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 Rennel Island
From Month/Year
January / 1943
To Month/Year
January / 1943
Description The Battle of Rennell Island took place on 29-30 January 1943. It was the last major naval engagement between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II. It occurred in the South Pacific between Rennell Island and Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands.
In the battle, Japanese naval land-based torpedo bombers, seeking to provide protection for the impending evacuation of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal, made several attacks over two days on US warships operating as a task force south of this island. In addition to approaching Guadalcanal with the objective of engaging any Japanese ships that might come into range, the U.S. task force was protecting an Allied transport ship convoy carrying replacement troops there.
As a result of the Japanese air attacks on the task force, one U.S. heavy cruiser was sunk, a destroyer was heavily damaged, and the rest of the U.S. task force was forced to retreat from the southern Solomons area. Partly because they turned back the U.S. task force in this battle, the Japanese successfully evacuated their remaining troops from Guadalcanal by 7 February 1943, leaving it in the hands of the Allies and ending the battle for the island.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1943
To Month/Year
January / 1943
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories HELENA found a measure of revenge when she was assigned
to the several bombardments of Japanese positions on New
Georgia during January 1943. Her guns rocked the enemy at
Munda and Vila Stanmore, leveling vital supply
concentrations and gun emplacements. Continuing on patrol
and escort in support of the bitter Guadalcanal operation
through February, one of her float planes shared in the
sinking of Japanese submarine RO-102, 11 February 1943.
After overhaul in Sydney, Australia, she was back at
Espiritu Santo in March to participate in bombardments of
New Georgia, soon to be invaded. The first goal on New
Georgia proper, was Rice Anchorage. In the force escorting
the transports carrying the initial landing parties, HELENA
moved into Kula Gulf just before midnight 4 July, and
shortly after midnight on the 5th, her big guns opened up in
