1943: During the night of 4-5 July, in preparation for these landings, a task force of cruisers (Honolulu, Helena, and St. Louis) and destroyers (Nicholas, O’Bannon, Strong, and Chevalier) under Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth, bombarded enemy positions and gun installations in the Vila-Stanmore and Bairoko Harbor areas. The original plan called for a heavy concentration of fire on Enogai Inlet, but at the last moment this was abandoned upon instructions from the task force commander, because our reconnaissance photographs revealed no evidence of enemy shore batteries in the Enogai area. Since there was little possibility of surprise, the heaviest concentration of fire was reserved for artillery emplacements, instead of troop bivouac areas, which had been the principal targets in previous bombardments. The destroyers Nicholas and O’Bannon on the western end of the line and the Radford on the eastern end were firing on the same targets as the cruisers when opportunity offered. For several minutes the Radford was kept from joining in because the Jenkins blanked her fire. The Jenkins was the only one of the destroyers which fired torpedoes during this phase, but she did not fire her guns during the engagement.
The Strong and Helena were struck and sunk by Japanese torpedos a day apart.The Nicholas and O'Bannon (Chevalier and Radford) were involved in rescuing survivors.
