The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-11-04
Tells Story of
Heroic Helen"
Continued from Page u

remained abroad as executive Of
ficer.
When the repairs needed to put
the Helena back into the war were
finished. the cruiser stood out from
San Francisco for the South Pa
cific.
1t was with a comparatively new
company that she returned to the
war zone. 1t was. however. a ship
company that was anxious to learn
the ways of War-and il learned
them quickly, as1the- Japanese dis
covered
After reaching her South Pacific
destination, the Helena made two
runs to Guadalcanal. Her next mis-
sion was to escort the aircraft car
rier u. S. S. Hornet and later she
joined the force with which the u.
S. S. Wasp was operating.
She was present when the latter
carrier was torpedoed September
Is. 1912.
Wet through, many of them oil
soaked. the Wasp survivors were
badly in need of dry clothing when
destroyers that picked them up
transferred many of them to the
Helena. The latter's men broke out
their sea bags and distributed their
clothing until they were left with
but one pair of dungarees and pair
OF shoes apiece.
The Helena deposited the Wasp's
survivors at a United States base
and was back al sea searching for
enemy forces on September %, 1912,
when word came that Captain Read
was detached to take over new
command.
The new skipper" was command
ing the Destroyer Squadron escort
ing the Helena at the time he came
abroad Immediately by the only
available means-a coal bag rugged
to line running from his destroy
er flagship to the cruiser
He was Captain Gilbert c. Hoo
yer, U. S. ~, of Bristol. r. l.. who
already held the Navy Cross for
extraordinary hero.sm' as COM
mander of the Destroyer Squadron.
and who was to win Gold Stars en-
blematlc to second and third Navy
Crosses while serving in the Helena.
It was back to Guadalcanal for
the cruiser in early October then
another brief stay with the Hornet
and then the Helena sailed into
her first major engagement.
On October II strong force of
japanese cruisers. destroyers and
troop transports headed southwark
III an attempt to reinforce the Jap
anese units which the Marines were
battling on Guadalcanal. A task
force under the command Of Rear
Admiral Norman Scott. u. S. N.
who was later killed in the battle
Of Guadalcanal, was ordered to in
tercept.
Rear Admiral SCOTS ships
steamed off to engage the enemy in
one of the few night surface en-
engagements ever fought between
rival forces Of virtually equal
strength.
The story of the Battle OF Cape
Esperance has been told 49,. how
Admiral SCOTS force turned back
the enemy without a landing
how it sank four cruisers, four de-
stroyers and transport with the
loss of but one of its own destroy
ers and how United States
airmen swarmed over the fleeing
japanese ships the next day, dam
aging another cruiser and probably
sinking a destroyer.
However, security reasons pre-
vented the revealing Of the con-
tribution the Helena made in that
victory, and it was a major con-
tribution
The enemy was engaged at IA
minutes before midnight; exactly SO
seconds later the Helena's guns
paused momentarily as the destroy
er on which she had them trained
caught fire. Explosions occurred all
over the enemy ship and she sank.
The Helena's gun crews then
turned their attention to a second
vessel, cruiser. Fire was checked
four and a half minutes later when
the cruiser, flaming from bow to
stern, disintegrated.
The ships lookouts strained to
distinguish between friend and foe
in the melee that was taking place
between the rival ships.
A Japanse cruiser and United
States cruiser were swapping
punches nearby. The Helena's bat
teries turned on the enemy and the
combined fire-poWer of the two
United States ships put the enemy
craft under
A japanese destroyer sneaked in
and fired torpedo at the Helena,
but her lookouts spotted it and the
cruiser swung sharply, the tin
fish passing harmlessly rs yards
ahead
The destroyer wheeled in an at
tempt to flee the scene. One United
States ship already had it under
fire when the Helena joined in
The enemy craft was blasted to bits
The action was broken off with
the surviving enemy ships in re-
treat.
In their first battle the Helena's
gun crews trad fired at four ships
and had either destroyed or helped
to destroy four ships, attesting tc
the efficient training they received
at the hands Of their gunnery of
ficer, Commander Rodmon D. Smith