Battle of Kolombangara

12–13 July 1943, North-east of Kolombangara, Solomon Islands

Japanese victory

A week after Kula Gulf, Ainsworth was back with Honolulu, St. Louis and the New Zealand cruiser Leander, in place of the lost Helena, and ten destroyers, to stop another troop run to Kolombangara. Rear Admiral Shunji Izaki led it in the old cruiser Jintsū with five destroyers, and his flagship turned on her searchlight: every American cruiser fired at her, a torpedo broke her in two, and she sank with Izaki and nearly all her crew. But the Japanese destroyers had fired their torpedoes, ducked into a rain squall to reload, and came back. Leander had already been torpedoed; now Honolulu and St. Louis each lost their bows to torpedoes, and the destroyer Gwin was hit amidships and had to be scuttled. The troops landed on Kolombangara.

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