Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Campaign and Dates
New Georgia Group operations New Georgia - Rendova - Vangunu occupation, 20 June to 5 October 1943

At Guadalcanal on 13 August 1943 LCT(5)-327 and LCT(5)-325 were directed to take mail and cargo to American Forces at Enogai Harbor, New Georgia, and to evacuate casualties in company with USS APc-25. Their escorts were PT-154 under the command of LTJG Hamlin D. Smith, USNR, and PT-157 under LTJG William F. Liebenow, Jr., USNR. At this time and place all travel was at night. At about 2015 hours, prior to their departure, enemy aircraft appeared over Lunga Point. The transport USS John Penn (APA-23) was unloading supplies and was hit by an aerial torpedo and exploded. APc-25 was anchored about 750 yards away waiting for the LCTs and PTs to arrive so they could get underway for New Georgia. They responded to the John Penn, arriving in about 3 minutes, and proceeded to rescue about 100 passengers and crew members who had jumped into the oily, flaming waters to pull in badly injured survivors. A doctor and corpsmen who were aboard as passengers treated those they could. All the patients were sent ashore in LCVPs and the little convoy left at 2245 hours. On the night of 15 August 1943 the little flotilla came under air attack. The PTs protected their charges by zigzagging at high speed and making puffs of smoke to distract the attention of the enemy pilots but despite these efforts two sailors on the LCT(5)-325 were wounded by bomb fragments.