Allied Warships

USS Helena (i) (CL 50)

Light cruiser of the St. Louis class


USS Helena (CL-50) at Boston, USA in June 1940. US Navy photo # NH 95816.

NavyThe US Navy
TypeLight cruiser
ClassSt. Louis 
PennantCL 50 
Built byNew York Navy Yard (New York, New York, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down9 Dec 1936 
Launched27 Aug 1939 
Commissioned18 Sep 1939 
Lost6 Jul 1943 
Loss position7° 46'S, 157° 11'E
History

The light cruiser USS Helena (Captain Charles Purcell Cecil) was participating in the Battle of Kula Gulf when she was hit by three torpedoes from Japanese warships. The Helena was blown in two and sank in position 07º46'S, 157º11'E with 193 were killed out of a crew of 888. The survivors were later picked up by Radford which includes the Commanding Officer who had been wounded.

 

Commands listed for USS Helena (i) (CL 50)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Capt. Max Burke DeMott, USN18 Sep 193914 Jul 1941
2Capt. Robert Henry English, Jr., USN14 Jul 19416 Mar 1942
3Cdr. Gerald Desmond Linke, USN6 Mar 194229 Mar 1942
4Capt. Oliver Middleton Read, USN29 Mar 194225 Sep 1942
5Capt. Gilbert Corwin Hoover, USN25 Sep 194223 Nov 1942
6Capt. Charles Purcell Cecil, USN23 Nov 19426 Jul 1943

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