Battle of Vella Gulf

Battle of Vella Gulf
	Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
	; The U.S. destroyer Sterett.
Date	6–7 August 1943
Location	Near Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands7°54′S 156°49′E / 7.90°S 156.82°E
Result	American victory
Belligerents
United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Frederick Moosbrugger	Kaju Sugiura
Units involved
Task Group 31.2	Destroyer Division 4
Strength
6 destroyers	4 destroyers
Casualties and losses
None	3 destroyers sunk,; 1,210 killed

The Battle of Vella Gulf (ベラ湾夜戦, Berawan yasen) was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 6–7 August 1943 in Vella Gulf between Vella Lavella and Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands of the southwest Pacific.

This engagement was the first time that American destroyers were allowed to operate independently of the American cruiser force during the Pacific campaign.

In the battle, six American destroyers had intelligence that a Japanese group was coming to Vella Gulf on that night, and laid in wait for them. In the battle, six American destroyers engaged four Japanese destroyers attempting to reinforce Japanese troops on Kolombangara. The American warships closed the Japanese force undetected with the aid of radar and fired torpedoes, sinking three Japanese destroyers with no damage to American ships.