Guadalcanal
Adm Turner leaves Nouméa with 3,000 troops of the 164th Regt, Americal Div, in his flagship the McCawley, the transport Zeitlin and 8 escorts. Their destination is Lunga Roads and the force plans to arrive on the morning of 13th.
For protection is the Hornet's force which is about 180 miles southwest of Guadalcanal, the Washington and lesser ships about 50 miles east of Malaita, and Adm Norman Scott's cruiser force which is near Rennell Island. Scott mission is to watch Cape Esperance. If enemy ships show up he is to engage. Scott is in the San Francisco. With him are the heavy cruiser Salt Lake City and light cruisers Helena and Boise along with destroyers Buchanan, Duncan, Laffey, Farenholt, and McCalla.
At 2230 Scott's ships are 14 miles off Cape Esperance moving toward Savo to intecept the Japanese force. Just before 2300 Salt Lake City's observation plane reports 3 ships 6 miles from Savo Island. There is much confusion among the American ships about the radar contacts. The Helena finds a target at 2308, but the San Francisco sees none. The column turns at 2332 as the Helena announces a target 6 miles away heading northwest. The Duncan begins an attack a few minutes later and at 2346 the Helena opens fire on the radar contacts. The Americans have unwittingly 'crossed the T' of the Japanese force.
The Helena's first few shots begin to hit the Japanese. The Salt Lake City finds an enemy cruiser on her starboard bow and begins firing. The Aoba and Furutaka are both hit and begin firing back. Salt Lake City is hit killing a few men. Soon all the American ships are firing on the Japanese force. The Duncan soon finds herself in the middle of the Japanese force and begins taking hits, but manages to fire 2 torpedos before being hit in a vital part of the ship.
Both commanders think they are firing on friendlies both issue cease fire, but not before one American shell strikes Adm Goto's ship and he is mortally wounded. After trying to determine what is going on Scott orders his ships to commence firing 4 minutes later. But some of the gunners have never stopped. The Aoba and Furutaka are burning. They make a 180 degree turn and come right back into American gunfire. The Kinugasa, however, turns the wrong way and manages to get out of range followed by the Hatsuyuki.
The Duncan is in bad shape and the destroyer Farenholt has also taken many hits, but most were American however. The San Francisco spots the destroyer Fubuki less than a mile away and opens up. Other American ships follow and in 5 minutes, the Fubuki stops, explodes and sinks.
At 2355 Scott realizes he is firing at the enemy and turns. The two forces are now parallel firing at each other.
At midnight Scott orders a cease fire, but nobody does. He next orders all ships to flash recogition lights and assume column formation. All did except for Farenholt and Duncan which cannot comply because of damage suffered. The column begins chasing the Japanese. The Japanese fight back. The Kinugasa fires at the flagship but the shells straddle her wake. She next fires torpedoes at the Boise, but Boise avoids them after they are spotted by lookouts. The Aoba gets several hits on the Boise which begins to burn. Salt Lake City moves in to protect the Boise and fires rapidly at the Japanese cruisers to take their attention away from Boise. Fires on Boise head toward magazines, and her captain orders them flooded, but everyone in flood control has been killed. A shell, however, had ripped her hull which allowed sea water in which flooded the magazines and saved ship.
At 0030 the battle is over. The Farenholt has a bad list, but is able to do 20 knots. She starts back to Nouméa. The Duncan is in bad shape. Fires are burning forward, there is no communications, and the ship can only steam in circles at 15 knots. Attempts to beach her fail as there is no way to control here movement. Those alive abandon ship about 0200. The McCalla comes to the rescue, gets rid of sharks with rifle fire, and rescues about 80% of 250 men aboard. The Duncan does not sink until nearly noon next day.
The Japanese force heads toward The Slot. The Hatsuyuki takes survivors off Furutaka when it is determined she cannot be saved. As dawn approaches, the Aoba retired. Although she has been hit 30 times, she can still make speed so she does, her captain fearing an American air attack that will surely come in daylight. The Japanese leave behind the Fubuki which sinks but the destroyers Sirayuki and Murakumo return and rescue survivors. They pick up about 400 men from the 2 ship that sunk.
While the sea battle is going on Adm T. Joshima, commander of the reinforcement force, lands men, 150mm guns and stores near Kokumbona on Guadalcanal, then hurriedly departs. There are many Japanese in water. 110 are rescued by Americans to become prisoners of war.
Yamamoto's Plan X, the combined operations for retaking Guadalcanal, is sent to the Rabaul commanders of 11th Air Fleet, the 8th Fleet and to the army. October 12 - the army is to begin shelling airfield as well as naval vessels offshore. October 13 - shelling is to be increased by both army and navy. October 14 - 6 high-speed transports are to arrive at Guadalcanal, anchor and begin unloading supplies and the last of the army reinforcements. October 15 - the transports finish unloading. At noon the army is to begin the operation to overrun the airfield and to force the Americans to surrender. During this time the 11th Air Fleet is to make a maximum effort to strike Henderson Field and to keep the American aircraft from operating.
|