7 May 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
18 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Destroyers USS Lang, USS Stack, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle made a nighttime patrol up the New Georgia Sound in the Solomon Islands (the "Slot") to the area of Kolombangara. The "Black Cat" patrol plane covering the destroyers reported three Japanese patrol boats in the Vella Gulf off the west coast of Kolombangara. The destroyers engaged the patrol boats with intense gunfire with unobserved results. ww2dbase [Pringle | Waller | Saufley | 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]



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G4M bombers of Mizawa Air Group of the Japanese Navy in flight, circa 1940s

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