Battle of Kolombangara

Battle of Kolombangara
Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
The cruisers USS St. Louis and HMNZS Leander firing
Date 12/13 July 1943 Location Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
United States  New Zealand	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Walden Ainsworth	Shunji Isaki †
Strength
3 light cruisers, 10 destroyers	1 light cruiser, 5 destroyers 4 destroyer-transports
Casualties and losses
1 destroyer sunk, 3 light cruisers damaged (one heavily), 89 killed[1]	1 light cruiser sunk, 482 killed[2]

The Battle of Kolombangara (Japanese: コロンバンガラ島沖海戦) (also known as the Second Battle of Kula Gulf^[3]) was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the night of 12/13 July 1943, off the northeastern coast of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. The battle took place during the early stages of the New Georgia campaign when an Imperial Japanese Navy force, carrying reinforcements south to Vila, Solomon Islands, was intercepted by a task force of U.S. and New Zealand light cruisers and destroyers. In the ensuing action, the Japanese sank one Allied destroyer and damaged three cruisers. They were also able to successfully land 1,200 ground troops on the western coast of Kolombangara but lost one light cruiser sunk in the process.