Temporary repairs to the USS Saint Louis

Near the end of 1942, the light cruiser, USS Saint Louis (the "Lucky Lou" of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941) was ordered to the South Pacific, where she participated in the final stages of the Guadalcanal Campaign and the first part of the offensive into the Central Solomons. On July 6, 1943, Saint Louis engaged Japanese warships in the Battle of Kula Gulf. In another night action, the Battle of Kolombangara on July13, she was torpedoed in the bow. After the battle, she sailed to Espiritu Santo for temporary repairs by Dad's repair ship, Vestal, which began on today's date in 1943, and continued until the 29th. Saint Louis then sailed to Mare Island to complete the work. The Saint Louis will return to the Solomons for war service through the end of the year.

Torpedo damaged bow of USS Saint Louis after the Battle of Kolombangara,
July 13, 1943. USS Vestal (AR4) is alongside in the left background.
Source: NavSource Online

USS Vestal with USS Saint Louis alongside about July 20, 1943
Source: ShipScribe.com

Commissioned in 1939, Saint Louis saw major action in the Pacific throughout the remainder of the war, earning 11 Battle Stars. At war's end, she was part of the fleet that carried veterans back to the United States. In 1946, Saint Louis was decommissioned, and in 1951, she was sold to Brazil. In 1960, the ship sank near Cape of Good Hope while under tow to Taiwan.

Sources: USS Vestal War Diary, July 1943; Wikipedia

The Battle of Kolombangara, 1943

The Naval Battle of Kolombangara was fought at night in the early hours of July 13, 1943, near the island of Kolombangara in the Solomons. An Allied naval force under Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth, fresh from his success in the Naval Battle of Kula Gulf on July 6, attacked a Japanese reinforcement force under Rear Admiral Shunji Izaki. Izaki's force was attempting to land reinforcement troops at Vila, on the southern side of the island of Kolombangara, by way of Kula Gulf on the island's eastern side. Ainsworth's mission was to protect the north shore of the big island of New Georgia—which only recently had become a Marine beachhead—from attack by the enemy. If possible, Ainsworth was to prevent Japanese reinforcements from landing.

Ainsworth was unaware that the Japanese knew of the presence of his naval force at least 2 hours before the battle began. From his Japanese flagship, Jintsu, Isaki ordered a torpedo attack on the Allied ships. In the attack, American cruisers targeted Jintsu with a barrage that killed both the admiral and the ship's captain. Although the Jintsu counterattacked, sinking the destroyer USS Gwin and damaging the light cruisers USS Saint Louis, USS Honolulu, and HMNZS Leander, Jintsu broke in two from an earlier torpedo hit and sank. Most of Jintsu's crew perished along with Admiral Izaki.

Source: HyperWar: USMC Operations in WWII, Vol 2

In a tactical victory, the Japanese force in the Battle of Kolombangara escaped serious damage. It also successfully landed 1,200 men at Vila. On the other hand, at great cost, Ainsworth accomplished his mission of preventing an attack on the Marines on New Georgia, while losing a destroyer plus significant damage to 3 additional ships. Ainsworth also successfully deterred the Japanese from future use of Kula Gulf. After the Battle of Kolombangara, the Japanese will be forced to use a more dangerous passage, thereby becoming easier prey for US destroyers and PT boats.

For my dad, Frank Dolan, a weldor on the repair ship Vestal at the Naval base on Espiritu Santo, the Battle of Kolombangara will mean a lot more ship repair work to cram into an already busy repair schedule. In the days ahead, Vestal will perform temporary repairs to 2 of the cruisers damaged in the Battle of Kolombangara, USS Saint Louis and HMNZS Leander.

Sources: Wikipedia; National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy