{"product_id":"9781597978408","title":"Sunk in Kula Gulf: The Final Voyage of the USS \u003ci\u003eHelena\u003c\/i\u003e and the Incredible Story of Her Survivors in World War II","description":"The early morning hours of July 6, 1943, found the USS \u003ci\u003eHelena\u003c\/i\u003e off the Solomon Islands in what would later be known as the Battle of Kula Gulf. But the shipAÆs participation in the battle came to a swift end when three Japanese torpedoes suddenly struck. One hundred and sixty-eight sailors went down with the ship, many never surviving the initial torpedo hits. As the last of the \u003ci\u003eHelena\u003c\/i\u003e disappeared below the oceanAÆs surface, the remaining crewmenAÆs struggle for survival had only just begun. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunk in Kula Gulf\u003c\/i\u003e tells the epic story of the HelenaAÆs survivors. Two destroyers plucked more than seven hundred from the sea in a night rescue operation as the battle continued to rage. A second group of eighty-eight sailorsùclustered into three lifeboatsùmade it to a nearby island and was rescued the next day. A third group of survivors, spread over a wide area, was missed entirely. Clinging to life rafts or debris, the weary men were pushed away from the area of the sinking by a strong current. After enduring days at sea under the hot tropical sun, they finally found land. It was, however, the Japanese-held island of Vella Lavella, deep behind the front lines. The survivors organized and disappeared into the islandAÆs interior jungle. Living a meager existence, the group evaded the Japanese for eight days until the U.S. Navy evacuated the shipwrecked sailors in a daring rescue operation. \u003cbr\u003eUsing a wide variety of sources, including previously unpublished firsthand accounts, John J. Domagalski brings to life this amazing, little-known story from World War II.","brand":"Potomac Books Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47163850227952,"sku":"9781597978408","price":17.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781597978408_p0.jpg?v=1763815340","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781597978408","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}