USS Helena CL 50 - The Machine Gun Cruiser 

Thank you very much for this excellent video about the USS Helena. My shop teacher in Junior High served on the Helena. He was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked and was also on it the night it was sunk. I will always remember him telling about floating in the water awaiting rescue and watching ship mates being pulled under by sharks. He and others that served will always be my hero!

0:06 My father served aboard the Helena. He was the youngest Chief Machinist Mate in the navy. He never spoke about the war. He lent me his book “The Fightenist’ Ship in the Navy.’ When I returned the book to him I asked him where he wound up after she was sunk. He told me swam to one of the islands along with other survivors where they were cared for by the natives of that island. He told me that one of the natives had feet “this long” indicating the length of the feet with his hands. Daddy was assigned to the engine rooms. When the Helena was took hits in both engine rooms at different times, he was always in the opposite room. Had he not been, I wouldn’t be here. I have a picture of him in his dress blues. His chest was covered with campaign medals. I never knew any of the story in your video. Thank you for posting it. My son found it and sent it to me.

My Father Walter "Woody" Ketchum served in the Solomons on Helena. "The Fightenest Ship." He and his shipmates were brave and well trained sailors. My Dad and other Helena survivors were aided by local natives who hid them ashore until they could be rescued. To say I am proud of my Fathers service aboard the Helena is a gross understatement.

Exciting and informative episode! My wife’s uncle, John Ewing, from Wheeling, Missouri, was on the USS Chicago, CA-29, when she was sunk in January of 1943 at the Battle of Rennell Island. The US Navy needed every available seaman at that time. After a few days in the hospital, Seaman Ewing was assigned to the Helena. Within seven months, Seaman Ewing was sunk twice. Luckily, he survived the war.

My wife's grandfather Edwin Deuel served on the Helena, and was on it when it was sunk. We still have the US dollar bill and the Aussie five pound note that he had in his pockets as he floated in the water waiting to be rescued. Both are cover in oil.

The USS Helena & USS St.Louis, sister ships, fought with gallantry and courage throughout the war. My father was stationed on the St.Louis from 1939-1945. He said there was always a friendly rivalry between the two ships, but there was also deep respect between the crews.

An unsung hero of the Pacific Theatre. God bless all those who served and/or died aboard the Helena. Rest in peace, brave souls.

What a real bad ass is. What a mean woman this USS Helena, and HER crew. From a member of the 101st Airborne Div. ..GO NAVY!!!!

My uncle ,Edward Uhlig, from San Antonio, was on the Helena during the Pearl Harbor attack. He died from burns he sustained during the attack.

My brother Sam Powell was a steward on the Helena. During battle stations he told me he passed ammo.

The Navy…. Months and years of boredom. Then 15 minutes of terror The Solomon’s campaign is amazing. Both the IJN and USN working very far from home at the end of very long logistical tails

My Dad, George Yellak was Ships Company (original crew) when it was built at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, he was on the Helena for the Commissioning, Shakedown cruise to South America where he and some of his shipmates boarded the scuttled Graf Spee , the Pearl Harbor attack, every engagement, and its final battle in Kula Gulf where he was picked up in the water by the USS Nicholas! He was a Fire Controlman (rangefinder) FC/2.

Around the year 2000, I found the after-action reports by Helena's captain and chief gunnery officer from Pearl Harbor on the web. I don't remember where I found them but they are worth hunting for and reading. Both noted the extreme competence of the crew, how damage control parties automatically did what was needed without orders and would request more duties from the nearest officer when they completed a task, while others formed human chains to pass ammo to the A.A. guns. There was a 5-inch crew on board Oglala. When that ship sank, the gun crew swam to Helena, climbed aboard, found an officer and requested duty. Both of the reporting officers said if they were to recommend decorations, they would have to name every single member of the crew whom they observed that day. This was all a credit to her captain and officers, who had thoroughly drilled the crew in damage control procedures, and to the crew who had absorbed and applied that training.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard built some great ships.

The exploits of this brave ship deserves to be made into a movie!

Sailors under battle stress learn and become more capable in the chaos. These super men responded as though they were acostom to these horrors from the standing start of peacetime. Incredible greatest generation.

At 69 I remember as a kid my late brother had a nice model of the Helena but I didn't know much about this ship. Certainly not the nicest looking ship but has a great service record. Thanks for preserving her in history and her awesome brave crew. May God Bless America. NCSWIC.

RIP for the ship and his bravery Crew . Respeckt and salut from Germany .I served German Navy in the Early 70th and Build a Modell from Helena in my Freetime in the Barracks and spent is as a gift for my Staffsargen if he Left Service couse he love the History of the Helena and her Sister......

Thank you for your teachings on these wonderful ships & men. Any WWII history is not only enjoyable but essential. Thank you again. Bless our Vets 🇺🇸🇺🇸

I am eternally grateful for the fine ships and the fine sea Fighters that crude and fought them,I remember my mother who was born during that time period I was told her name Helen , she was called Ellen was named for family friends that served a board that Mighty worship!❤😂😊

We need to thank her crew who proved the best American weapon was the fighting men.

Whew! What terrific story you tell! Thank you for this superb video. Packed with info and action. More, please!

Just discovered your Channel, thank you for your excellent insightful Post ! Looking forward to more posts especially if any Australian content . A significant amount of Operations were conducted with American and Australian Destroyers with the welcome Light Cruiser occasionally . Thanks again and I will see what you have already Posted .

All the "Brooklyn" and "Cleveland" class light cruisers had the 6" Mk.16 L/47 gun. Most "Cleveland" class cruisers could fire 135lbs APHEBCPC rounds, while the "Brooklyn" class used the 105lbs round. The 6" Mk.16 gun used a sliding breech block and brass cartridge cases instead of the screw breech and powder bags of earlier and the Mk.17 guns in the "Erie" class protected gunboats. This was the fastest firing light cruiser gun of WW2, able to sustain ten rounds a minute per gun for a limited time. The only problem was that the large number of projectiles were hard to spot so that corrections to the input data to the fire control computer (rangekeeper) could be made and without flameless powder, the cruiser looked like it was on fire, giving Japanese cruisers and destroyers armed with the Type 93 61cm oxygen-fueled torpedo, which at high-speed setting (50-51 knots) outranged the gun by around 5,000 yards.

Brave ship, brave men! LEST WE FORGET 🇦🇺 🇺🇸

My Uncle August, was in that Batttle battle called "Iron bottom bay" while on the USS Astoria, a Heavy crucer, which was sunk, and He survived to the end of the war, and retired

Thanks for the excellent USS Helena video..... Old Navy F-4 Phantom 2 Shoe🇺🇸

The incomparable "Greatest Generation" defending Freedom and their nation.

I suggest there is something in the soil around Helena, Montana that nutures the local warrior spirit. Post Civil War, its best beneficiaries were mostly Southern veterans of that terrible war seeking out a fresh start raising cattle & horses. Elmer Keith, a renowned handgun hunter, (creator of the 44 Remington Magnum)was firstly inspired by these expert sixgun, ex-rebel cavalrymen, regarding the American revolver. During the years of WW2, this area of Montana became the training grounds for the joint American-Canadian elite commando unit, First Special Service Force that distinguished itself in mountainous Italy. So, its kind of fitting USS Helena was nicknamed The Machine Gun Cruiser!

My mother's cousin Electrician Mate 2nd Class Richard Dobbins was killed aboard on December 7, 1941. His brother, Seaman 1st Class Albert Dobbins served aboard the destroyer USS Hammon and was mortally wounded while trying to rig a tow aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown during the Battle of Midway.

God bless this crew and ship ! My father was a marine on Guadalcanal island 2d marine division❤

I’d only known her from the Pearl Harbor attack… what a great ship & crew! Much respect

U did an outstanding job presenting this piece of America's history. Thank u very much, and I'm now a SUBSCRIBER.

Like Fox Company, 7th Marines holding the Toktong Pass at the Chosin Reservoir, these brave sailors on this magnificent ship probably changed the course of the war. I hope they found some solace in their loss & grief knowing this.

Extraordinary narration. Thank you.

Sounds like she was a rare beast. I've seen no other cruiser with 15 main guns. That in itself would have made her a serious threat despite not having heavier guns.

One of the Japanese destroyers on Nov. 13 was captained by Tameichi Hara, who wrote in his book that he made a mistake by turning on his searchlight and getting raked by Helena and probably Juneau.

Very well done. Much of these details are new to me. What a gallant fighting ship! We want more.

Gonna say, I have this ship in "World of Warship" and it's one of my favorite tier 7 Cruisers in the game.

Well produced video! Inspiring story. Thanks - your creativity is appreciated

My God father, Stanley Drozdal, served on the Helena. He never talked about it. Was injured ,but never wanted compensation. A humble hero .

Wow, 7 battle stars. Tough battles around guadalcanal. What a tough ship.

I think I put together a Revelle model of her when I was a kid back in the 60s......

👍🏻🇺🇸✌️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧 I remember making a kit model of her in the early 1960’s.

I love how you explain everything in great detail! Wow. The USS Helena was indeed one very badass Cruiser!! ❤ I did know about her being nicknamed, "the machinegun Cruiser" I love that nickname! I enjoy watching your videos because every single one of them is informative and accurate! You always do an excellent job! So Thank you!! 😊

I appreciate very good and succinct videos. This was well done and not embarrassingly embellished. Thank you 🙏🏻

The USN was fortunate to have excellent captains on their cruisers during WW 2. They were very competent and willing to fight. The allies were very ignorant to the power of the Type 93 torpedo for much of the war, including the Solomons campaign, when many ships were sunk or severely damaged. Yet the allies went toe to toe with the IJN during these brutal night engagements with the utmost bravery. The Japanese sailors were extremely well trained and aggressive, which is why these battles were so fierce. It took the USN a while to figure out how to use their radars effectively as well as get their torpedoes working!

I grew up in Helena, graduated from Helena HS (go Bengals!), but this is the first that I'm hearing about the USS Helena.

My uncle Joe Dysken went done with the Helena

You should check out the story of HMAS Perth.

Yeah. The difference between the US and UK use of Radar - was that the British had developed their techniques and trained their officers in using it - before the war but the US had not. There were 4 radar installations at Pearl Harbor - and they did detect the Japanese coming in - but the Americans were not trained in their use and had not had training in interception of radar targets by their aircraft. Basically - they could operate the equipment - but they didn't now how to use it as part of a larger system. It wasn't any better with the Navy. They didn't know how to use it as part of a task force and utterly misused their radar early on. Once Officers who knew how to use their Radar began commanding task forces - the Japanese suffered for that. Those automatic 6 in. guns, 12 to 15 to a ship, just slaughtered destroyers. Halsey's reputation was based on his decision to go toe to toe with the Japanese. They shot each other to pieces - but - the US could replace their lasses and the Japanese could not. *_BOTH_* sides lost 24 ships in the Guadalcanal Campaign and Iron Bottom Sound was the most apt nickname of any body of water. The American decision to take the torpedoes off most of their cruisers - might have mattered more - but the Mark 14 torpedoes were initially so horrible this would not have made much difference. .

Great video! Love anything about the fighting ships of our Navy, in WW2!

Great documentary 👏🏻

Captivating. Really well done!

Great story. God bless her crew and all the allied ships that fought in the Solomons.

Great video. Thanks for sharing

Awesome, thank you!

Outstanding content, quality, production and presentation. I subscribed! Cheers.

Very good. Thank you.

Liked and subbed. Thank you , and job well done!

Good Video & History That Matters. Thank You.

Excellent Video and content!

Great video thanks

Love this one

Admiral Ainsworth had just taken command of that task force and, incredibly had never heard anything about the type 93 torpedo and was not yet aware that when you see Japanese destroyers leaving the scene then a salvo of Long Lances were likely on the way. Ainsworth was in good company because nobody in the USN yet knew just what the Type 93 was capable of and were only about now beginning to realizing what the Mark 15 was, for the most part, not capable of. Kula Gulf just about spent the last of our operational cruisers in the Pacific with damaged ones from the Tassafaronga Ambush gone wrong still in dry-docks and New ones still on stateside shipyard ways. The night before the Kula Gulf Battle, Japanese destroyers fired a 14 torpedo salvo at a narrow inlet that the destroyer USS Strong was passing through, from nine nautical miles out, and sunk her, setting the torpedo hit record which insofar as I'm aware, still stands. We were still blaming torpedo hits from destroyers out of our radar range on undetected submarines as we had since the Battle of the Java Sea. . Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong but what the Japanese had at this time wasn't good functional radar on the surface vessels but radar detectors with about twice the range of our radar at that time. At least they didn't have many if any radar sets..They were still using colored smoke to mark their battleship gunnery at Leyte Gulf. Our own were primitive and vessels with a land backdrop were somewhat harder to distinguish for operators still learning it at that early date.. But we had guys like Admiral Willis Augustus Lee who embraced the new tech and overcame it's shortcomings to help make our advantage being in radar directed gunnery to theirs in functional torpedoes . Those type 93 torpedoes, btw,were just as powerful if you could set them off in their launching tubes. They often became something to ditch in stealthy runs out of losing battle zones.

Those hero's should never b forgotten.

how heroic, presented with such passion...

Great narration made me subscribe thanks

Thank You For this video Awesome keep showing your video s

Great content

Excellent 👍🏽

Excellent video!

A great ship, and a great story.

Excellent.

What a great story.

Good content, subscribed

When America had God's Blessing Covering & Strategy. Honor & Integrity...

Great video.

The Boise, the same class cruiser contributed as much as the Helena. They were both quite formidable.

"WOW" great ship.

Very good video what a ship such a pity she went she should be here for all to see,,,

What a warrior.

Weight of fire, the answer to everything.

Is the portside view of the USS Helena (11:23 - 11:53) firing a broadside during a night engagement a painting or a photograph? If it's a painting, what's its title and are prints available?

My Father Was a Maine on Guadalcanal ant Tarawa where he Contracted Malaria and it came back on Him and Killed Him while Hunting he fell to his Death on a New Deer Leash on the 15Dec63 in Grimes County, I was Marine in Vietnam '66 to '70 !! !

Fantastic. Thanks for the gun details?

As with many ships my grandfather was on the U.S.S Ticonderoga and went to Tulagi was well have you done a video on it?

5 Jan 1943: USS (CC) Helena fires 2 salvos of 5” w/Proximity Fuzing and shoots down IJN dive bomber in first US Combat test of proximity fused AA. May 1945: USS (DD) Evans & Hadley are attacked by over 150 Kamikazes off the coast of Okinawa. All were shot down with only pieces of 6 A/C actually hitting the ships.

There is some confusion with the Saint Louis class light cruiser USS Helena CL-50 and the Baltimore class heavy cruiser USS Helena. CA-75. Revell released a model of CA-75. There are no plastic kits of the Saint Louis and Brooklyn class light cruisers in any scale. There are some resin kits. The differences between the Brooklyn and Saint Louis class light cruisers are different enough to make the Saint Louis and Helena their own class of light cruisers. Or listed as modified Brooklyns. Three differences stand out. Secondary AA. The Brooklyns has eight 5" 25 cal DP (dual purpose) guns in single open mounts. But the 25 cal guns were AA oriented but not as good for surface actions when compared with the older 5" 51 cal SP (single purpose) guns. The 25 cal guns were easier to handle with a good rate of fire, but the lower velocity affected range and the trajectory of the shell fell off at longer ranges. The 5" 38 cal was a compromise that maintained ease of handling while offering better muzzle velocity. The Saint Louis and her sister Helena mounted eight 5" 38 cal guns in twin turrets. The aft superstructure and mast on the Brooklyns were placed further aft compared with the Saint Louis and Helena, which moved them forward. This also cleared firing arcs for AA guns. The third difference was the arrangement of the engine rooms and boilers. The Brooklyns had the boilers concentrated together ahead of the engines. The Saint Louis class, like the USS Wasp introduced the unit system for survivability against damage. There were two engine rooms with two boiler rooms for each engine room (the boiler rooms further had a boiler operating station separating the two) A hit on one group could leave the other still operating. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn-class_cruiser en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_St._Louis_(CL-49) Note wiki lists the two as part of the Brooklyn class bur Friedman in his book U.S. Cruisers lists the two as Saint Louis class light cruisers. Navsource lists the two as modified Brooklyns sometimes called Saint Louis class. www.navsource.org/archives/04/049/04049.htm

Some of CL-50’s came to the commissioning of the next Helena (SSN 725) in 1987.

Cruiser with a punch of a battleship.

Great ship….great men

Go Navy!!!

Well researched with accurate photos of the Helena unlike other arm chair "historians" who use what ever photos they "think" are accurate.

Although not literal in this particular instance, the US Iowa Class Battleships had up to around fifty .50 calibre machine guns, mounted on various points of the superstructure, to counter Japanese Kamikaze attacks.

Wow

Congratulations on an outstanding presentation. Historically accurate and with graphic detail.

Outstanding presentation.

Helena was the first ship to down an enemy plane with the then secret 5" proximity shell. I believe it was 3 rounds and a VAL was shot down.

"Most famous" - Sandy cracks her knuckles