The Weapon That Split an American Ship in Half

July 1943. Night after night, the “Tokyo Express” - Japan’s infamous high-speed destroyer convoys - has been slipping through narrow channels to sustain their desperate Solomon Islands garrisons with reinforcements. But on this dark evening in the Kula Gulf, advanced American radar has caught them. Completely exposed, the Japanese are forced to consider the unthinkable - unleashing a new secret weapon of their own. They need to decide fast as an endless stream of 6-inch shells from USS Helena, USS Honolulu and USS St. Louis rains down on Admiral Akiyama’s flagship Niizuki. It’s like nothing the Japanese have ever seen before. Niizuki’s terrified crew think they’re being attacked with some kind of frightening new 6-inch machine gun. Using radar-directed fire, the three American light cruisers have pummeled the enemy with over 1,500 shells in just five minutes. Niizuki’s top deck bursts into flames. Now the Japanese have no choice but to pull their deadly new trick from up their sleeves. They might not be able to match the US Navy’s firepower or radar capabilities - but they have something the Americans do not - and it’s heading straight for USS Helena…