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The destroyers had recovered only a score when they spotted vessels coming out of Kula Gulf, and the squadron commander ordered the destroyers to prepare to attack. But the Japs turned tail and the destroyers went back to their rescue work. They put their whaleboats over and had pulled out about 300 more men when they again picked up a hostile ship coming out of Kula. This time they abandoned the survivors long enough to fire nine torpedoes at the ship. Illuminating her with star shells, they saw her to be a cruiser, now smoking and dead on the water. Behind her was a second smaller enemy ship, and they shelled and hit it. Back they went to the Helena's men, and for the third time had to lash out and close with a circling Jap, which they crippled and left smoking. Dawn was beginning to light the sky and the destroyers could see spotter planes coming from the Jap airbase at Vila.
The Hard Choice. The squadron commander had to make a hard choice of retiring while the men were still floating in the water, or staying and risking everything in an air attack. He chose to retire. One of the abandoned men was the Helena's captain.
They left whaleboats with two boat crews. Self-appointed coxswain of one crew was 22-year-old Ensign Jack Fitch, son of Vice Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch. Fitch had to be peremptorily ordered aboard his destroyer just as it was getting under way and racing south. The bulk of the force sped on its way to get under our air cover before daylight betrayed us. We were unscathed, except for a few broken valves, pipes, soap dishes and hair-tonic bottles and the dent in our bottom.
That night 675 officers and men were rescued by the destroyers. The next morning some more got ashore on New Georgia, including the Helena's captain.