Battle of Empress Augusta Bay
was providing fire support to landings on Bougainville on 1 November 1943 during the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay when around 7:45 a group of six enemy dive bombers targeted "Wadsworth" and her sister ship bombarding the beach. Although all enemy bombs landed in water, one bomb missed the "Wadsworth" by less than twenty feet, spraying shrapnel across the deck. Two of "Wadsworth's" sailors were killed and another nine were wounded by bomb fragments. Two of the attacking planes were brought down.