Battle of Vella Lavella (naval)

Battle of Vella Lavella
Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
The destroyers USS Selfridge and O'Bannon at Nouméa after the battle.
Date 6 October 1943 Location Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Frank R. Walker	Matsuji Ijuin
Strength
6 destroyers	9 destroyers, 20 barges, auxiliary ships
Casualties and losses
1 destroyer sunk, 2 destroyers heavily damaged, 67 killed 47 wounded 36 missing[1][2]	1 destroyer sunk, 138 killed[3] 103 captured

The Battle of Vella Lavella (第二次ベララベラ海戦, Dainiji Berarabera kaisen) was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 6 October 1943, near the island of Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands. It marked the end of a three-month fight to capture the central Solomon Islands, as part of the Solomon Islands campaign.

The battle took place at the end of the ground campaign on Vella Lavella, as the Japanese sought to evacuate the 600-strong garrison from the island. The garrison had become hemmed into a small pocket on the northern end of the island around Marquana Bay. While a force of around 20 auxiliary ships and barges evacuated the stranded soldiers, a force of 9 Japanese destroyers fought a short, but sharp engagement with 6 US Navy destroyers to the north of the island, thus diverting attention from the evacuation. As a result of the engagement, the Japanese evacuation effort was successfully concluded. Each side lost one destroyer sunk.