During the fall of 1942, the Japanese made several efforts to capture Henderson Field and retake Guadalcanal Unable to move reinforcements to the island during daylight hours due to the threat of Allied air attacks, they were limited to delivering troops at night using destroyers. This method of troop movement, dubbed the "Tokyo Express" by the Allies, led to several night engagements, such as the Battle of Cape Esperance, as Allied ships attempted to block the Japanese. In November 1942, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, prepared for a large reinforcement mission to the island.
Organizing two groups, Yamamoto formed a convoy of slow
transports and 12 destroyers under Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka and a bombardment
force under Vice Admiral Hiroaki Abe. Consisting of the battleships Hiei
and Kirishima, the light cruiser Nagara, and 11 destroyers, Abe's
group was tasked with bombarding Henderson Field to prevent Allied aircraft
from attacking Tanaka's transports. Alerted to Japanese intentions, the Allies
dispatched a reinforcement force (Task Force 67) to Guadalcanal.
To protect the supply ships, Rear Admirals Daniel J.
Callaghan and Norman Scott were dispatched with the heavy cruisers USS San
Francisco and USS Portland, the light cruisers USS Helena,
USS Juneau, and USS Atlanta, as well as 8 destroyers. Nearing Guadalcanal
on the night of November 12/13, Abe's formation became confused after passing
through a rain squall. Alerted to the Japanese approach, Callahan formed for
battle and attempted to cross the Japanese T. After receiving incomplete
information, Callahan issued several confusing orders from his flagship (San
Francisco) causing his formation to come apart.
As a result, the Allied and Japanese ships became
intermingled at close range. At 1:48 AM,
Abe ordered his flagship, Hiei, and a destroyer to turn on their
searchlights. Illuminating Atlanta,
both sides opened fire. Realizing that his ships were nearly surrounded,
Callahan ordered, "Odd ships fire to starboard, even ships fire to
port." In the naval melee that ensued, Atlanta
was put out of action and Admiral Scott killed. Fully illuminated, Hiei
was mercilessly attacked by US ships which wounded Abe, killed his chief of
staff, and knocked the battleship out of the fight.
While taking fire, Hiei and several Japanese ships
pummeled San Francisco,
killing Callahan, and forcing the cruiser to retreat. Helena
followed in an attempt to protect the cruiser from further harm. Portland
succeeded in sinking the destroyer Akatsuki, but took a torpedo in the
stern which damaged its steering. Juneau
was also hit by a torpedo and forced to the leave the area. While the larger
ships dueled, destroyers on both sides battled. After 40 minutes of fighting,
Abe, perhaps not knowing he had achieved a tactical victory and that the way to
Henderson Field was open, ordered his ships to withdraw.
The next day, the disabled Hiei was relentlessly
attacked by Allied aircraft and sunk, while the wounded Juneau
sank after being torpedoed by I-26. Efforts to save Atlanta
also failed and the cruiser sank around 8:00 PM
on November 13. In the fighting, Allied forces lost two light cruisers and four
destroyers, as well as had two heavy and two light cruisers damaged. Abe's
losses included Hiei and two destroyers. Despite, Abe's failure,
Yamamoto elected to proceed with sending Tanaka's transports to Guadalcanal
on November 13.
To provide cover, he ordered the Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa
8th Fleet's Cruiser Force (4 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers) to bombard
Henderson Field. This was accomplished on the night of November 13/14, but
little damage was inflicted. As Mikawa was leaving the area the next day, he
was spotted by Allied aircraft and lost the heavy cruisers Kinugasa
(sunk) and Maya (heavily damaged). Subsequent air attacks sank seven of
Tanaka's transports. The remaining four pressed on after dark. To support them,
Admiral Nobutake Kondo arrived with a battleship (Kirishima), 2 heavy
cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and 8 destroyers.
Having taken heavy casualties on the 13th, the overall
Allied commander in the area, Admiral William
"Bull" Halsey detached the battleships USS Washington and
USS South Dakota as well as 4 destroyers from USS
Enterprise's screening force as Task Force 64 under Rear Admiral
Willis Lee. Moving to defend Henderson Field and block Kondo's advance, Lee
arrived off Savo Island
and Guadalcanal on the evening of November 14.
Approaching Savo, Kondo dispatched a light cruiser and two
destroyers to scout ahead. At 10:55 PM,
Lee spotted Kondo on radar and at 11:17
opened fire on the Japanese scouts. This had little effect and Kondo sent
forward Nagara with four destroyers. Attacking the American destroyers,
this force sank two and crippled the others. Believing he had won the battle,
Kondo pressed forward unaware of Lee's battleships. While Washington
quickly sank the destroyer Ayanami, South
Dakota began to experience a series of electrical
problems which limited its ability to fight.
Illuminated by searchlights, South
Dakota received the brunt of Kondo's attack.
Meanwhile, Washington
stalked Kirishima before opening fire with devastating effect. Hit by
over 50 shells, Kirishima was crippled and later sank. After evading
several torpedo attacks, Washington
attempted to lead the Japanese out of the area. Thinking the road was open for
Tanaka, Kondo withdrew.
US Forces
- Admiral William "Bull" Halsey
- Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan
- Rear Admiral Willis Lee
- 1 carrier
- 2 battleships
- 5 cruisers
- 12 destroyers
Japanese Forces
- Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
- Vice Admiral Hiroaki Abe
- Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo
- 2 battleships
- 8 cruisers
- 16 destroyers
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal – Aftermath
While Tanaka's four transports reached Guadalcanal,
they were quickly attacked by Allied aircraft the next morning, destroying most
of the heavy equipment on board. The Allied success in the Naval Battle of
Guadalcanal ensured that the Japanese would be unable to launch another
offensive against Henderson Field. Unable to reinforce or adequately supply Guadalcanal,
the Japanese Navy recommended that it be abandoned on December 12, 1942.
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