trip voyage to San Diego, Helm departed Pearl Harbor 15 March 1942, escorting an advance base party to the New Hebrides. She arrived at Efate on 19 March and for the next few weeks escorted ships in that area while U.S. bases were consolidated. She rescued 13 survivors from SS John Adams on 9 and 4 May from the oiler Neosho, sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea on 17 May. These men were taken to Brisbane, Australia, where Helm joined the Australian-US Task Force 44, under Rear Admiral Victor Crutchley, on 19 May. For the next two months Helm, performed escort duty along the Australian Coast. The fleet was then assembling for the first offensive amphibious operation in the Pacific, the capture of Guadalcanal. Helm departed Auckland, New Zealand, on 22 July for the Fiji Islands. Following practice landings Admiral Turner's fleet suddenly struck Guadalcanal and Tulagi, arriving off the beaches on 7 August and catching the Japanese completely by surprise. The destroyer screened the transports as troops disembarked, shooting down several attacking aircraft during the first two days. Battle of Savo Island With the cruisers Vincennes, Quincy, and , Helm patrolled the waters around Savo Island the night of 7 August and, as night fell on 8 August, the four ships and destroyer Wilson took up patrol between Savo and Florida Islands. Another group of two cruisers and two destroyers patrolled to the south, and picket destroyers Blue and Ralph Talbot were stationed to the northwest of Savo Island. Poor planning and decision-making had allowed Admiral Mikawa's cruisers and destroyers to approach Savo Island undetected. Failures in search and identification had prevented early analysis of the dangerous situation, and the inadequate two-ship screen off Savo Island had not warned of the Japanese ships. The alarm was sounded by destroyer Patterson at about 01:43, just seconds before two torpedoes ripped into HMAS Canberra in the southern group. Soon both formations of cruisers were battling the fierce Japanese attack. Helm, on the port bow of Vincennes, turned back to help the stricken cruisers. She stood by Astoria, brought survivors to transports off Guadalcanal, and withdrew with the remainder of the force to Nouméa on 13 August. The Battle of Savo Island was a disaster, but the Japanese failed to press their attack on the defenseless transports at Guadalcanal. Much desperate fighting followed but the Americans had come to stay.