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Nicole Summers, MMFN
to remember
Barney, Bernard, S2c.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Brighton, NY
Last Address 445 Richs Dugway Rd Brighton, NY (Father~Calvin Barney)
Casualty Date Oct 27, 1943
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Burns
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Oakwood Cemetery - Penfield, New York
Northern Solomon Islands Campaign (1943-44)/Battle of Vella Lavella
From Month/Year
October / 1943
To Month/Year
October / 1943
Description The Battle of Vella Lavella 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.
Background
After their defeats on New Georgia and in the Battle of Vella Gulf, the Japanese had evacuated their garrisons in the central Solomons. A staging post had been established at Horaniu on the north tip of Vella Lavella for the evacuation barges. In October 1943, 600 soldiers remained, and a force of nine destroyers—Fumizuki, Matsukaze, YÅ«nagi, Akigumo, Isokaze, Kazagumo, YÅ«gumo, Shigure, Samidare—was dispatched under Rear Admiral Matsuji Ijuin to rescue them.
Battle
At 22:30, they spotted a U.S. force of three destroyers—Selfridge, Chevalier, and O'Bannon, commanded by Captain Frank R. Walker—approaching from Vella Gulf. A second division of three U.S. destroyers—Ralph Talbot, Taylor, and La Vallette—was also sailing up the west coast of Vella Lavella. Walker did not wait for his other three destroyers to come up but attacked immediately. Both sides launched torpedoes and opened fire at about 23:00.
YÅ«gumo, first in the Japanese line, was hit several times, knocking out her steering, and she was finished off by a torpedo and sunk at about 23:10. However, one of her torpedoes hit Chevalier, detonating the forward magazine. O 'â??Bannon then collided with the crippled Chevalier, and for some time the two ships were locked together. Selfridge attacked alone and was hit by a torpedo at 23:06 and disabled. All three ships were severely damaged, and reinforcements were still 15 minutes away. However, the rest of the Japanese turned away, having perhaps misidentified the three approaching destroyers as cruisers.
Aftermath
Shigure and Samidare off Bougainville just hours before the battle.
Chevalier could not be saved and was sunk around 03:00. The Japanese completed their evacuation mission, ending the second phase of Operation Cartwheel with the Allied capture of the central Solomons after a three-month campaign that cost the Allies six ships; the Japanese lost 16.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
October / 1943
To Month/Year
October / 1943
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories after screening a group of transports to Guadalcanal, she brought fire support and was Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson's flagship for the landings on Vella Lavella on 15 August.