15 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
17 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
18 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Battle off Horaniu: Japanese destroyers Sazanami, Hamakaze, Isokaze and Shigure with subchasers Cha-5 and Cha-12 and 3 motor torpedo boats were escorting 13 Diahatsu barges bound for Horaniu on Vella Lavella Islands, Solomon Islands to establish a barge depot to assist with evacuating bypassed Japanese troops on Kolombangara. An American destroyer force of USS Nicholas, USS Chevalier, USS O’Bannon, and USS Taylor intercepted the Japanese convoy. The barges found refuge in the many coves along Vella Lavella’s north shore but two Japanese subchasers, two motor torpedo boats, and at least one barge were sunk. The Japanese were able to establish a barge depot at Horaniu and barges operating from this depot would eventually evacuate 9,000 Japanese troops from Kolombangara. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Nicholas | Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands | DS]
26 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Destroyers USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, and USS Cony covered LSTs off the landing beaches at Barakoma, Vella Lavella and fended off Japanese air attacks. ww2dbase [Saufley | Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands | DS]
8 Oct 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
13 Feb 1944

British Western Pacific Territories
  • The convoy of troop landing ships escorted by destroyer USS Saufley arrived at Barakoma, Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands and began loading New Zealand forces for further transport to Green Island, Northern Solomons. ww2dbase [Saufley | Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands | DS]
14 Feb 1944

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Just after midnight, destroyer USS Saufley and her convoy of 12 troop landing ships departed Barakoma, Vella Lavella bound for Green Island north of Bougainville. In the early afternoon, Saufley took aboard a New Zealand corporal with acute appendicitis. Saufley made a speed run to Blanche Harbor, Treasury Islands where the patient was transferred to the base hospital. Saufley then steamed at high speed to rejoin the convoy in the early evening. ww2dbase [Saufley | Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands | DS]

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




Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Please help us spread the word:

 Reddit
 Bluesky
 Mastodon

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds

Search WW2DB
News

Random Photograph

YB-17 Flying Fortress bomber at rest at Langley Field, Virginia, United States, May 1942, photo 2 of 2; note B-18 Bolo and two A-20 Havoc aircraft in background

Current Site Statistics

Famous WW2 Quote
"We no longer demand anything, we want war."

Joachim von Ribbentrop, German Foreign Minister, Aug 1939


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!