USN · CL
Helena
Photos and infoSt. Louis-class light cruiser. On the night of 13 November 1942, off Guadalcanal, her 6-inch guns hit Commander Tameichi Hara's destroyer Amatsukaze and drove her out. The steering was out, and Hara steered her by hand for hundreds of miles. Amatsukaze was not sunk. Hara was her captain that night. He later flew his flag in Shigure as commander of Destroyer Division 27. Most of the time she was the only ship of that division with him. He was not her captain, and that later job was not at Tassafaronga. At Kula Gulf on 6 July 1943 Helena was in the cruiser line and was sunk by Japanese destroyer torpedoes.
| Class | St. Louis class |
|---|---|
| Type | Light cruiser (CL) |
| Hull | CL-50 |
| Fate | Sunk. at the Battle of Kula Gulf, 6 July 1943. |
| Armament (class) | Improved Brooklyn. Five triple 6-inch turrets and two funnels. |
| Command |
|
Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.
The armament line is the class drawing, not a measurement of this hull.
USS Helena (CL-50) underway in March 1943.jpg. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
The pictures on this page are the originals.
No color version yet. Colored pictures and film will be added here.
Command
DeMott, Max BurkeCaptain, 18 September 1939 – 14 July 1941
English, Robert Henry Jr.Captain, 14 July 1941 – 29 March 1942
Read, Oliver MiddletonCaptain, 29 March 1942 – 25 September 1942
Hoover, Gilbert CorwinCaptain, 25 September 1942 – 23 November 1942
Cecil, Charles PurcellCaptain, 23 November 1942 – 6 July 1943Attack on Pearl Harbor
1941-12-07 · torpedoed; not sunk
I-19's attack, 15 September 1942
1942-09-15 · stood by Wasp and took off survivors
Battle of Cape Esperance
1942-10-11 · opened fire first. Not sunk
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, night action
1942-11-13 · minor damage; one man killed
Battle of Kula Gulf
1943-07-06 · sunk
