World War II Database

In the early hours of 6 Jul 1943, US warships, USS Helena among them, attempted to ambush a Japanese convoy. During the resulting Battle of Kula Gulf, light cruiser USS Helena was struck by three Japanese torpedoes on the port side, the first of which broke off the bow. The main portion of the ship sank about 20 minutes after the first hit, while the bow portion sank on the next day. 168 died in the sinking.

An expedition funded by Paul Allen reported the discovery of USS Helena's wreck less than one month after the discovery of USS Juneau's wreck also in the Solomon Islands region. The wreck was on the sea floor about 860 meters (2,821 feet) below the ocean surface in the New Georgia Sound.

For more information:
USNI: Paul Allen’s Team Finds Lost World War II Cruiser USS Helena
WW2DB: USS Helena