Battle of Santa Cruz
Both forces begin searching for the other's carriers. At 0512 Adm Kinkaid launches an air search of 16 dive bombers carrying the usual 500-pound bombs. At 0415 Adm Hiroaki Abe, commander of the Japanese battleship group, launches 7 float planes to search for enemy. Nagumo launches 13 scout planes from the Shokaku and the Zuikaku as he turns south to seek battle. The American dive bombers are searching in pairs. 85 miles out from the Enterprise 2 planes spot a Japanese bomber heading for the carrier. Since their instructions are to search, they do not attack the Japanese plane. The plane soon finds the Enterprise. Meanwhile Abe's float planes find the Hornet. 67 planes are ready to go on Shokaku and Zuikaku. Just before 0700 the Shokaku scout plane reports a large enemy force with 1 Saratoga-class carrier and 15 other ships heading northwest. The Japanese air strike is launched within 12 minutes. At 0617 the same American planes that had spotted the Japanese bomber find Abe's battleships and cruisers, continue to the end of their sector and turn back. At 0650, about the same time the Japanese scout bomber reporting to Nagumo the discovery of Enterprise, 2 American scout bombers discover the Japanese carriers. They attack but are forced away by fighters of the Combat Air Patrol. 2 other American planes hearing the report find them and attack. They bomb the Zuiho, one bomb goes through the flight deck and blows a 50-foot hole making it impossible for the Zuiho to recover aircraft. The Zuiho's captain reports this to Nagumo. He is ordered to launch all planes, which he can do, then return to Truk for repairs. The other 2 carriers would recover Zuiho's planes.
A half hour passes after the 0650 report by the American pilots before a strike launched. The Hornet launches 6 torpedo planes, 15 dive bombers and 8 fighters. A half hour later, 0800, the Enterprise launches 3 torpedo planes, 8 dive bombers and 8 fighters. The Hornet launches a second strike at 0815, 9 dive bombers, 9 torpedo bombers, and 7 fighters. The Americans now have 73 planes in air, but Japanese have many more. Soon the 2 enemy air attack groups pass one another. One Japanese force encounters 19 planes from the Enterprise. New to combat the Enterprise pilots are not prepared for air combat before reaching their target. The torpedo bombers are flying at 6,000 feet and climbing slowly. At 7,000 feet the F4Fs are idling to keep pace with slower TBF bombers and not looking out to protect slower planes. Fighters from Zuiho are closest and 9 Zeros come down out of the sun to attack. In their first pass they shoot down 2 torpedo bombers and damage 2 others so badly they do not make it back to the carrier. The F4Fs commit the fatal error of trying to dogfight Zeros. 3 F4Fs go down, a 4th has to turn back, leaving only 3 dive bombers, 5 torpedo bombers and 4 fighters for protection.
Being faster and launching earlier, the Japanese planes are near their objective first. Just before 0900 the Japanese attack is spotted only 45 miles out. At the same time the combat air patrol sees the first Japanese dive bombers at 17,000 feet. The Americans are 5,000 feet higher and 10 miles away as the Japanese head for the Hornet. At 0910 the Japanese mission leader sends the message the enemy has been sighted and all planes are attacking. Planes of the American combat air patrol charge in to stop Japanese but are too late. The dive bombers are already making their run. The Hornet get ready for the attack as all ships put up heavy AA fire. At 0912 the first Japanese bombs are near misses that batter the hull and break equipment inside. 1 bomber is hit and dives into the ship. The plane smashes through the flight deck and blows up. As the dive bombers keep the eyes of the sailors aboard the Hornet scanning sky, the torpedo bombers come in astern. 2 torpedoes explode in the engineering area, the Hornet's engines slow, then stop. She erupts in clouds of steam and smoke and goes dead in the water. 3 more bombs strike and go down to the 4th deck, destroying compartments and machinery. 1 torpedo plane is hit by AA fire and dives into ship, explodes near the number one elevator shaft and starts another bad fire. The gunners count a dozen planes shot down. Ships form a circular screen around the Hornet and some destroyers come in close to train hoses on fires.
As the Hornet group is fighting fires, the Enterprise is attacked. The Enterprise ducks into a rain squall, so the Japanese dive bombers lose track of her. A torpedo next near misses but threatens 2 destroyers rescuing the crew from a crashed dive bomber. A torpedo hits the side of the destroyer Porter and damages her so badly, she later has to be abandoned. This torpedo is actually fired by the Japanese submarine I-21 which has penetrated the destroyer screen and is never touched.
A second group of Japanese planes attack the Enterprise and there are no fighters to stop them. But the South Dakota and the cruiser San Juan with 5-in guns and scores of 40-mm guns shoot down many of the attacking planes. South Dakota gunners claim 26 planes shot down although only 20 were attacking. The Japanese pilots do not falter as they try to find openings. One bomb goes through Enterprise's flight deck forward, smashes down through forecastle deck and out through ship's plating but does not explode. Another bomb hits near the forward elevator, smashing 3 decks below and explodes. It kills 43 men, injures 75 and puts the elevator out of working order. The attack is over in 10 minutes. The Japanese dive bomber force heads back toward their carriers. A few make it back.
Torpedo planes from the second group are from Shokaku. 11 planes go in for the attack on the Enterprise. 4 F4Fs swoop down on them from 10,000 feet. One after another, the torpedo planes are hit, catch fire and go into the sea. One crashes into the destroyer Smith, blows up sending the whole forecastle into flame. The ship is saved and continues in the battle. Fighters, AA gunners and Capt Hardison of the Enterprise put a remarkable battle against the determined Japanese. Of a whole squadron of dive bombers, only 5 get close enough to drop torpedoes effectively and all are evaded by Hardison. All but two of the Japanese torpedo bombers are shot down. After the torpedo attack Enterprise has 45 mins respite from attack. The crew has to make ready to land combat air patrol and the aborted missions coming in. She will also have to handle Hornet's returning planes.
Clouds cover the arrival of Adm Kakuta's attack group from Junyo, 18 dive bombers and 12 Zeros. Flight Leader Lt Masao Yamaguchi cannot locate the carrier but does find the South Dakota. He asks for permission to attack it, but is refused. His orders: find the carrier. At 1121 half the group locates the Enterprise and begins the attack. Because of cloud cover the bombers reduce their dives to shallow ones which make better targets for AA gunners aboard ships. The gunners shoot down 8. 1 near miss floods several compartments and jams the forward elevator to the flight deck so it cannot be lowered. The second half of the group comes in a few minutes later. A bomb hits the forward turret of South Dakota, wounds the captain and 50 crewmen and knocks out steering on the bridge. The battleship turns out of control heading for Enterprise at 28 knots. The carrier moves out of the way. Steering on the battleship is transferred to the emergency compartment aft and becomes under control. Another Japanese armor-piercing bomb hits the cruiser San Juan. It goes all the way through and explodes under the keel knocking out her steering. Other ships avoid her. By 1145 the Japanese attack is over. The carrier can begin landing her planes and those of the Hornet.
At 0930 the American planes locate the Shokaku as she is landing search planes. One ditches near the stern and the destroyer Amatsukaze goes in to rescue the crew when American dive bombers break through the clouds. The Japanese combat air patrol goes after the torpedo planes while AA gunners concentrate on the dive bombers. American fighters engage the Japanese fighters. 2 F4Fs are shot down before the bombers make their run. US Fighters do their work well as most of bombers get through. 2 are shot down attacking the Shokaku but 11 make their attacks. At least 3 1,000-pound bombs strike the carrier forward and amidships. The flight deck bulges up and flames shoot upward from the hangar deck. Nagumo orders his flagship to turn about and head northward at 30 knots away from trouble. The Zuikaku is to stay behind to take aboard returning planes of the 3 carriers of the 3rd Fleet. No more attacks come against the Zuikaku as Hornet's torpedo planes fail to find her and she can begin landing planes. Hornet's planes attack Abe's force but do not score any hits. Hornet's second wave also fails to find the carriers and drop bombs on the cruiser Chikuma. Several near misses cause severe damage on the bridge and many casualties including wounding the captain, but the ship is able to steam back to Truk.
The remaining planes of Enterprise also attack Abe but do no damage. Zuikaku begins taking on her returning planes, many of which are seriously damaged. From radio chatter, the Japanese determine there are two US carriers in the area, although no attacking Japanese pilot had seen more than one. Fires on the Hornet are brought under control about 1130, and she begins to be towed by the cruiser Northampton. Cable doesn't hold however and a new one is not rigged until 1330. The air attack on Enterprise ends about 1230 and she begins recovering planes. The Japanese are not through, however. At 1315 Junyo launches a second attack group, 9 torpedo planes escorted by 5 Zeros plus the remaining 6 dive bombers and 9 more Zeros. The flight leader is instructed to attack the damaged carrier. At 1500 he sights one and the torpedo planes attack. They attack, do no damage and lose no planes. There is no air cover above the Hornet. At 1400 the ship is retiring at high speed, with one elevator not operating and a deck jammed with fighters and bombers. The Americans have lost 70 planes this day. Japanese plane losses are more severe, about 100 in the various attacks. The Hornet under tow, comes under more attacks. Just after 1600, Adm Murray reports two more air attacks, twin-engined bombers probably from Rabaul and more bomb hits. He orders the ship abandoned. At 1700 6 fighters and 4 bombers from Junyo hit the ship with 1 more bomb. By dark all men are off the Hornet. Casualties: 111 dead, 108 wounded.
Adm Kinkaid gives the order to destroy carrier. The destroyers Mustin and Anderson each fire 8 torpedos, 3 from the first and 6 from the second hit but do not sink it. That night Japanese destroyers find the Hornet chasing away the US destroyers, who figure Japanese big ships may be close behind. Makigumo and Akigumo send 4 of their 'long lance' torpedos into the Hornet finishing her off. It is another example of the weakness of US torpedoes.
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