January 29, 1943
Japanese submarine I1 lost off Guadaalcanal after attack by converted New Zealan trawlers Kiwi and Moa.
Solomons campaign February 1943
Landing on Russell islands February 21 1943.
Next step New Georgia and its associated islands operation Toenails set for June 30 1943.
Landings also occurred in New Guinea
MacArthur's naval forces designated as the Seventh Fleet in March 1943. They were first commanded by Admiral Carpender then Rear Admiral Kinkaid. The Seventh Fleet had its own force of CVEs. These naval forces supported the crawl along the North coast of New Guinea.
Battle of the Bismarck Sea 2 March 1943
A Japanese convoy of 7 transports, a collier and 8 destroyers was caught by US and RAAF planes and destroyed. All the transports were sunk or left sinking as were 4 destroyers the Arashio, Asashi, Shirayuki and the Tokitsukaze. Those abandoned, but not immediately sunk were finished off by PT boats and more planes. The transports had been carrying a division of some 7,000 men.
End march 1943
American force under Rear Admiral Charles McMorris. The light cruiser Richmond and heavy cruiser Salt Lake City and 4 destroyers.
Japanese force under Admiral Hosogaya, 2 heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, 4 destroyers and two armed merchant cruisers.
No losses, but considerable damage was done to USS Salt Lake City and IJN Nachi.
Japanese operations early April 1943
In a ten day offensive costing about 10% of the aircraft involved Japanese planes sunk two allied warships, 2 merchantmen, a tanker. Th operation was called off on the 15th April by Admiral Yamamoto.
Death of Yamamoto 18 April 1943
American planes intercepted and shot down the plane carrying Admiral Yamamoto.
British carrier HMS Victorious acted as part of the US fleet from May to September 1943 to cover a temporary shortfall in American carriers.
Japanese losses June
The Battleship Mutsu blew up 8th June due to an internal explosion.
US Saratoga and HMS Victorious part of a covering force for the landings of MacArthur's forces on New Georgia in the Solomons.
Two freighters sunk by Japanese submarines off New Georgia early during the landings. The transport McCawley was lost after being hit by aerial torpedo and sunk by American PT boats.
July 4-5 1943
Japanese reinforcements sent in by seven destroyer transports and three destroyers under Rear Admiral Akiyama Teruo. In the following engagement with Task Group 36.1 (Rear Admiral Walden Ainsworth) the Japanese sunk the US destroyer Strong (DD-467) with a long range torpedo attack.
| US losses | Japanese losses |
|---|---|
| Light Cruiser USS Helena | Destroyer Niizuki sunk |
| Destroyer Nagatsuki run aground landing troops on the 6th | |
| 3 destroyers damaged |
| US losses | Japanese losses |
|---|---|
| Light cruiser HMNZS Leander knocked out by torpedo | Light cruiser Jintsu sunk by gunfire |
| Light cruiser Honolulu torpedoed | |
| Light cruiser St.Louis torpedoed | |
| USS destroyer Gwin sunk |
August south of Kolombangara PT 109 cut in half by the destroyer Amagiri. One of the survivors was its skipper J.F. Kennedy.
Battle of Vella Gulf August 6, 1943
Three Japanese transports sunk with only their escorting destroyer getting away.
July 15, 1943
U-159 depth charged south of Haiti by USN aircraft.
August 20, 1943
U-197 depth chjarged south of Madagascar by RAF.
October 3, 1943
Bagley class destroyer USS Henley(DD-391) sunk off Finsehhafen, New Guinea by RO108.
Battle of Vella Lavella 6 October 1943
US destroyer Chevalier and the Japanese destroyer Yugumo quickly sunk after making first contact. The USS Chevalier collided with the USS O'Bannon putting the latter out of the action and a third destroyer the USS Selfridge was torpedoed.
October 11, 1943
Probable loss of submarine USS undet Cdr Morton.
November 1943
Submarine USS Sculpin sunk off Truk by IJN destroyer Yamagumo. The submarine Corvina deployed around the Gilberts was sunk by I-176. Several Japanese submarines were also sunk in this period.
Battle of Empress Augusta Bay 2 November 1943
US Task Force 39 four light cruisers and eight destroyers commanded by Rear Admiral Stanton Merrill.
Japanese naval force two heavy and two light cruisers and six destroyers led by Rear Admiral Omori Sentaro.
| US losses | Japanese losses |
|---|---|
| Cruiser Denver heavily damaged | Lt cruiser Sendai crippled |
| Destroyer Foote lost her stern | 2 destroyers collided |
| Destroyer Spence fuel contaminated | Destroyer Hatsukaze collided with heavy cruiser Myoko |
November 5 1943
An attack was made from the US carriers Saratoga and Priceton on Rabul. Only one ship was sunk, but extensive damage was done to four heavy and two light cruisers and two destroyers. The Japanese cruisers were withdrawn from Rabul.
November 11 1943
Second US carrier attack on Rabul by planes from the carriers Essex, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Princeton and Independence. A heavy cruiser was crippled, a destroyer sunk and another sufferred heavy damage.
November 12 1943
IJN Cruiser Agano torpedoed by USS Scamp. Agano towed to Truk.
November 20, 1943
The Light carrier Independence was damaged in an air raid and forced to withdraw to Pearl Harbour.
November 24, 1943
Escort carrier Lipscombe Bay was sunk by I-175.
Battle of Cape St.George November 25 1943
A Japanese force of three destroyer transports and two destroyers was intercepted by a US force of 5 destroyers.
The destroyers Onami and Makinami were fatally damaged by torpedoes fired by the Americans and one of the transports the Yugiri was sunk.
November 29, 1943
Mahan class destroyer USS Perkins(DD-377) sunk after colision with troopship HMAS Duntroon off Cape Vogel, New Guinea.
December 3, 1943
IJN escort carrier Chuyo torpedoed and sunk by the submarine USS Sailfish.
December 4 1943
The USS carrier Lexington II was aerial torpedoed and limped back to Pearl Harbor.
December 24 1943
IJN battleship Yamato torpedoed.