and Bairoko on New Georgia and, short on fuel and ammunition, was in the process of retiring to the Coral Sea to replenish. A Marine landing was scheduled on the north shore of New Georgia on 10 July and would require further support.

Battle

At 01:06 off Kolombangara, the task group came into contact with a Japanese reinforcement group commanded by Admiral Teruo Akiyama which consisted of ten destroyers loaded with 2,600 combat troops, bound for Vila, which they used as a staging point for movement into Munda. The Japanese were divided into two forces, and a formation of three escorts trailing the main column first came under attack.

The U.S. ships opened fire at 01:57, fired 612 shells in 21 minutes and six seconds, and quickly sank the destroyer "Niizuki" and killed Admiral Akiyama. However the "Helena" had expended all its flashless powder the night before and was forced to use smokeless, illuminating itself to the Japanese ships with every salvo. Two of the Japanese destroyers launched their Long Lance torpedoes and sank "Helena". The main Japanese force, which had countermarched away from Vila with the first contact, broke away having landed only 850 of the 2,600 troops. "Nagatsuki" ran aground, while "Hatsuyuki" was damaged.

Both forces began to withdraw from the area, but one Japanese and two U.S. destroyers remained in the area to rescue survivors and, at about 05:00, Japanese destroyer "Amagiri" and USS "Nicholas" exchanged torpedoes and gunfire. "Amagiri" was hit and retired. The beached "Nagatsuki", abandoned by her crew in the morning, was bombed and sunk by U.S. planes.

Aftermath

USS "Radford" and "Nicholas" both stayed behind to rescue survivors from "Helena". While rescuing over 750 men, "Radford" and "Nicholas" had to reengage the enemy three times and were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their rescue. "Amagiri" escaped and later was the ship that cut "PT-109" in half in Blackett Strait southwest of Kolombangara.

Notes

References

*cite book
last = Brown
first = David
authorlink =
year = 1990
title = Warship Losses of World War Two
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-914-X
*cite book
last = Crenshaw
first = Russell Sydnor
authorlink =
year = 1998
chapter =
title = South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-136-X
*cite book
last = D'Albas
first = Andrieu
authorlink =
year = 1965
title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II
publisher = Devin-Adair Pub
location =
id = ISBN 0-8159-5302-X
*cite book
last = Dull
first = Paul S.
authorlink =
year = 1978
chapter =
title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-097-1
*cite book
last = Hara
first = Tameichi
authorlink = Tameichi Hara
year = 1961
chapter =
title = Japanese Destroyer Captain
publisher = Ballantine Books
location = New York & Toronto
id = ISBN 0-345-27894-1
*cite book
last = Kilpatrick
first = C. W.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1987
chapter =
title = Naval Night Battles of the Solomons
publisher = Exposition Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-682-40333-4
*cite book
last = McGee
first = William L.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2002
chapter = Operation TOENAILS
title = The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville--Pacific War Turning Point, Volume 2 (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII)
publisher = BMC Publications
location =
id = ISBN 0-9701678-7-3
*cite book
last = Morison
first = Samuel Eliot
authorlink = Samuel Eliot Morison
coauthors =
year = 1958
chapter =
title = Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier", vol. 6 of "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II
publisher = Castle Books
location =
id = 0785813071
*cite book
last = Roscoe
first = Theodore
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1953
chapter =
title = United States Destroyer Operations in World War Two
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = 0870217267

External links

* [http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/kula_gulf.htm Description by Vincent P. O'Hara]
* [http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Kula-Gulf.htm Order of battle]
* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/niizuk_o.htm Article on Japanese destroyer "Niizuki".]