Battle of Kula Gulf

In mid-1943, in the wake of the Guadalcanal campaign, the Allies launched their next offensive in the Solomon Islands, landing troops on the island of Rendova on 30 June as a preliminary step to seizing the major Japanese airstrip at Munda on New Georgia. The US landings on Rendova took place to set up an initial beachhead from which to move troops across Blanche Channel to New Georgia. After Rendova had been secured, the move to Zanana on the mainland took place on 2 July, after which US forces began the westward advance on Munda. In order to support this effort and to cut off Japanese reinforcements from moving down the Munda trail from Bairoko, the Allies decided to land a force on the north shore of New Georgia on 5 July. Meanwhile, the Japanese sought to reinforce the Munda area, moving troops and supplies via barge from the Shortlands, via Kolombangara. The night before the battle in the Kula Gulf, Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth's Task Group 36.1 (TG 36.1) conducted a cruiser bombardment of Vila on Kolombangara Island and Bairoko. This operation was undertaken to support a landing at Rice Anchorage on the northern shore of New Georgia, by U.S. Marine and U.S. Army troops tasked with capturing Enogai and Bairoko. At the same time as the Marines were landing at Rice Anchorage, two U.S. Navy destroyers, and , entered Bairoko Harbor to provide naval gunfire support. In the early hours of the morning a Type 93 torpedo hit Strong on her port side aft, resulting in the loss of the destroyer. A total of 241 survivors were rescued by Chevalier while ''O'Bannon'' attempted to return fire; 46 U.S. sailors lost their lives during the attack. The torpedo came from a salvo of 14 torpedoes fired by a group of four Japanese destroyers, led by , traveled a distance of , ==Battle==

Ainsworth's task group consisted of the light cruisers , , and , plus four destroyers, , , and . On the afternoon of 5 July, they were returning to the Coral Sea to resupply when Admiral William Halsey was informed of another "Tokyo Express" mission down "the Slot" in the Solomon Islands, from Buin, on Bougainville. Ordered to intercept the Japanese, Ainsworth changed course, and proceeded northwest past New Georgia Island. Chevalier had been damaged picking up survivors from Strong, and left the area; they were replaced by Radford and Jenkins, who left Tulagi at 16:47 hours and 18:37 hours on 5 July respectively, after replenishing. The American ships passed Visu Visu Point, on the northwest coast of New Georgia, just after midnight on 6 July. About an hour later, Ainsworth's task force was off the east coast of Kolombangara, about half a mile from Visu Visu Point, and roughly northeast of Waugh Rock, when they came into contact with a Japanese naval reinforcement group consisting of two transport units carrying troops, escorted by a support unit, under Admiral Teruo Akiyama. The Japanese force consisted of ten ships in total, all of which were destroyers. The support unit was made up of three ships from the 3rd Destroyer Squadron, while the first transport unit (designated the 30th Transport Division) was made up of three destroyers, and the second transport unit (designated the 11th Transport Division) consisted of four destroyers. The Japanese ships were carrying 2,600 ground troops and were bound for Vila, which was being used as a staging point for moving reinforcements to Munda. When the battle began, Akiyama's force was divided into two parts: the three escorts of the support unit (Niizuki, and ) trailing the main column consisting of the four ships from the second transport unit (, , and ). Meanwhile, the three ships of the first transport unit, , and , were unloading at Vila, about away. However, Helena had expended all of her flashless powder the previous night, and she was forced to use smokeless powder, thus illuminating herself to the Japanese ships with every salvo. Two of the Japanese destroyers launched their Long Lance torpedoes and hit Helena, fatally damaging her. hit four times, Amagiri withdrew. The beached Nagatsuki was abandoned by her crew in the morning, and was later bombed and destroyed by American aircraft. Mikazuki and Hamakaze completed unloading, and departed through the Blackett Strait, while Mochizuki lingered for another hour before leaving through the Kula Gulf along the coast of Kolombangara, clashing briefly with Nicholas, around 06:15 before withdrawing behind a smoke screen. ==Aftermath==

US losses during the battle amounted to one light cruiser sunk and 168 killed, all of whom were from Helena, The destroyers Radford and Nicholas returned to rescue survivors from Helena. While rescuing over 750 men, Radford and Nicholas had to reengage the Japanese three times; they were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their rescue. Amagiri escaped and later rammed and cut in half the motor torpedo boat , captained by future President of the United States John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), in the Blackett Strait, southwest of Kolombangara on 2 August. Hatsuyuki and Satsuki returned to Buin via the Blackett Strait. Following the engagement in the Kula Gulf, the Japanese continued to move reinforcements south to New Georgia. On 9 July, 1,200 troops were moved to Kolombangara successfully without opposition. Another effort on 12/13 July, however, resulted in the Battle of Kolombangara. Meanwhile, ashore, US troops had secured Enogai on the northwestern coast on 10–11 July, while around Munda the Japanese stubbornly resisted US efforts to advance towards the airfield, which stalled and was eventually halted by a Japanese counterattack on 17 July. ==Namesake==

The U.S. Navy escort aircraft carrier —in commission from 1945–1946, 1951–1955, and 1965–1969—was named for this battle. ==Notes==