This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Tommy Burgdorf (Birddog), FC2
to remember
Buerkle, Elmer Charles, CDR.
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Casualty Info
Home Town San Diego, CA
Last Address 3020 Goldsmith St San Diego, CA (Wife~Lillian Neil Buerkle)
Casualty Date Jul 06, 1943
Cause MIA-Finding of Death
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery - Taguig City, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates Tablets of the Missing (Cenotaph)
Guadalcanal Campaign (1942-43)/Battle of the Eastern Solomons
From Month/Year
August / 1942
To Month/Year
August / 1942
Description The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the Second Battle of the Solomon Sea took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and the second major engagement fought between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Guadalcanal Campaign. As at the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, the ships of the two adversaries were never within sight of each other. Instead, all attacks were carried out by carrier-based or land-based aircraft.
After several damaging air attacks, the naval surface combatants from both America and Japan withdrew from the battle area without either side securing a clear victory. However, the U.S. and its allies gained tactical and strategic advantage. Japan's losses were greater and included dozens of aircraft and their experienced aircrews. Also, Japanese reinforcements intended for Guadalcanal were delayed and eventually delivered by warships rather than transport ships, giving the Allies more time to prepare for the Japanese counteroffensive and preventing the Japanese from landing heavy artillery, ammunition, and other supplies.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
August / 1942
To Month/Year
August / 1942
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories In
1942, she sailed to enter action, escorting a detachment of
SeaBees and an aircraft carrier rushing planes to the South
Pacific. She made two quick dashes from Espiritu Santo to
Guadalcanal, where the long and bloody battle for the island
was then beginning, and having completed these missions,
joined the Task Force formed around WASP (CV-7).
This Task Force steamed in distant support of six
transports carrying Marine reinforcements to Guadalcanal.
On 15 September 1942, in mid-afternoon, WASP was suddenly
hit by three Japanese torpedoes. Almost at once, she became
an inferno. HELENA, her guns blazing, stood by to rescue
nearly 400 of WASP's officers and men, whom she took to
