Vella Gulf in WW2 History | World War II Database

7 May 1943

British Western Pacific Territories

Shortly after midnight, cruisers USS Honolulu, USS St. Louis, and USS Nashville with destroyers USS O'Bannon, USS Taylor, USS Strong, and USS Chevalier made one circuit through Vella Gulf in the Solomon Islands covering minelayers laying mines in Blackett Strait. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Walden Ainsworth | Honolulu | St. Louis | Nashville | Vella Gulf, Solomon Islands | DS]

6 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories

In the Battle of Vella Gulf in the Solomon Islands, United States destroyers USS Dunlap, Craven, Maury, Lang, Sterett, and Stack, acting on intelligence gathered from Magic codebreaking intercepts, laid in wait for four Japanese destroyers on a night mission to bring troops to Munda on New Georgia. USS Dunlap, Craven, and Maury opened the attack by launching twenty-four Mark XV torpedoes in one minute. Japanese destroyers Hagikaze, Arashi, and Kawakaze were destroyed, killing 600 sailors and 900 Japanese Army passengers. Destroyer Shigure had a torpedo pass through her rudder but the ship was able to escape in the darkness. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Shigure | Maury | Craven | Mark XV | Vella Gulf, Solomon Islands | TH]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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