Battle of Blackett Strait

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  USS Montpelier was Admiral Merrill's flagship in the Battle of Blackett Strait
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  USS Denver photographed in the South Pacific in 1943.
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  6 March 1943, Battle of Blackett Strait. USS Denver (CL-58) SG radarscope image, showing the situation at time 0100 ½, just before opening fire. Denver is the bright spot in the center of the scope, with other U.S. ships ahead, steaming SSW. The large white patch at left is Kolombangara and that at right is New Georgia. The large spot just off the Kolombangara shore is the Japanese destroyers Minegumo and Murasame.
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  USS Denver (CL-58) SG radarscope image, showing the situation at time 0105 ¾, as the U.S. force was firing on Japanese destroyers Minegumo and Murasame. Denver is the bright spot in the center of the scope, with other U.S. ships steaming SSW ahead of her. The large white patch at left is Kolombangara, with the two Japanese ships showing as spots just offshore. Murasame, dead in the water, is the smaller spot. Minegumo's movement makes her spot appear larger. The large white patch at right is New Georgia.
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  USS Denver (CL-58) SG radarscope image, showing the situation at time 0110, with the Japanese destroyer Murasame stopped and sinking. Her companion, Minegumo, has been hit but is still underway to the north of her. Denver is the bright spot in the center of the scope, with other U.S. ships ahead of her, steaming SSW. Kolombangara is the large white patch on the left, with the two Japanese ships showing as small spots just offshore. New Georgia is the large white patch on the right.
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  USS Denver (CL-58) SG radarscope image, showing the situation at time 0117, as the U.S. force begins to turn north after firing on the Japanese destroyers Murasame and Minegumo. Denver is the bright spot in the center of the scope, with USS Cleveland (CL-55) and USS Montpelier (CL-57) ahead of her, still heading SSW. USS Conway (DD-507) and USS Waller (DD-466) are further ahead, starting to turn north. Kolombangara is the large white patch at left, with one of the Japanese ships showing as a faint spot offshore in the upper left center. Arundel Island is in the lower left and New Georgia is on the right.
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  USS Denver (CL-58) SG radarscope image, showing the situation at time 0125, as the U.S. force completed its turn to the north while bombarding Vila. The Japanese destroyer Murasame has sunk and Minegumo is sinking. She is the small spot at the top of the scope. Denver is the bright spot in the center of the scope, with other the U.S. ships steaming in column ahead of her. Kolombangara is the large white patch at left, with Vila at its south end. Arundel Island is in the lower left, and New Georgia is at right.
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  USS Denver (CL-58) SG radarscope image, showing the situation at time 0138, shortly before the U.S. force ceased its bombardment of Vila. Denver is the bright spot in the scope center, with other the U.S. ships steaming north, ahead of her. The large white patch at left is Kolombangara, with Vila at its southern end. Very faint patches offshore, to the west of the U.S. ships, are the wreckage of Japanese destroyers Murasame and Minegumo, sunk earlier in the action. At the lower left is Arundel Island. New Georgia is in the lower right.
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  USS Denver (CL-58) SG radarscope image, showing the situation at time 0145, as the U.S. force retired from Kula Gulf after shelling Vila and sinking the Japanese destroyers Murasame and Minegumo. Denver is the bright spot in the scope center, with other the U.S. ships steaming to NNE ahead of her. Kolombangara Island is the large white patch on the left left, with Vila at its southern end. New Georgia is on the right. The spot above the main U.S. column is probably USS Waller (DD-466), steaming to the north.