View source for Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

{{Short description|1942 naval battle in the Pacific Ocean}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
| partof            = the [[Pacific War|Pacific Theater]] of [[World War II]]
| image             = [[File:Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.jpg|300px|]]
| caption           = Smoke rises from two Japanese aircraft shot down off Guadalcanal on 12 November 1942; ship at right is {{USS|Betelgeuse|AK-28|6}}.
| date              = 12–15 November 1942
| place             = [[Guadalcanal]], Solomon Islands
| coordinates       = {{Coord|9|11|10|S|159|53|42|E|scale:3000000_type:event_region:SB-GU|display=inline,title}}
| result            = American victory
| combatant1        = {{flag|United States|1912}}
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}
| commander1        = {{plainlist|
*[[William Halsey, Jr.]]
*[[Daniel J. Callaghan|Daniel Callaghan]]{{KIA}}
*[[Norman Scott (admiral)|Norman Scott]]{{KIA}}
*[[Willis Augustus Lee|Willis A. Lee]]}}
| commander2        = {{plainlist|
*[[Isoroku Yamamoto]]
*[[Hiroaki Abe]]{{WIA}}
*[[Nobutake Kondō]]
*[[Raizō Tanaka]]
*[[Kakuji Kakuta]]
*[[Gunichi Mikawa]]}}
| strength1         = {{plainlist|
* 1 [[fleet carrier]]
* 2 [[battleship]]s
* 2 [[heavy cruiser]]s
*  3 [[light cruiser]]s
* 12 [[destroyer]]s}}

'''First night (12/13 Nov):'''
{{plainlist|
* 2 heavy cruisers
* 3 light cruisers
* 8 destroyers}}
'''Second night (14/15Nov):'''
{{plainlist|
* 2 battleships
* 4 destroyers}}
| strength2         = {{plainlist|
* 2 battleships
* 6 heavy cruisers
* 4 light cruisers
* 22 destroyers
* 11 transports}}

'''First night:'''
{{plainlist|
* 2 battleships
* 1 light cruiser
* 11 destroyers}}

'''14 Nov:'''
{{plainlist|
* 4 heavy cruisers
* 2 light cruisers
* 6 destroyers
}}

'''Second night:'''
{{plainlist|
* 1 battleship
* 2 heavy cruisers
* 2 light cruisers
* 9 destroyers}}<ref>''Kirishima'', ''Nagara,'' and 4 destroyers return after the first night's engagement</ref>
| casualties1       = '''First phase (13 Nov):'''
*2 light cruisers sunk
*4 destroyers sunk
*2 heavy cruisers severely damaged
*2 destroyers heavily damaged
'''Second phase (15 Nov):'''
*3 destroyers sunk
*1 battleship moderately damaged
*1 destroyer damaged
'''Plus (13–15 Nov):'''
*36 aircraft
*for a total of 1,732 killed<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;490; and Lundstrom, ''Guadalcanal Campaign'', p.&nbsp;523.</ref>
| casualties2       = '''13 Nov:'''
*[[Japanese battleship Hiei|1 battleship]] sunk
*2 destroyers sunk
*4 destroyers damaged (one badly)
'''14 Nov:'''
*1 [[Japanese cruiser Kinugasa|heavy cruiser]] sunk
*2 heavy cruisers damaged
*1 light cruiser damaged
*1 destroyer heavily damaged
*7 transports sunk
'''15 Nov:'''
*[[Japanese battleship Kirishima|1 battleship]] sunk
*1 destroyer sunk
*4 transports destroyed (beached first)
'''Plus:'''
*64 aircraft
*for a total of 1,900 killed (exclusive of transport losses)<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;490. Frank's breakdown of Japanese losses includes only 450&nbsp;soldiers on the transports, "a figure no American flier would have believed", p.&nbsp;462, but cites Japanese records for this number. <br />Miller, in [http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/GuadC/gc-07.htm  ''Guadalcanal: The First Offensive'' (1948)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723013035/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/GuadC/gc-07.htm |date=23 July 2010 }}, cites "USAFISPA, Japanese Campaign in the Guadalcanal Area, 29–30, estimates that 7,700&nbsp;troops had been aboard, of whom 3,000&nbsp;drowned, 3,000&nbsp;landed on Guadalcanal, and 1,700 were rescued." Frank's number is used here instead of Miller. Aircraft losses from Lundstrom, ''Guadalcanal Campaign'', p.&nbsp;522.</ref>
}}
{{Campaignbox Guadalcanal}}
{{Campaignbox South West Pacific theatre}}

The '''Naval Battle of Guadalcanal''', sometimes referred to as the '''Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island''', the '''Battle of the Solomons''', '''The''' '''Battle of Friday the 13th''', '''The Night of the Big Guns''', or, in Japanese sources, the {{Nihongo|'''Third Battle of the Solomon Sea'''|第三次ソロモン海戦|Dai-san-ji Soromon Kaisen}}, took place from 12 to 15 November 1942 and was the decisive engagement in a series of [[naval battle]]s between [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] (primarily American) and [[Imperial Japanese Armed Forces|Imperial Japanese forces]] during the months-long [[Guadalcanal campaign]] in the [[Solomon Islands]] during [[World War II]]. The action consisted of combined air and sea engagements over four days, most near [[Guadalcanal]] and all related to a Japanese effort to reinforce land forces on the island. The only two [[U.S. Navy]] admirals to be killed in a surface engagement in the war were lost in this battle.

Allied forces landed on Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942 and seized an airfield, later called [[Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)|Henderson Field]], that was under construction by the Japanese military. There were several subsequent attempts to recapture the airfield by the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] and [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Navy]] using reinforcements delivered to Guadalcanal by ship, efforts  which ultimately failed. In early November 1942, the Japanese organized a transport convoy to take 7,000 infantry troops and their equipment to Guadalcanal to attempt once again to retake the airfield. Several Japanese warship forces were assigned to bombard Henderson Field with the goal of destroying Allied aircraft that posed a threat to the convoy. Learning of the Japanese reinforcement effort, U.S. forces launched aircraft and warship attacks to defend Henderson Field and prevent the Japanese ground troops from reaching Guadalcanal.

In the resulting battle, both sides lost numerous warships in two extremely destructive surface engagements at night. Nevertheless, the U.S. succeeded in turning back attempts by the Japanese to bombard Henderson Field with battleships. Allied aircraft also sank most of the Japanese troop transports and prevented the majority of the Japanese troops and equipment from reaching Guadalcanal. Thus, the battle turned back Japan's last major attempt to dislodge Allied forces from Guadalcanal and nearby [[Tulagi]], resulting in a [[strategic victory]] for the U.S. and its allies and deciding the ultimate outcome of the Guadalcanal campaign in their favor. The Japanese decided on the [[Operation Ke|evacuation of Guadalcanal]] the following month, which they completed by early February 1943.

Guadalcanal was the last major naval battle in the Pacific War for the next one-and-a-half years, until the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]]. It was one of the costliest naval battles of the Second World War in terms of lives lost.

==Background==
The six-month [[Guadalcanal campaign]] began on 7 August 1942, when Allied (primarily U.S.) forces landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and the [[Florida Islands]] in the [[Solomon Islands]], a pre-war colonial possession of Great Britain. The landings were meant to prevent the Japanese using the islands as bases from which to threaten the [[materiel|supply]] routes between the U.S. and Australia, to secure the islands as starting points for a campaign to neutralize the major [[Empire of Japan|Imperial Japanese]] military base at [[Rabaul]], and to support the Allied [[New Guinea campaign]]. The Japanese had [[Invasion of Tulagi (May 1942)|occupied Tulagi]] in May 1942 and began constructing an airfield on Guadalcanal in June 1942.<ref>Hough, ''Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;235–236.</ref>

By nightfall on 8 August, the 11,000 Allied troops [[Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo|secured Tulagi]], the nearby small islands, and a Japanese airfield under construction at [[Lunga Point]] on Guadalcanal (later renamed [[Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)|Henderson Field]]). Allied aircraft operating out of Henderson were called the "[[Cactus Air Force]]" (CAF) after the Allied code name for Guadalcanal. To protect the airfield, the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marines]] established a perimeter defense around Lunga Point. Additional reinforcements over the next two months increased the number of U.S. troops at Lunga Point to more than 20,000 men.<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;14–15; Miller, ''Guadalcanal:  The First Offensive'', p.&nbsp;143; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;338; and Shaw, ''First Offensive'', p.&nbsp;18.</ref>

In response, the Japanese [[Imperial General Headquarters]] assigned the Imperial Japanese Army's [[Seventeenth Army (Japan)|17th&nbsp;Army]], a [[corps]]-sized command based at Rabaul and under the command of Lieutenant-General [[Harukichi Hyakutake]], with the task of retaking Guadalcanal. Units of the 17th&nbsp;Army began to arrive on Guadalcanal on 19 August to drive Allied forces from the island.<ref>Griffith, ''Battle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;96–99; Dull, ''Imperial Japanese Navy'', p.&nbsp;225; Miller, ''Guadalcanal:  The First Offensive'', pp.&nbsp;137–138.</ref>

Because of the threat posed by CAF aircraft based at Henderson Field, the Japanese were unable to use large, slow transport ships to deliver troops and supplies to the island. Instead, they used warships based at Rabaul and the [[Shortland Islands]]. The Japanese warships—mainly [[light cruiser]]s or [[destroyer]]s from the [[IJN 8th Fleet|Eighth Fleet]] under the command of [[Vice Admiral]] [[Gunichi Mikawa]]—were usually able to make the round trip down "[[New Georgia Sound#World War II|The Slot]]" to Guadalcanal and back in a single night, thereby minimizing their exposure to air attack. Delivering the troops in this manner prevented most of the soldiers' heavy equipment and supplies—such as heavy artillery, vehicles, and much food and ammunition—from being carried to Guadalcanal with them. These high-speed warship runs to Guadalcanal occurred throughout the campaign and came to be known as the "[[Tokyo Express]]" by Allied forces and "Rat Transportation" by the Japanese.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;202, 210–211.</ref>
[[File:Aerial view of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, in late August 1942.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, late August 1942. The view looks northwest with the [[Lunga River (Solomon Islands)|Lunga River]] and [[Lunga Point]] at the top of the image.]]

The first Japanese attempt to recapture Henderson Field failed when a 917-man force was defeated on 21 August in the [[Battle of the Tenaru]]. The next attempt took place from 12 to 14 September, ending in the defeat of the [[Kawaguchi Detachment|6,000 men]] under the command of Major General [[Kiyotake Kawaguchi]] at the [[Battle of Edson's Ridge]].<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;141–143, 156–158, 228–246, &&nbsp;681.</ref>

In October, the Japanese again tried to recapture Henderson Field by delivering 15,000 more men—mainly from the [[Japanese Imperial Army|Army's]] [[2nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|2nd Infantry Division]]—to Guadalcanal. In addition to delivering the troops and their equipment by Tokyo Express runs, the Japanese successfully pushed through one large convoy of slower transport ships. Enabling the approach of the transport convoy was a nighttime bombardment of Henderson Field by two battleships on 14 October that heavily damaged the airfield's runways, destroyed half of the CAF's aircraft, and burned most of the available aviation fuel. In spite of the damage, Henderson personnel were able to restore the two runways to service, and replacement aircraft and fuel were delivered, gradually restoring the CAF to its prebombardment level over the next few weeks.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;315–3216; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;171–175; Hough, ''Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;327–328.</ref>

The next Imperial attempt to retake the island with the newly arrived troops occurred from 20 to 26 October and was defeated with heavy losses in the [[Battle for Henderson Field]].<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', 337–367.</ref> At the same time, Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] (the commander of the Japanese [[Combined Fleet]]) engaged U.S. naval forces in the [[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands]], which resulted in a tactical victory for the Japanese.  However, the Americans won a strategic victory as the Japanese navy failed in its objectives and the Japanese carriers were forced to retreat because of losses to carrier aircraft and aircrewmen.<ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', 134–135.</ref> Thereafter, Yamamoto's ships returned to their main bases at [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] in Micronesia, where he had his headquarters, and Rabaul while three carriers returned to Japan for repairs and refitting.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;44–45.</ref>

[[File:Map of Solomons area in 1942.png|thumb|upright=1.5|The Solomon Islands. "The Slot" ([[New Georgia Sound]]) runs down the center of the islands, from Bougainville and the Shortlands (center) to Guadalcanal (lower right).]]

The Japanese Army planned another attack on Guadalcanal in November 1942, but further reinforcements were needed before the operation could proceed. The Army requested assistance from Yamamoto to deliver the needed reinforcements to the island and to support their planned offensive on the Allied forces guarding Henderson Field. Yamamoto provided 11&nbsp;large transport ships to carry 7,000&nbsp;army troops from the [[38th Infantry Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|38th Infantry Division]], their ammunition, food, and heavy equipment from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. He also sent a warship support force from Truk on 9 November which included the battleships {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}}. Equipped with special [[fragmentation (weaponry)|fragmentation]] [[Shell (projectile)|shells]], they were to [[Bombardment|bombard]] Henderson Field on the night of 12–13 November and destroy it and the aircraft stationed there in order to allow the slow, heavy transports to reach Guadalcanal and unload safely the next day.<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;225–238; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;41–46. The 11 transport ships provided to carry the troops, equipment, and provisions included ''Arizona Maru'', ''Kumagawa Maru'', ''Sado Maru'', ''Nagara Maru'', ''Nako Maru'', ''Canberra Maru'', ''Brisbane Maru'', ''Kinugawa Maru'', ''Hirokawa Maru'', ''Yamaura Maru'', and ''Yamatsuki Maru''.</ref> The warship force was commanded from ''Hiei'' by recently promoted Vice Admiral [[Hiroaki Abe]].<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;93.</ref>

[[File:USS San Francisco (CA-38) under air attack on 12 November 1942.jpg|thumb|left|The aftermath of the "Betty" medium bomber crashing into the heavy cruiser ''San Francisco'' on 12 November 1942]]

Because of the constant threat posed by Japanese aircraft and warships, it was difficult for Allied forces to resupply their forces on Guadalcanal, which often came under attack from Imperial land and sea forces in the area.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;28.</ref> In early November 1942, Allied [[Military intelligence|intelligence]] learned that the Japanese were preparing again to try to retake Henderson Field.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;37.</ref> Therefore, the U.S. sent [[Task Force 67|Task Force&nbsp;67]] (TF&nbsp;67)—a large reinforcement and re-supply convoy, split into two groups and commanded by [[Rear Admiral]] [[Richmond K. Turner]]—to Guadalcanal on 11 November. The supply ships were protected by two [[task force|task groups]]—commanded by Rear Admirals [[Daniel J. Callaghan]] and [[Norman Scott (admiral)|Norman Scott]]—and aircraft from Henderson Field.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;79–80; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;38–39; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;227–233, 231–233; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;429–430. The American reinforcements totaled 5,500 men and included the 1st Marine Aviation Engineer Battalion, replacements for ground and air units, the 4th&nbsp;Marine Replacement Battalion, two battalions of the U.S. Army's [[182nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|182nd Infantry Regiment]], and ammunition and supplies. The first transport group, TF&nbsp;67.1, was commanded by Captain Ingolf N. Kiland and included {{USS|McCawley|APA-4|2}}, {{USS|Crescent City|APA-21|2}}, {{USS|President Adams|APA-19|2}}, and {{USS|President Jackson|APA-18|2}}. The second transport group, part of Task Group&nbsp;62.4 (TG&nbsp;62.4), consisted of {{USS|Betelgeuse|AKA-11|2}}, {{USS|Libra|AKA-12|2}}, and {{USS|Zeilin|APA-3|2}}.</ref> The transport ships were attacked several times on 11 and 12 November near Guadalcanal by Japanese aircraft based at [[Buin, Papua New Guinea|Buin]], but most were unloaded without serious damage. Twelve Japanese aircraft were shot down by [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] fire from the U.S. ships or by [[fighter aircraft]] flying from Henderson Field.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;432; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;50–90; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;229–230.</ref> Callaghan's flagship, {{USS|San Francisco|CA-38|2}}, was heavily damaged during this air raid when a large twin-engined Japanese "[[Mitsubishi G4M|Betty]]" medium bomber, which was in flames from anti-aircraft fire, crashed into the backup conning tower (Battle II) of ''San Francisco''. 24 men were killed and 45 were wounded, including the heavily wounded [[Executive officer#United States Navy and United States Coast Guard|executive officer]], Commander Mark H. Crouter, who had to abandon his post and was recovering in his quarters and killed during the later night surface action. Survivors of ''San Francisco'' said that the heavy damage, which included damage to radar and fire control equipment stationed at the backup conning tower, and the loss of so many officers and men greatly hindered their ability to command and perform optimally during the night battle.<ref>https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1958/november/san-francisco-story . Retrieved 29 August 2023.</ref><ref>https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/11276 . Retrieved 29 August 2023.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=H-012-1 The Battle of Friday the 13th |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-012/h-012-1.html |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=NHHC |language=en-US}}</ref> The destroyer {{USS|Buchanan|DD-484|2}} was also heavily damaged in the air attack. Due to the low-flying Japanese torpedo bombers that forced American sailors to fire their anti-aircraft weapons in the direction of friendly ships ''Buchanan'' was hit by a 5-inch shell from a U.S. ship that heavily damaged her after [[Funnel (ship)|stack]] and also completely disabled her [[torpedo tube]]s. The friendly fire killed 5 crewmen and wounded seven on ''Buchanan'' and forced her to retire from the area to undergo major repairs that lasted three months. A Japanese bomber's tail gunner also caused minor damage on her with his machine gun, wounding one more sailor. This hurt Callaghan's forces because ''Buchanan'' was the destroyer that was able to successfully fire torpedoes that permanently disabled and sank the heavy cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Furutaka||2}} at the [[Battle of Cape Esperance]], the first American sinking of a large Japanese warship due to surface ships.<ref>https://taskforce67.tripod.com/dd484.htm . Retrieved 3 September 2023.</ref>

==First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November==

===Prelude===
[[File:GuadalcanalCloseup.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Guadalcanal locator map and close up]]
Abe's warship force assembled {{convert|70|nmi|mi km|lk=on|abbr=on}} north of [[Indispensable Strait]] and proceeded towards Guadalcanal on 12 November with an estimated arrival time for the warships of early morning of 13 November. The convoy of slower transport ships and 12 escorting destroyers, under the command of [[Raizō Tanaka]], began its run down The Slot from the Shortlands with an estimated arrival time at Guadalcanal during the night of 13 November.<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;234; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;428; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;92–93. Morison lists only 11&nbsp;destroyers in Tanaka's convoy escort group, namely: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Hayashio||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Oyashio||2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Kagerō|1938|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Umikaze|1936|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Kawakaze|1936|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Suzukaze||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Takanami|1942|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Makinami|1941|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Naganami||2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Amagiri|1930|2}}, and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Mochizuki|1927|2}}. Tanaka states that there were 12&nbsp;destroyers (Evans, ''Japanese Navy'', p.&nbsp;188).</ref>

Abe's force consisted of:{{efn|name=ship_fate |text= Casualty ships are denoted by: '''d''',&nbsp;damaged; '''D''',&nbsp;crippled; '''S''',&nbsp;sunk; '''s''',&nbsp;sunk soon after.}}<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;233–234; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;103–105. Rear Admiral [[Susumu Kimura]] commanded Destroyer Squadron&nbsp;10, including ''Amatsukaze'', ''Yukikaze'', ''Akatsuki'', ''Ikazuchi'', ''Inazuma'', and ''Teruzuki'' from ''Nagara''. Rear Admiral [[Tamotsu Takama]] commanded Destroyer Squadron&nbsp;4 which included ''Asagumo'', ''Murasame'', ''Samidare'', ''Yūdachi'', and ''Harusame''.</ref>

('''d''', damaged; '''D''', crippled; '''S''', sunk; '''s''', sunk soon after)

* 2 {{sclass|Kongo|battleship|0}} fast battleships: {{ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}} (Ds), {{ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}}
* 1 {{sclass|Nagara|cruiser|0}} light cruiser: {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Nagara||2}}
* 11 destroyers:
** 1 {{sclass|Akizuki|destroyer|0||1942}}: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Teruzuki|1941|2}}
** 2 {{sclass|Kagero|destroyer|0}}: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Amatsukaze|1939|2}} (D), {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Yukikaze|1939|2}}
** 1 {{sclass|Asashio|destroyer|0}}: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Asagumo|1938|2}}
** 4 {{sclass|Shiratsuyu|destroyer|0}}: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Samidare|1935|2}} (d), {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Murasame|1937|2}} (d), {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Harusame|1935|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yūdachi|1937|2}} (Ds)
** 3 {{sclass|Akatsuki|destroyer|0||1931}}: {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Ikazuchi|1931|2}} (d), {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Inazuma|1932|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Akatsuki|1932|2}} (S)

Three more destroyers ({{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Shigure|1935|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Shiratsuyu|1935|2}}, and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yūgure|1934|2}}) would provide a rear guard in the [[Russell Islands]] during Abe's foray into the waters of Savo Sound around and near [[Savo Island]] off the north coast of Guadalcanal that would soon be nicknamed "[[Ironbottom Sound]]" as a result of the numerous ships sunk in this succession of battles and skirmishes.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;429.</ref> U.S. [[reconnaissance]] aircraft spotted the approach of the Japanese ships and passed a warning to the Allied command.<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;235; Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;137.</ref> Thus warned, Turner detached all usable combat ships to protect the troops ashore from the expected Japanese naval attack and troop landing and ordered the supply ships at Guadalcanal to depart by the early evening of 12 November. Callaghan was a few days [[seniority|senior]] to the more experienced Scott and therefore was placed in overall command.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;83–85; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;236–237; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;92. Turner and the transport ships safely reached Espiritu Santo on 15 November.</ref>

Callaghan prepared his force to meet the Japanese that night in the sound. His force consisted of:{{efn|name=ship_fate}}<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;99–107.</ref>

* 2 heavy cruisers
** 1 {{sclass|New Orleans|cruiser|0}}: {{USS|San Francisco|CA-38|2}} (D)
** 1 {{sclass|Portland|cruiser|0}}: {{USS|Portland|CA-33|2}} (d)
* 3 light cruisers
** 1 {{sclass|Brooklyn|cruiser|0}}: {{USS|Helena|CL-50|2}} (d)
** 2 {{sclass|Atlanta|cruiser|0}}: {{USS|Atlanta|CL-51|2}} (Ds), {{USS|Juneau|CL-52|2}} (Ds)
* 8 destroyers
** 2 {{sclass|Fletcher|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Fletcher|DD-445|2}}, {{USS|O'Bannon|DD-450|2}} (d)
** 2 {{sclass|Gleaves|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Aaron Ward|DD-483|2}} (D), {{USS|Monssen|DD-436|2}} (S)
** 2 {{sclass|Benson|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Barton|DD-599|2}} (S), {{USS|Laffey|DD-459|2}} (S)
** 1 {{sclass|Benham|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Sterett|DD-407|2}} (D)
** 1 {{sclass|Mahan|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Cushing|DD-376|2}} (S)

Admiral Callaghan commanded from ''San&nbsp;Francisco''.

During their approach to Guadalcanal, the Japanese force passed through a large and intense rain squall which, along with a complex formation plus some confusing orders from Abe, split the formation into several groups.<ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', pp.&nbsp;137–140; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;238–239.</ref> The U.S. force steamed in a single column in Ironbottom Sound, with destroyers in the lead and rear of the column, and the cruisers in the center. Five ships had the new, far-superior [[Radar in World War II#S-Band Navy Search|SG radar]], but Callaghan's deployment put none of them in the forward part of the column, nor did he choose one for his [[flagship]]. Callaghan did not issue a battle plan to his ship commanders.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', p.&nbsp;85; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;237; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;106–108. In Callaghan's column the distance between the destroyers and cruisers was {{convert|800|yd|m|abbr=on}}; between cruisers {{convert|700|yd|m|abbr=on}}; between destroyers {{convert|500|yd|m|abbr=on}}</ref>

===Action===
====Confused approach====
[[File:NavalGuadalcanal1.gif|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Approximate routes of Japanese force under Abe (red line) and U.S. force under Callaghan (black line) as they head towards each other early on 13 November in [[Ironbottom Sound]] between Savo Island, Cape Esperance, and [[Lunga Point]] on Guadalcanal. The green area near Lunga Point on Guadalcanal marks the location of Henderson Field.]]

At about 01:25 on 13 November, in near-complete darkness due to the bad weather and [[Lunar phase|dark moon]],<ref>{{cite web |website=Calendar-12.com |title=Moon phases, 1942 |url= http://www.calendar-12.com/moon_phases/1942 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406150111/http://www.calendar-12.com/moon_phases/1942 |archive-date=6 April 2016 |access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref> the ships of the Imperial Japanese force entered the sound between Savo Island and Guadalcanal and prepared to bombard Henderson Field with the special ammunition loaded for the purpose.<ref name="frank437">Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;437–438.</ref> The ships arrived from an unexpected direction, coming not down the Slot but from the west side of Savo Island, thus entering the sound from the northwest rather than the north.<ref name="frank437"/> Unlike their American counterparts, the Japanese sailors had drilled and practiced night fighting extensively, conducting frequent live-fire night gunnery drills and exercises. This experience would be telling in the pending encounter, as well as in several other fleet actions off Guadalcanal in the months to come.<ref name="frank437"/>

Several of the U.S. ships detected the approaching Japanese on radar, beginning at about 01:24, but had trouble communicating the information to Callaghan because of problems with radio equipment, lack of discipline regarding communications procedures, and general inexperience in operating as a cohesive naval unit.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;86–89; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;124–126; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;239–240.</ref> Messages were sent and received but did not reach the commander in time to be processed and used. With his limited understanding of the new technology,<ref name="guadalcanal438">Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;438.</ref> Callaghan wasted further time trying to reconcile the range and bearing information reported by radar with his limited sight picture, to no avail. Lacking a modern [[combat information center]] (CIC), where incoming information could be quickly processed and coordinated, the radar operator was reporting on vessels that were not in sight, while Callaghan was trying to coordinate the battle visually from the bridge.<ref name="guadalcanal438"/> It should be emphasized that due to the earlier de facto ''kamikaze'' strike on the after superstructure of ''San Francisco'' Callaghan and skipper Captain [[Cassin Young]] (who unfortunately had just begun his first ever command of a cruiser four days earlier on 9 November) had to work with a new acting executive officer (he was actually the [[Damage control (maritime)|damage control]] commanding officer) who was stationed at his new heavily damaged backup command post for less than twelve hours and the radar and fire control here were inoperable. This had a detrimental effect on the quality of her performance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hornfischer |first=James D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i_tvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA259 |title=Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal |date=2011 |publisher=Bantam Books |isbn=978-0-553-80670-0 |language=en}}</ref> (Post battle analysis of this and other early surface actions would lead directly to the introduction of modern CICs early in 1943.<ref name="guadalcanal438"/>)

Several minutes after initial radar contact the two forces sighted each other at about the same time, but both Abe and Callaghan hesitated ordering their ships into action. Abe was apparently surprised by the proximity of the U.S. ships, and with decks stacked with [[San Shiki (anti-aircraft shell)|San Shiki]] special bombardment (rather than armor penetrating) munitions, he was momentarily uncertain if he should withdraw to give his battleships time to rearm, or continue onward. He decided to continue onward.<ref name="guadalcanal438"/><ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;140.</ref> Callaghan apparently intended to attempt to [[cross the T]] of the Japanese, as Scott had done at [[Battle of Cape Esperance|Cape Esperance]], but—confused by the incomplete information he was receiving, plus the fact that the Japanese formation consisted of several scattered groups—he gave several confusing orders on ship movements and delayed too long in acting.<ref name="guadalcanal438"/>

The U.S. ship formation began to fall apart, apparently further delaying Callaghan's order to commence firing as he first tried to ascertain and align his ships' positions.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;89–90; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;239–242; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;129.</ref> Meanwhile, the two forces' formations began to overlap as individual ship commanders on both sides anxiously awaited permission to open fire.<ref name="guadalcanal438"/>

[[File:NavalGuadalcanalNov13 mod.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Position of Japanese and U.S. ships at 01:45 on 13 November]]

====''Akatsuki'' and ''Atlanta'' receive the opening blows====

At 01:48, ''Akatsuki'' and ''Hiei'' turned on large searchlights and illuminated ''Atlanta'' only {{convert|3000|yd|m|abbr=on}} away—almost [[point-blank range]] for the battleship's [[naval artillery|main guns]]. Several ships on both sides spontaneously began firing, and the formations of the two adversaries quickly disintegrated.<ref name="guadalcanal439">Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;439.</ref> Realizing that his force was almost surrounded by Japanese ships, Callaghan issued the confusing order, "Odd ships fire to [[starboard]], even ships fire to [[Port (nautical)|port]],"<ref name="guadalcanal438"/><ref name="guadalcanal439"/> though no pre-battle planning had assigned any such identity numbers to reference and the ships were no longer in coherent formation.<ref name="guadalcanal438"/> Most of the remaining U.S. ships then opened fire although several had to quickly change their targets to attempt to comply with Callaghan's order.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;90–91; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;132–137; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;242–243.</ref> As the ships from the two sides intermingled, they battled each other in an utterly confused and chaotic short-range [[melee|mêlée]] in which superior Japanese optic sights and well-practiced night battle drill proved deadly effective. Indeed, the battle was so close quarters that in the opening stages, the lead American destroyer, USS ''Cushing'', almost collided with the destroyers ''Yūdachi'' and ''Harusame'', with both sides turning to avoid each other.<ref name=":0">Hornfischer, ''Neptune's Inferno'', Chapter 28</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-02-03 |title=夕立【白露型駆逐艦 四番艦】Yudachi【Shiratsuyu-class destroyer】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/destroyer/yudachi/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref> An officer on ''Monssen'' likened it afterwards to "a barroom brawl after the lights had been shot out".<ref name="guadalcanal441">Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;441.</ref>

At least six of the U.S. ships—including ''Laffey'', ''O'Bannon'', ''Atlanta'', ''San&nbsp;Francisco'', ''Portland'', and ''Helena''—fired at ''Akatsuki'', which had drawn attention to herself with her illuminated searchlight. ''Akatsuki'' quickly responded with gunfire, scoring 5-inch (127 mm) shell hits that disabled ''Atlanta's'' port torpedo tubes right as they were about to be fired. However, ''Akatsuki'' received far more damage than she inflicted. Resulting gunfire damage from the six ships set her on fire before even a single torpedo could be fired, resulting in the destroyer blowing up and sinking within a few minutes.<ref name=":1">Hornfischer, ''Neptune's Inferno'', Chapter 29</ref><ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;242–243; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;137–183; and Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;449. Only eighteen crewmen out of a total complement of 197 (combinedfleet.com) survived the sinking of ''Akatsuki'' and were later [[Prisoner of war|captured]] by U.S. forces. One of ''Akatsuki''{{'}}s survivors, Michiharu Shinya, wrote a book called ''The Path From Guadalcanal'' which states that his ship did not fire a torpedo before sinking. Shinya's book has not been translated into English from Japanese.</ref>

Perhaps because she was the lead cruiser in the U.S. formation, ''Atlanta'' was immediately targeted by ''Hiei'', which fired a single full salvo from her main guns, hitting ''Atlanta'' with either seven or all eight 14-inch (356 mm) shells fired, setting the cruiser on fire, disabling her aft guns, and killing Admiral Scott and most of his staff.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', Chapter 20</ref> ''Nagara'' also fired on ''Atlanta'', hitting her many times, and simultaneously ''Ikazuchi'' and ''Inazuma'' swerved to firing range, ''Ikazuchi'' evading the burning wreck of ''Akatsuki'', and each fired six torpedoes.<ref name=":3" /> Atlanta took some 35 shell hits, leaving her badly crippled but not sinking, but that changed when the final blow was delivered as two of ''Ikazuchi's'' torpedoes made their mark. One was a dud, but the other exploded and cut all power to ''Atlanta's'' engineering spaces.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;150–159.</ref> The disabled cruiser drifted into the line of fire of ''San&nbsp;Francisco'', which accidentally fired on her, hitting her with nineteen 8-inch (203 mm) shells, though all passed through the superstructure without exploding. Without power and unable to fire her guns, ''Atlanta'' drifted out of control and out of the battle as the Japanese ships passed her by, leading to her eventual scuttling.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;96–97, 103; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;246–247; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;443.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Atlanta III (CL-51) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/atlanta-cl-51-iii.html |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=public1.nhhcaws.local |language=en-US}}</ref>

''Cushing'', having recovered from her near collision, fired her guns at ''Amatsukaze'' and attempted to sink her. However, her shots were badly aimed and failed to damage their target.<ref name=":2" /> In turn, ''Cushing'' was ambushed by ''Yukikaze'' and ''Teruzuki'' which fired their guns at a mere 3,000 yards. ''Cushing'' attempted to turn attention to her attackers, but 5-inch (127 mm) and 3.9-inch (10 cm) shell hits quickly destroyed all electrical power, all engine power, and disabled her guns, fatal damage that led to her being eventually abandoned and left to sink.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pacific Wrecks-Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (Third Battle of the Solomon Sea) Solomon Islands |url=https://pacificwrecks.com/battle/naval-battle-of-guadalcanal.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-02-04 |title=照月【秋月型駆逐艦 二番艦】Teruzuki【Akizuki-class destroyer】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/destroyer/teruzuki/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref> Blasted into a floating wreck by over 20 shell hits and lit up by a massive fire in just one minute, ''Cushing'' could only respond with machine gunfire, which managed to kill a sailor on ''Yukikaze's'' deck but otherwise caused only cosmetic damage.<ref name=":4">Walker, ''Yukikaze's War'', p 132</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=IJN Yukikaze: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/yukika_t.htm |url-status=}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-02-04 |title=雪風【陽炎型駆逐艦 八番艦】その1Yukikaze【Kagero-class destroyer】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/destroyer/yukikaze/ |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref> As the defenseless ''Cushing'' drifted away from the battle, her sailors watched as the massive ''Hiei'' sailed right past them.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;244; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;132–136.</ref> In turn, after helping to sink ''Atlanta'', ''Ikazuchi'' was fired on by ''Portland'' and hit by two 8-inch (203 mm) shells to her bow, starting a small fire and disabling her forward turret.<ref name=":1" />

====Attention shifts to ''Hiei'', ''San Francisco'' is mauled====

''Hiei'', with her nine lit searchlights, huge size, and course taking her directly through the U.S. formation, became the focus of gunfire from many of the U.S. ships. ''Portland'' fired on her and scored several hits with her main guns, while the back flotilla of US destroyers, ''Aaron Ward, Barton, Monssen'', and ''Fletcher'' quickly closed the range to attack ''Hiei''. Of the frontal destroyers, ''Sterett'' attacked ''Nagara'', hitting her with one 5-inch (127 mm) shell, killing 6 men and causing minor damage while ''O'Bannon'' was the first destroyer to attack ''Hiei'', hitting her with several 5-inch (127 mm) shells and two torpedoes that failed to explode.<ref>Lundgren (2023)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=IJN NAGARA: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://combinedfleet.com/nagara_t.htm}}</ref><ref name=":7" />

The destroyer ''Laffey'' evaded the burning ''Cushing'' and ran into a rain squall, and several minutes later discovered ''Hiei'' so close that they missed colliding by {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on|0}}, only avoiding the collision by accelerating. ''Hiei'' was unable to depress her main or secondary batteries low enough to hit ''Laffey'', but ''Laffey'' was able to rake the Japanese battleship with {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|1}} shells and machine gun fire, causing heavy damage to the [[superstructure]] and [[Bridge (ship)|bridge]], wounding Abe and killing his [[Chief of staff (military)|chief of staff]], Captain Masakane Suzuki, alongside injuring and killing many others on the bridge.<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;244; Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;146.</ref> Abe was thus limited in his ability to direct his ships for the rest of the battle.<ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;148.</ref> ''Sterett'' then located ''Hiei'' and hit her several more times, helping to light ''Hiei'' on fire.<ref name=":7">Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;142–149; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;244–245.</ref>
[[File:Japanese battleship Hiei underway in Tokyo Bay on 11 July 1942 (NH 73075).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|left|Battleship {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}} in 1942]]

Unable to fire her main or secondary batteries at the three destroyers causing her so much trouble, ''Hiei'' instead concentrated on ''San&nbsp;Francisco'', which was passing by only {{convert|2500|yd|m|abbr=on}} away.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;444.</ref> Along with ''Kirishima'', ''Inazuma'', and ''Ikazuchi'', the four ships made repeated hits on ''San&nbsp;Francisco'', disabling her steering control and killing Callaghan, Captain Cassin Young, and most of the bridge staff. The first few salvos from ''Hiei'' and ''Kirishima'' consisted of the special fragmentation bombardment shells, which caused less damage to the interior of ''San&nbsp;Francisco'' than armor-piercing shells would have done; this may have saved her from being sunk outright. Not expecting a ship-to-ship confrontation, it took the crews of the two Japanese battleships several minutes to switch to [[Armor-piercing shot and shell|armor-piercing]] ammunition, and ''San&nbsp;Francisco'', almost helpless to defend herself, managed to momentarily sail clear of the melee.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;160–171; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;247.</ref> In exchange, ''San Francisco'' hit ''Hiei'' with at least seventeen 8-inch (203 mm) shells during the brawl, one or two of which landed in ''Hiei''{{'}}s steering gear room, flooding it with water, shorting out her power steering generators, and severely inhibiting ''Hiei''{{'}}s steering capability.<ref>[http://www.combinedfleet.com/hiei2.htm ''Hiei'' ship history at CombinedFleet.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514144817/http://www.combinedfleet.com/hiei2.htm |date=14 May 2019 }}, 0154 13 November 1942 entry</ref><ref name=":8">Hornfischer, ''Neptune's inferno'', Chapter 30</ref> ''Helena'' followed ''San&nbsp;Francisco'' to try to protect her from further harm, in the process being hit by five 6-inch (152 mm) shells from ''Kirishima'' which caused minor damage, killing one sailor.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;234.</ref><ref>Stille, ''Imperial Japanese Navy Battleship 1941–1945,'' p 19-20</ref>

====Chaotic melee, IJN prevails====

Two of the U.S. destroyers met a sudden demise just before 2:00. ''Amatsukaze'' finally cleared the range into the battle, and immediately star shells fired from ''Nagara'' illuminated several destroyers peppering ''Hiei'' with gunfire. Commander [[Tameichi Hara]] ordered the destroyer to close to 3,000 yards, and upon the crew delivering this order ''Amatsukaze'' let out eight torpedoes at the enemy ships. Commander Hara had trained heavily as a torpedo warfare expert, and his knowledge paid off. ''Aaron Ward'' and ''Monssen'' barely avoided being torpedoed, maneuvering just in time. The destroyer ''Barton'' was not as lucky, she was forced to slow down to avoid colliding with ''Aaron Ward'', and before she could pick up speed, two of ''Amatsukaze's'' torpedoes slammed amidships, which tore ''Barton'' in half and sank her in a tremendous explosion of flames and steam.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', pp.&nbsp;144–146; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;249.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=USS Barton (DD-599), Benson-class (Bristol-class) destroyer in World War II |url=https://destroyerhistory.org/benson-gleavesclass/ussbarton/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=destroyerhistory.org}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-02-04 |title=天津風【陽炎型駆逐艦 九番艦】その1Amatsukaze【Kagero-class destroyer】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/destroyer/amatsukaze/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref>

''Laffey'', having escaped her encounter with ''Hiei'', was suddenly located by ''Yukikaze'' and ''Teruzuki'' and illuminated by star shells''.''<ref name=":4" /> Immediately afterwards, one 14-inch (356 mm) shell from ''Hiei'' took revenge and hit the amidships superstructure, disabling her turret 3. ''Laffey'' responded with her remaining three guns, but before landing a hit one of ''Yukikaze's'' torpedoes landed the crippling blow, blowing off ''Laffey's'' stern, breaking her keel, destroying electrical power, and starting a gigantic fire.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> With flooding and fires quickly overwhelming damage control efforts, the abandon ship order was issued, and as ''Laffey'' was being abandoned, the fire caused by ''Yukikaze's'' torpedo hit ignited her turret 4 magazines and sank ''Laffey'' nearly instantly in a tremendous explosion.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wreck of the USS Laffey |url=https://uncommonsenseok.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-wreck-of-uss-laffey.html |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=The Wreck of the USS Laffey}}</ref>

''O'Bannon'' while turning away from ''Hiei'' noticed the massive explosion caused by ''Laffey's'' sinking and swerved to avoid colliding with her wreck, with ''O'Bannon's'' crew throwing some 50 lifejackets overboard to the surviving men in the water. As this happened, ''Yukikaze'' noticed ''O'Bannon'' and fired away with her 5-inch (127 mm) guns. ''O'Bannon'' turned away, and while no hits were landed a near miss detonated underneath the keel and temporarily disrupted ''O'Bannon's'' lighting and power. <ref name=":6" /><ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p 246</ref>
[[File:Amatsukaze II.jpg|thumb|[[Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze (1939)|''Amatsukaze'']], which sank ''[[USS Barton (DD-599)|Barton]]'' and helped to sink ''[[USS Juneau (CL-52)|Juneau]].'' Her Commander, [[Tameichi Hara]], became a key primary witness to the battle.]]
''Portland was'' still firing on ''Hiei'' when she was hit by a torpedo from ''Inazuma'' or ''Ikazuchi'' which blew a 60 foot hole in the stern, jamming her rudder in a 5 degree turn to port and disabling her aft 8-inch (203 mm) gun turret. After completing her first loop, she was able to fire four salvos at ''Hiei'' but otherwise took little further part in the battle, while in turn ''Hiei'' hit ''Portland'' with two 14-inch (356 mm) shells that exploded upon impact with the belt.<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;247–248; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;172–178.</ref><ref name=":10">Hornfischer, ''Neptune's Inferno'', Chapter 31</ref> 

''Yūdachi'' meanwhile was caught by the light cruiser ''Juneau'' and fired all eight torpedoes, but none hit. This put ''Yūdachi'' in a bad spot as she was forced to respond with only gunfire, but luckily ''Amatsukaze'', having just reloaded her torpedoes after sinking ''Barton'', noticed her under fire and launched four torpedoes at the enemy cruiser. One of these torpedoes hit ''Juneau'' to the port side, cutting her speed to 13 knots, breaking her keel, and disabling electrical power, knocking the crippled ''Juneau'' out of the engagement.<ref name=":9" /><ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', p.&nbsp;94; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;248; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;204–212.</ref>

Immediately afterwards, ''Amatsukaze'' nearly collided with the retreating ''San Francisco'', and initially Commander Hara didn't recognize the cruiser as an enemy warship due to the sheer number of deformities inflicted on her by ''Hiei'' and ''Kirishima's'' gunfire. At just a few hundred yards away, ''Amatsukaze'' opened fire with her 5-inch (127 mm) guns, immediately scoring hits to ''San Francisco's'' bridge, before a shell destroyed one of San Francisco's remaining port 5-inch (127 mm) secondary guns and disabled the rest with shrapnel damage, killing several sailors.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":10" /> ''Amatsukaze'' then fired the last of her torpedoes, but due to how close they were, the torpedoes failed to arm and did not explode. However, ''Amatsukaze's'' searchlights were not turned off quickly enough, allowing ''Helena'' to notice her, which then ambushed ''Amatsukaze'' and hit her with several 6-inch (152 mm) shells, disabling her guns and steering wheel and cutting her speed to 20 knots. However, ''Asagumo'', ''Murasame'', and ''Samidare'' finally joined the battle and intervened, taking up ''Helena's'' attention as ''Amatsukaze'' withdrew from the battle. ''Helena'' hit ''Samidare'' with a shell that exploded in her bow and hit ''Murasame'' with a shell that knocked out her forward boiler, before the three destroyers each fired eight torpedoes and retreated. ''Murasame'' claimed to torpedo and sink ''Helena'', which turned out to be a false claim as she survived without torpedo damage.<ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;149.</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-02-03 |title=朝雲【朝潮型駆逐艦 五番艦】Asagumo【Asashio-class destroyer】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/destroyer/asagumo/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=IJN Samidare: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/samida_t.htm}}</ref>

''Monssen'' avoided the wreck of ''Barton'' and steamed onward looking for targets. She noticed what she thought were friendly ships signaling her, and signaled them back. Turns out, these were actually star shells as ''Asagumo'', ''Murasame'', and ''Samidare'' blasted ''Monssen'' to starboard, while ''Hiei'' flanked ''Monssen'' to port. In under two minutes, the Japanese ships hit ''Monssen'' some 39 times, including three 14-inch (356 mm) shells from ''Hiei's'' main guns, smothering the destroyer into a floating wreck, fatal damage that resulted in ''Monssen'' sinking some 20 minutes later.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" /><ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', p.&nbsp;95; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;249–250; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;213–225, 286.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Imperial Battleships |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/hiei2.htm |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=www.combinedfleet.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=PacificWrecks.com |title=Pacific Wrecks - USS Monssen (DD-436) |url=https://pacificwrecks.com/ships/usn/DD-436.html |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=pacificwrecks.com |language=en}}</ref>[[File:IronbottomSound.jpg|thumb|Ironbottom Sound. The majority of the warship surface battle of 13 November took place in the area between Savo Island (center) and Guadalcanal (left).]]

''Aaron Ward'' and ''Sterett'', independently searching for targets, both sighted ''Yūdachi'', which appeared unaware of the approach of the two U.S. destroyers.<ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;147.</ref> Both U.S.&nbsp;ships hit ''Yūdachi'' simultaneously with gunfire and torpedoes, destroying her boilers and leaving her dead in the water, resulting in ''Yūdachi'' being abandoned.<ref name="Hammel">Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea''.</ref> The ship did not sink right away, and stayed afloat after a failed scuttling attempt. Continuing on her way, ''Sterett'' was suddenly ambushed by ''Yukikaze'', which hit ''Sterett'' with eleven 5-inch (127 mm) shells. ''Sterett's'' torpedoes and aft guns were destroyed, and she was set on fire, but miraculously all damage was above the waterline, thus she did not sink and managed to limp away.<ref name=":6" /><ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;246–249.</ref> ''Aaron Ward'' wound up in a one-on-one duel with ''Kirishima'', which the destroyer lost with heavy damage, taking nine hits. She tried to retire from the battle area to the east but soon stopped dead in the water because the engines were damaged.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;250–256.</ref> In the final stages of the battle, intense flooding and fires inflicted near the very beginning of the engagement had finally overwhelmed all damage control on the still drifting and defenseless ''Cushing'', and at 2:30 the destroyer was finally abandoned by her crew and left to sink several hours later.<ref>{{Cite web |title=USS Cushing (DD-376), Mahan-class destroyer in World War II |url=https://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/usscushing/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=destroyerhistory.org}}</ref>

[[Robert Leckie (author)|Robert Leckie]], a [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] private on Guadalcanal, described the battle:
<blockquote>The star shells rose, terrible and red. Giant [[tracer ammunition|tracers]] flashed across the night in orange arches. ... the sea seemed a sheet of polished [[obsidian]] on which the warships seemed to have been dropped and were immobilized, centered amid [[concentric]] circles like shock waves that form around a stone dropped in mud.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'' pp.&nbsp;451, quoting Leckie's ''Helmet for my Pillow''.</ref></blockquote>

[[Ira Wolfert]], an American war correspondent, was with the Marines on shore and wrote of the engagement:
<blockquote>The action was illuminated in brief, blinding flashes by Jap searchlights which were shot out as soon as they were turned on, by muzzle flashes from big guns, by fantastic streams of tracers, and by huge orange-colored explosions as two Jap destroyers and one of our destroyers blew up... From the beach it resembled a door to hell opening and closing&nbsp;... over and over.<ref>Miller, ''The Story of World War II'' pp.&nbsp;134–135.</ref></blockquote>

After nearly 40 minutes of brutal close-quarters fighting, the two sides broke contact and ceased fire at 02:26, after Abe and Captain [[Gilbert C. Hoover|Gilbert Hoover]] (the captain of ''Helena'' and senior surviving U.S. officer) ordered their respective forces to disengage.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;451.</ref> Abe had one battleship (''Kirishima''), one light cruiser (''Nagara''), and four destroyers (''Asagumo'', ''Teruzuki'', ''Yukikaze'', and ''Harusame'') with only light damage and four destroyers (''Inazuma'', ''Ikazuchi'', ''Murasame'', and ''Samidare'') with moderate damage. The U.S. had only one light cruiser (''Helena'') and one destroyer (''Fletcher'') that were still capable of effective resistance. Although perhaps unclear to Abe, the way was now open for him to bombard Henderson Field and finish off the U.S. naval forces in the area, thus allowing the troops and supplies to be landed safely on Guadalcanal.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;449–450.</ref> 

At this crucial juncture, Abe, [[Battle of Savo Island|like Mikawa before him]] and [[Battle off Samar|Kurita after him]], chose to abandon the mission and depart the area. Several reasons are conjectured as to why he made this decision. Much of the special bombardment ammunition had been expended in the battle. If the bombardment failed to destroy the airfield, then his warships would be vulnerable to CAF air attack at dawn. His own injuries and the deaths of some of his staff from battle action may have affected Abe's judgement. Perhaps he was also unsure as to how many of his or the U.S. ships were still combat-capable because of communication problems with the damaged ''Hiei''. Furthermore, his own ships were scattered and would have taken some time to reassemble for a coordinated resumption of the mission to attack Henderson Field and the remnants of the U.S. warship force. For whatever reason, Abe called for a disengagement and general retreat of his warships, although ''Yukikaze'' and ''Teruzuki'' remained behind to assist ''Hiei''.<ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;153.</ref> ''Samidare'' picked up survivors from ''Yūdachi'' at 03:00 before joining the other Japanese ships in the retirement northwards.<ref name ="guadalcanal452">Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;452.</ref>

===Aftermath===
[[File:HieiB17Nov13.gif|thumb|''Hiei'', trailing oil, is bombed by U.S. B-17 bombers from high altitude north of Savo Island on 13 November 1942.]]
[[File:USS Portland (CA-33) in a drydock at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard, circa in late 1942 (NH 81992).jpg|thumb|''Portland'' undergoing repairs in dry dock in Sydney, Australia, a month after the battle]]

At 03:00 on 13 November, Admiral Yamamoto postponed the planned landings of the transports, which returned to the Shortlands to await further orders.<ref name="guadalcanal452"/> Dawn revealed three crippled Japanese (''Hiei'', ''Yūdachi'', and ''Amatsukaze'') and three crippled U.S.&nbsp;ships (''Portland'', ''Atlanta'', and ''Aaron Ward'') in the general vicinity of Savo Island.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;270.</ref> ''Amatsukaze'' was attacked by U.S. [[dive bomber]]s but escaped further damage as she headed to Truk, and she eventually returned to action several months later. The abandoned hulk of ''Yūdachi'' was sunk by ''Portland'', whose guns were still functioning despite other damage to the ship.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;272.</ref> The tugboat {{USS|Bobolink|AM-20|2}} motored around Ironbottom Sound throughout the day of 13 November, assisting the damaged U.S.&nbsp;ships and rescuing U.S.&nbsp;survivors from the water.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', p.&nbsp;98; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;454.  The crew of the ''Bobolink'' reportedly machine-gunned Japanese survivors that they saw floating in the water.</ref>

During the morning and early afternoon, IJN carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Jun'yō||2}} under the command of Vice Admiral [[Kakuji Kakuta]], which was located about 200 miles north of the Solomons, dispatched several combat air patrols, consisting of [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] fighters and [[Nakajima B5N]] and [[Aichi D3A]] bombers (for navigational aid), to cover the crippled ''Hiei''. In addition, several more patrols were dispatched from ground bases at Rabaul and Buin. These patrols engaged U.S. aircraft that were sent from Henderson Field and from the aircraft carrier {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|2}}, but they could not save ''Hiei''.<ref>Lundstrom, ''Guadalcanal Campaign''</ref>

''Hiei'' was attacked repeatedly by Marine [[Grumman TBF Avenger]] torpedo planes from Henderson Field, [[Grumman TBF Avenger|Navy TBF Avengers]], and [[Douglas SBD Dauntless]] dive-bombers from ''Enterprise'', which had departed [[Nouméa]] on 11 November, as well as [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] bombers of the [[United States Army Air Forces|U.S. Army Air Forces]]' [[11th Bombardment Group]] from [[Espiritu Santo]]. Abe and his staff transferred to ''Yukikaze'' at 08:15. ''Kirishima'' was ordered by Abe to take ''Hiei'' under tow, escorted by ''Nagara'' and her destroyers, but the attempt was cancelled because of the threat of submarine attack and ''Hiei''{{'}}s increasing unseaworthiness.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;79 and 97–100; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;298–308.</ref> After sustaining more damage from air attacks, ''Hiei'' sank northwest of Savo Island, perhaps after being scuttled by her remaining crew, in the late evening of 13 November.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;298–308; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;259–160. ''Enterprise'' and her escorting warships were designated Task Force&nbsp;16 (TF&nbsp;16) and was commanded by Rear Admiral [[Thomas C. Kinkaid]]. TF&nbsp;16 consisted of ''Enterprise'' plus battleships {{USS|Washington|BB-56|2}} and {{USS|South Dakota|BB-57|2}}, cruisers {{USS|Northampton|CA-26|2}} and {{USS|San Diego|CL-53|2}}, and ten destroyers.</ref>

==== Sinking of the Juneau ====
[[File:USS Juneau (CL-52) - 19-N-28143.jpg|thumb|[[USS Juneau (CL-52)|USS ''Juneau'']], the resting place of the five [[Sullivan brothers]]]]
''Portland'', ''San Francisco'', ''Aaron Ward'', and ''Sterett'' were eventually able to make their way to rear-area ports for repairs. ''Atlanta'', however, sank near Guadalcanal at 20:00 on 13 November.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;274–275.</ref> Departing from the Solomon Islands area with ''San&nbsp;Francisco'', ''Helena'', ''Sterett'', and ''O'Bannon'' later that day, ''Juneau'' and the other warships were detected by the {{Jsub|I-26}}, which fired three torpedoes. They missed their intended target, the crippled ''San Francisco'', but one veered off and hit the crippled ''Juneau'' in the exact same location ''Amatsukaze's'' torpedo hit during the surface battle. This damage inflicted the [[coup de grâce]] as a massive explosion sent ''Juneau'' crashing to the ocean floor in under a minute.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IJN Submarine I-26: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-26.htm}}</ref> ''Juneau''{{'}}s 100+&nbsp;survivors (out of a total complement of 697) were left to fend for themselves in the open ocean for eight days before rescue aircraft belatedly arrived. While awaiting rescue, all but ten of ''Juneau''{{'}}s crew had died from their injuries, the elements, or shark attacks. The dead included the five [[Sullivan brothers]].<ref>Kurzman, ''Left to Die'', Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;456; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;257; Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;101–103.</ref>

Most historians appear to agree that Abe's decision to retreat represented a strategic victory for the United States. Henderson Field remained operational with attack aircraft ready to deter the slow Imperial transports from approaching Guadalcanal with their precious cargoes.<ref name="guadalcanal400">Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;400.</ref><ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;258.</ref> Plus, the Japanese had lost an opportunity to eliminate the U.S. naval forces in the area, a result which would have taken even the comparatively resource-rich U.S. some time to recover from. Reportedly furious, Admiral Yamamoto relieved Abe of command and later directed his forced retirement from the IJN. It appears that Yamamoto may have been more angry over the loss of one of his battleships (''Hiei'') than he was over the abandonment of the supply mission and failure to completely destroy the U.S. force.<ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;156.</ref>  Shortly before noon, Yamamoto ordered Vice Admiral [[Nobutake Kondō]], commanding the Second Fleet at Truk, to form a new bombardment unit around ''Kirishima'' and attack Henderson Field on the night of 14–15 November.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;401; Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;156.</ref>

Including the sinking of ''Juneau'', total U.S. losses in the battle were 1,439 dead. The Japanese suffered between 550 and 800&nbsp;dead.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;459–460.</ref> The U.S. ships that were sunk or scuttled during the battle were two light cruisers, {{USS|Atlanta|CL-51|2}} and {{USS|Juneau|CL-52|2}}, and four destroyers, {{USS|Monssen|DD-436|2}}, {{USS|Cushing|DD-376|2}}, {{USS|Laffey|DD-459|2}}, and {{USS|Barton|DD-599|2}}. Analyzing the effect of this engagement, historian [[Richard B. Frank]] states:

<blockquote>This action stands without peer for furious, close-range, and confused fighting during the war. But the result was not decisive. The self-sacrifice of Callaghan and his task force had purchased one night's respite for Henderson Field. It had postponed, not stopped, the landing of major Japanese reinforcements, nor had the greater portion of the (Japanese) Combined Fleet yet been heard from."<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;461.</ref></blockquote>

==Transports approach, 13–14 November==
[[File:Japanese cruiser Kinugasa.jpg|thumb|Japanese heavy cruiser ''Kinugasa'']]

Although the reinforcement effort to Guadalcanal was delayed, the Japanese did not give up trying to complete the original mission, albeit a day later than originally planned. On the afternoon of 13 November, Tanaka and the 11&nbsp;transports resumed their journey toward Guadalcanal. A Japanese force of cruisers and destroyers from the 8th Fleet (based primarily at Rabaul and originally assigned to cover the unloading of the transports on the evening of 13 November) was given the mission that Abe's force had failed to carry out—the bombardment of Henderson Field. The battleship ''Kirishima'', after abandoning her rescue effort of ''Hiei'' on the morning of 13 November, steamed north between [[Santa Isabel Island|Santa Isabel]] and [[Malaita Island]]s with her accompanying warships to rendezvous with Kondo's Second Fleet, inbound from Truk, to form the new bombardment unit.<ref>Evans, ''Japanese Navy'', p.&nbsp;190; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;465; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;298–308, 312; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;259.</ref>

The 8th Fleet cruiser force, under the command of Mikawa, included the {{sclass|Takao|cruiser|0}} heavy cruisers {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Chōkai||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Maya||2}}, the {{sclass|Mogami|cruiser|0}} {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Suzuya|1934|2}} and the older and smaller {{sclass|Aoba|cruiser|0}} {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Kinugasa||2}}, the light cruisers {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Isuzu||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Tenryū||2}}, and six destroyers: {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Asashio|1936|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Arashio||2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Michishio||2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Kazagumo||2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yugumo|1941|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Makigumo|1941|2}}.<ref name="Imperial Cruisers">{{Cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/chokai_t.htm|title = Imperial Cruisers}}</ref> Mikawa's force was able to slip into the Guadalcanal area uncontested, the battered U.S. naval force having withdrawn. ''Suzuya'' and ''Maya'', under the command of [[Shōji Nishimura]], bombarded Henderson Field while the rest of Mikawa's force cruised around Savo Island, guarding against any U.S. surface attack (which in the event did not occur).<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;108–109; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;234, 262; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;313, combinedfleet.com.</ref> The 35-minute bombardment caused some damage to various aircraft and facilities on the airfield but did not put it out of operation.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;316; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;263. One dive-bomber and 17&nbsp;fighter aircraft were destroyed on Henderson Field by the bombardment.</ref> The cruiser force ended the bombardment around 02:30 on 14 November and cleared the area to head towards Rabaul on a course south of the [[New Georgia]] island group.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', p.&nbsp;109; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;318.</ref>

[[File:KondoKirishimaNov14.jpg|thumb|left|Kondo's bombardment force heads towards Guadalcanal during the day on 14 November. Photographed from the heavy cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Atago||2}}, the heavy cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Takao|1930|2}} is followed by the battleship ''Kirishima''.]]

At daybreak, aircraft from Henderson Field, Espiritu Santo, and ''Enterprise''—stationed {{convert|200|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} south of Guadalcanal—began their attacks, first on Mikawa's force heading away from Guadalcanal, and then on the transport force heading towards the island.<ref>Frank, pp. 465–474; Hammel, pp. 298–345.</ref> The attacks on Mikawa's force sank ''Kinugasa'', killing 511 of her crew, and damaged ''Maya'', forcing her to return to Japan for repairs.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', p.&nbsp;110; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;264–266; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;465, Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;327; combinedfleet.com. An SBD Dauntless accidentally crashed into ''Maya'', killing 37 of her crewmen and causing heavy damage. ''Maya'' was under repair in Japan until 16 January 1943. ''Kinugasa'' sank {{convert|15|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} south of [[Rendova]] Island.</ref> ''Chokai'' suffered damage from near misses, causing some flooding and reduced speed.<ref name="Imperial Cruisers"/> ''Michishio'' was critically damaged by near misses, losing all propulsion. She had to be towed out of the battle and then all the way back to Japan, arriving in March 1943 with repairs finished in November 1943.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/michis_t.htm|title = Long Lancers}}</ref> Two of ''Isuzu''{{'}}s boiler rooms were flooded as a result of near misses, reducing her speed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/isuzu_t.htm|title = Imperial Cruisers}}</ref>

Repeated air attacks on the transport force overwhelmed the escorting Japanese fighter aircraft, sank six of the transports, and forced one more to turn back with heavy damage, before she later sank. Survivors from the transports were rescued by the convoy's escorting destroyers and returned to the Shortlands. A total of 450&nbsp;army troops were reported to have perished. The remaining four transports and four destroyers continued towards Guadalcanal after nightfall of 14 November but stopped west of Guadalcanal to await the outcome of a warship surface action developing nearby (see below) before continuing.<ref>Evans, ''Japanese Navy'', pp.&nbsp;191–192; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;345; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;467–468; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;266–269; Jersey, ''Hell's Islands'', p.&nbsp;446. In the attacks on the transports the U.S. lost five dive bombers and two fighters and the Japanese lost 13&nbsp;fighters. The transports sunk were ''Arizona'', ''Shinanogawa'', ''Sado'', ''Canberra'', ''Nako'', ''Nagara'', and ''Brisbane''. ''Canberra'' and ''Nagara'' were sunk first, with ''Sado'' forced to turn back for the Shortlands escorted by ''Amagiri'' and ''Mochizuki''. Next, ''Brisbane'' was sunk, followed by ''Shinanogawa'', ''Arizona'' and ''Nako''. The seven transports totaled 44,855 tons and carried a total of 20&nbsp;antiaircraft guns.</ref>

Kondo's ad hoc force rendezvoused at [[Ontong Java Atoll|Ontong Java]] on the evening of 13 November, then reversed course and refueled out of range of Henderson Field's bombers on the morning of 14 November. The U.S.&nbsp;submarine {{USS|Trout|SS-202|2}} stalked but was unable to attack ''Kirishima'' during refueling. The bombardment force continued south and came under air attack late in the afternoon of 14 November, during which they were also attacked by the submarine {{USS|Flying Fish|SS-229|2}}, which launched five torpedoes (but scored no hits) before reporting her contact by radio.<ref name="ontongjava">{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Kirishima.htm |title=Senkan! IJN Kirishima: Tabular Record of Movement |publisher=combined fleet.com |access-date=27 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125072205/http://www.combinedfleet.com/Kirishima.htm |archive-date=25 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;271; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;469, and footnote to Chapter&nbsp;18, p.&nbsp;735. Frank states that Morison attributed both submarine contacts to ''Trout'' but was in error.</ref>

''Kinugasa'' was the third and last Japanese heavy cruiser to be sunk in the Solomon Islands campaign. Almost two years passed before the Japanese navy lost another, when six were sunk in the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]] within the span of a few days.

==Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 14–15 November==

===Prelude===
[[File:Naval battle of Guadalcanal, November 14, 1942.png|300px|thumb|First phase of the engagement, 23:17–23:30, 14 November. Red lines are Japanese warship forces and black line is the U.S. warship force.<ref name= "guadalcanal474">Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;474.</ref>]]

Kondo's force approached Guadalcanal via Indispensable Strait around midnight on 14 November, and a quarter moon provided moderate visibility of about {{convert|7|km|nmi mi|abbr=on}}.<ref>Evans, ''Japanese Navy'', p.&nbsp;193; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;351, 361.</ref> The force included ''Kirishima'', heavy cruisers {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Atago||2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Takao|1930|2}}, light cruisers {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Nagara||2}} and ''Sendai'', and nine destroyers, some of the destroyers being survivors (along with ''Kirishima'' and ''Nagara'') of the first night engagement two days prior. Kondo flew his flag in the cruiser ''Atago''.{{efn|name=ship_fate}}<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;234; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;349–350, 415.</ref>

* 1 {{sclass|Kongo|battleship|0}} fast battleship: {{ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}} (S)
* 2 {{sclass|Takao|cruiser|0}} heavy cruisers: {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Takao|1930|2}}, {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Atago||2}} (d)
* 2 light cruisers
** 1 {{sclass|Nagara|cruiser|0}}: {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Nagara||2}}
** 1 {{sclass|Sendai|cruiser|0}}: {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Sendai||2}}
* 11 destroyers
** 1 {{sclass|Akizuki|destroyer|0}}: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Teruzuki|1941|2}}
** 2 [[Kagerō-class destroyer|''Kagerō-class'']]: ''[[Japanese destroyer Kagerō (1938)|Kagerō]]'', [[Japanese destroyer Oyashio|''Oyashio'']] (joined the battle late)
** 1 {{sclass|Asashio|destroyer|0}}: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Asagumo|1938|2}}
** 1 {{sclass|Shiratsuyu|destroyer|0}}: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Samidare|1935|2}}
** 1 {{sclass|Akatsuki|destroyer|0}}: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Inazuma|1932|2}}
** 5 {{sclass|Fubuki|destroyer|0}}: {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Hatsuyuki|1928|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Shirayuki|1928|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Shikinami|1929|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Uranami|1928|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Ayanami|1929|2}} (S)

Low on undamaged ships, Admiral [[William Halsey, Jr.]], detached the new battleships {{USS|Washington|BB-56|2}} and {{USS|South Dakota|BB-57|2}}, of ''Enterprise''{{'}}s support group, together with four destroyers, as TF&nbsp;64 under Admiral [[Willis Augustus Lee|Willis A. "Ching" Lee]] to defend Guadalcanal and Henderson Field. It was a scratch force; the battleships had operated together for only a few days, and their four escorts were from four different divisions—chosen simply because, of the available destroyers, they had the most fuel.<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;270–272; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;351–352; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;470.</ref> The U.S.&nbsp;force arrived in Ironbottom Sound in the evening of 14 November and began patrolling around Savo Island. The U.S. warships were in column formation with the four destroyers in the lead, followed by ''Washington'', with ''South Dakota'' bringing up the rear.{{efn|name=ship_fate}}

* 2 battleships
** 1 {{sclass|North Carolina|battleship|0}}: {{USS|Washington|BB-56|2}}
** 1 {{sclass|South Dakota|battleship|0||1939}}: {{USS|South Dakota|BB-57|2}} (d)
* 4 destroyers
** 1 {{sclass|Sims|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Walke|DD-416|2}} (S)
** 1 {{sclass|Mahan|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Preston|DD-379|2}} (S)
** 1 {{sclass|Benham|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Benham|DD-397|2}} (Ds)
** 1 {{sclass|Gleaves|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Gwin|DD-433|2}} (d)

At 22:55 on 14 November, radar on ''South Dakota'' and ''Washington'' began picking up Kondo's approaching ships near Savo Island, at a distance of around {{convert|18000|m|yd|abbr=on}}.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;352, 363; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;270–272.</ref>

===Action===
Kondo split his force into several groups with one group—commanded by [[Shintaro Hashimoto]] and consisting of ''Sendai'' and destroyers {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Shikinami|1929|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Uranami|1928|2}} ("C" on the maps)—sweeping along the east side of Savo Island, and destroyer {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Ayanami|1929|2}} ("B" on the maps) sweeping counterclockwise around the southwest side of Savo Island to check for the presence of Allied ships.<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;234, 273–274; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;473.</ref> The Japanese ships spotted Lee's force around 23:00, though Kondo misidentified the battleships as cruisers. Kondo ordered the ''Sendai'' group of ships—plus ''Nagara'' and four destroyers ("D" on the maps)—to engage and destroy the U.S. force before he brought the bombardment force of ''Kirishima'' and heavy cruisers ("E" on the maps) into Ironbottom Sound.<ref name= "guadalcanal474"/> The U.S.&nbsp;ships ("A" on the maps) detected the ''Sendai'' force on radar but did not detect the other groups of Japanese ships. Using radar targeting, the two U.S.&nbsp;battleships opened fire on the ''Sendai'' group at 23:17. Admiral Lee ordered a cease fire about five minutes later after the northern group disappeared from his ship's radar. ''Sendai'', ''Uranami'', and ''Shikinami'' were undamaged and circled out of the danger area.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;116–117; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;274; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;362–364; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;475.</ref>
[[File:Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, November 14-15, 1942.png|300px|thumb|left|Second phase of the engagement, 23:30–02:00. Red lines are Japanese warship forces and black lines are U.S. warships. Numbered yellow dots represent sinking warships.<ref name="Frank, p. 480">Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;480.</ref>]]

====U.S. escort wiped out====

Meanwhile, the four U.S. destroyers in the vanguard of the U.S. formation began engaging both ''Ayanami'' and the ''Nagara'' group of ships at 23:22. ''Nagara'' and her escorting destroyers responded effectively with accurate gunfire and torpedoes. ''Nagara'' scored the first kill of this stage of the battle when she focused her gunfire on the destroyer [[USS Preston (DD-379)|''Preston'']], hitting her some nine times which ignited her magazines.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-01-28 |title=長良【長良型軽巡洋艦 一番艦】【Nagara-class light cruiser first】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/light/nagara/ |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Destroyer Photo Index DD-379 USS PRESTON |url=https://www.navsource.org/archives/05/379.htm |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=www.navsource.org}}</ref> ''Ayanami'' meanwhile targeted the destroyer ''[[USS Walke (DD-416)|Walke]]'', hitting her with several shells and a torpedo that blew off her bow. Both of these destroyers sank within 10 minutes. Another stray torpedo from ''Ayanami'' hit the destroyer ''[[USS Benham (DD-397)|Benham]]'' and blew off her blow (leading to her being scuttled the next day).<ref>{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-02-03 |title=綾波【綾波型駆逐艦 一番艦】Ayanami【Ayanami-class destroyer】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/destroyer/ayanami/ |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref> Gunfire from the Japanese ships finally hit {{USS|Gwin|DD-433|2}} in her engine room and put out of the fight.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;118–121; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;475–477; Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;274–275; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;368–383.</ref> The U.S. destroyers had completed their mission as screens for the battleships, absorbing the initial impact of contact with the enemy although at great cost. Lee ordered the retirement of ''Benham'' and ''Gwin'' at 23:48.<ref name="guadalcanal478">Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;478.</ref>

====''South Dakota'' in peril====

''Washington'' passed through the area still occupied by the damaged and sinking U.S. destroyers and fired on ''Ayanami'' with her secondary batteries, setting her afire. Following close behind, ''South Dakota'' suddenly suffered a series of electrical failures, reportedly during repairs when her chief engineer locked down a [[circuit breaker]] in violation of safety procedures, causing her circuits repeatedly to go into [[Series and parallel circuits|series]], making her radar, radios, and most of her gun batteries inoperable. Nonetheless, she continued to follow ''Washington'' towards the western side of Savo Island until 23:35, when ''Washington'' changed course left to pass to the southward behind the burning destroyers. ''South Dakota'' tried to follow but had to turn to starboard to avoid ''Benham'' which resulted in the ship being silhouetted by the fires of the burning destroyers and made her a closer and easier target for the Japanese.<ref>Lippman, ''Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal'', Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;477–478; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;384–385; Morison, ''The Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;275–277.</ref>

Receiving reports of the destruction of the U.S. destroyers from ''Ayanami'' and his other ships, Kondo pointed his bombardment force towards Guadalcanal, believing that the U.S. warship force had been defeated. His force and the two U.S. battleships were now heading towards each other.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;479.</ref>
[[File:USS South Dakota (BB-57) and two destroyers alongside of USS Prometheus (AR-3), in November 1942 (80-G-36088).jpg|thumb|''[[USS South Dakota (BB-57)|South Dakota]]'' moored next to the repair ship ''[[USS Prometheus (AR-3)|Prometheus]]'' shortly after the battle being patched up]]
Almost blind and unable to effectively fire her main and secondary armament, ''South Dakota'' was illuminated by searchlights and targeted by gunfire and torpedoes by most of the ships of the Japanese force including ''Kirishima'', beginning around midnight on 15 November. Although able to score a few hits on ''Kirishima'', ''South Dakota'' took 26 hits—some of which did not explode—that completely knocked out her communications and remaining gunfire control operations, set portions of her upper decks on fire, and forced her to try to steer away from the engagement. All of the Japanese torpedoes missed.<ref>Morison, ''The Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;277–279, [http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/museum/War_Damage/57.pdf Scan of original report]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326083700/http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/museum/War_Damage/57.pdf |date=26 March 2009 }}. The "Gunfire Damage Report" made by the [[Bureau of Ships]] showed 26&nbsp;damaging hits and can be found at [http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/57b.htm 6th and succeeding photos] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922054801/http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/57b.htm |date=22 September 2008 }}, Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;385–389.</ref> Admiral Lee later described the cumulative effect of the gunfire damage to ''South Dakota'' as to, "render one of our new battleships deaf, dumb, blind, and impotent."<ref name="Frank, p. 480"/> ''South Dakota''{{'}}s crew casualties were 39&nbsp;killed and 59&nbsp;wounded, and she turned away from the battle at 00:17 without informing Admiral Lee, though observed by Kondo's lookouts.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;482.</ref><ref>Lippman, ''Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;9. Lee stated he felt "relief", but Capt. Davis of ''Washington'' said ''South Dakota'' "pulled out" without a word.</ref>

====''Washington'' to the rescue====

The Japanese ships continued to concentrate their fire on ''South Dakota'' and none detected ''Washington'' approaching to within {{convert|9000|yd|m|abbr=on}}. ''Washington'' was tracking a large target (''Kirishima'') for some time but refrained from firing since there was a chance it could be ''South Dakota''. ''Washington'' had not been able to track ''South Dakota''{{'}}s movements because she was in a blind spot in ''Washington''{{'}}s radar and Lee could not raise her on the radio to confirm her position. When the Japanese illuminated and fired on ''South Dakota'', all doubts were removed as to which ships were friend or foe. From this close range, ''Washington'' opened fire and quickly hit ''Kirishima'' with at least nine (and possibly up to 20) main battery shells and at least 17 secondary ones, disabling all of ''Kirishima''{{'}}s main gun turrets, causing major flooding, and setting her aflame.{{efn|text= The number of actual hits is a matter of conjecture.  USS ''Washington'' observed eight main battery hits. The US Strategic Bombing Survey estimated 9 major caliber and 40 secondary battery hits based on one postwar interview with a junior officer. ''Kirishima''{{'}}s damage control officer identified 20 main battery hits and 17 five-inch hits on a schematic drawing, including several underwater hits which would have been invisible to ''Washington''. Examination of the wreck has confirmed the location of three of these underwater hits, lending credence to his account.<ref name=Lundgren>{{cite web| last1 = Lundgren| first1 = Robert| title = Kirishima Damage Analysis| url = http://www.navweaps.com/index_lundgren/Kirishima_Damage_Analysis.pdf| website = www.navweapons.com| publisher = The Naval Technical Board| access-date = 20 September 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151105140615/http://www.navweaps.com/index_lundgren/Kirishima_Damage_Analysis.pdf| archive-date = 5 November 2015| url-status = live}} pp. 5–8</ref>}} ''Kirishima'' was hit below the waterline and suffered a jammed rudder, causing her to circle uncontrollably to port. ''Washington'' also fired on ''Atago'' with her secondary battery, lightly damaging the cruiser with a single 5-inch (127 mm) shell hit.<ref>Kilpatrick, ''Naval Night Battles'', pp.&nbsp;123–124; Morison, ''The Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;278; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;388–389; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;481.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=IJN ATAGO: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/atago_t.htm}}</ref>
[[File:USS Washington (BB-56) firing during the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 14 November 1942.jpg|thumb|''Washington'' firing her main guns during the battle, probably at ''Kirishima'']]
At 00:25, Kondo ordered all of his ships that were able to, to converge and destroy any remaining U.S.&nbsp;ships. Having just joined the battle upon hearing of the engagement, the destroyers ''Kagerō'' and ''Oyashio'' fired their torpedoes at ''Washington'', but none of them hit the battleship, while the other surviving U.S.&nbsp;ships had already departed the battle area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IJN Kagero: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/kagero_t.htm}}</ref> ''Washington'' steered a northwesterly course toward the Russell Islands to draw the Japanese force away from Guadalcanal and the presumably damaged ''South Dakota''. The Imperial ships finally sighted ''Washington'' and launched several torpedo attacks, but she avoided all of them and also avoided running aground in shallow waters. At length, believing that the way was clear for the transport convoy to proceed to Guadalcanal (but apparently disregarding the threat of air attack in the morning), Kondo ordered his remaining ships to break contact and retire from the area about 01:04, which most of the Japanese warships complied with by 01:30.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;483–484.</ref>

===Aftermath===
''Ayanami'' was [[scuttling|scuttled]] by ''Uranami'' at 02:00, while ''Kirishima'' capsized and sank by 03:25 on 15 November.<ref>Morison, ''The Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;281; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;391.</ref> ''Uranami'' rescued survivors from ''Ayanami'' and destroyers ''Asagumo'', ''Teruzuki'', and ''Samidare'' rescued the remaining crew from ''Kirishima''.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;484; ''Atago'', ''Takao'', and ''Nagara'' returned to Japan for repairs, with all three being out of action for about one month. ''Chōkai'' was repaired at Truk and returned to Rabaul on 2 December 1942. (combinedfleet.com). ''Gwin'' and ''South Dakota'' were repaired and returned to action a few months later: ''Gwin'' in April 1943, and ''South Dakota'' in February 1943.</ref> Three U.S. destroyers, {{USS|Walke|DD-416|2}}, {{USS|Benham|DD-397|2}}, and {{USS|Preston|DD-379|2}}, were sunk during the battle. In the engagement, 242&nbsp;U.S. and 249&nbsp;Japanese sailors died.<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;486.</ref> The engagement was one of only two battleship-against-battleship surface battles in the entire Pacific campaign of World War II, the other being at the [[Battle of Surigao Strait|Surigao Strait]] during the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]].
[[File:Hirokawa Maru and Kinugawa Maru burning Guadalcanal 15 Nov 1942.jpg|thumb|Two Japanese transports ''Hirokawa Maru'' and ''Kinugawa Maru'' beached and burning on Guadalcanal 15 November 1942]]

The four Japanese transports beached themselves at Tassafaronga on Guadalcanal by 04:00 on 15 November, and Tanaka and the escort destroyers departed and raced back up the Slot toward safer waters. The transports were attacked, beginning at 05:55, by U.S.&nbsp;aircraft from Henderson Field and elsewhere, and by field artillery from U.S. ground forces on Guadalcanal. Later, the destroyer {{USS|Meade|DD-602|2}} approached and opened fire on the beached transports and surrounding area. These attacks set the transports afire and destroyed any equipment on them that the Japanese had not yet managed to unload. Only 2,000 to 3,000 of the embarked troops made it to Guadalcanal, and most of their ammunition and food was lost.<ref>Evans, ''Japanese Navy'', pp.&nbsp;195–197; Morison, ''The Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;282–284; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp.&nbsp;394–395; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;488–490; Jersey, ''Hell's Islands'', pp.&nbsp;307–308. Morison and Jersey state that 2,000&nbsp;Japanese soldiers landed with 260&nbsp;cases of ammunition and 1,500&nbsp;bags of rice. Lost were provisions for 30,000 men for 20&nbsp;days, 22,000 artillery shells, thousands of cases of small-arms ammunition, and 76&nbsp;large and seven small landing craft. Realizing that the transports would not have enough time to unload before daybreak, Tanaka asked permission to run them aground. Mikawa rejected his request, but Kondo accepted it, so Tanaka ordered the transport captains to run their ships aground. The American artillery that shelled the beached transports was from the 244th&nbsp;Coast Artillery Battalion and 3rd&nbsp;Defense Battalion, including two {{convert|155|mm|in|abbr=on}} guns and several 5-inch guns.</ref>

Yamamoto's reaction to Kondo's failure to accomplish his mission of neutralizing Henderson Field and ensuring the safe landing of troops and supplies was milder than his earlier reaction to Abe's withdrawal, perhaps because of Imperial Navy culture and politics.<ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', p.&nbsp;157.</ref> Kondo, who also held the position of second in command of the Combined Fleet, was a member of the upper staff and battleship "clique" of the Imperial Navy, while Abe was a career destroyer specialist. Admiral Kondo was not reprimanded or reassigned, but, instead, was left in command of one of the large ship fleets based at Truk.<ref>Hara, ''Japanese Destroyer Captain'', pp.&nbsp;157, 171.</ref>

==Significance==
The failure to deliver to Guadalcanal most of the troops and especially supplies in the convoy prevented the Japanese from launching another offensive to retake Henderson Field. Thereafter, the Imperial Navy was able to deliver only subsistence supplies and a few replacement troops to Japanese Army forces on Guadalcanal. Because of the continuing threat from Allied aircraft based at Henderson Field, plus nearby U.S. [[aircraft carrier]]s, the Japanese had to continue to rely on [[Tokyo Express]] warship deliveries to their forces on Guadalcanal. These supplies and replacements were not enough to sustain Japanese troops on the island, who – by 7 December 1942 – were losing about 50 men each day from malnutrition, disease, and Allied ground and air attacks. On 12 December, the Japanese Navy proposed that Guadalcanal be abandoned. Despite opposition from Japanese Army leaders, who still hoped that Guadalcanal could be retaken from the Allies, Japan's Imperial General Headquarters—with approval from the [[Emperor Showa|Emperor]]—agreed on 31 December to the [[Operation Ke|evacuation]] of all Japanese forces from the island and establishment of a new line of defense for the Solomons on New Georgia.<ref>Dull, ''Imperial Japanese Navy'', p.&nbsp;261; Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p.&nbsp;527; Morison, ''The Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;286–287.</ref>

[[File:Japansese transport Kinugawa Maru beached and sunk on the Guadalcanal shore, in November 1943 (80-G-K-1467-A).jpg|thumb|The wreck of one of the four Japanese transports ''Kinugawa Maru'' beached and destroyed at Guadalcanal on 15 November 1942, photographed one year later.]]
[[File:GuadJapaneseSubandShip.jpg|thumb|The wreck of ''Yamazuki Maru'' and a Japanese [[midget submarine]] off Guadalcanal]]

Thus, the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was the last major attempt by the Japanese to seize control of the seas around Guadalcanal or to retake the island. In contrast, the U.S. Navy was thereafter able to resupply the U.S. forces at Guadalcanal at will, including the delivery of two fresh divisions by late December 1942. The inability to neutralize Henderson Field doomed the Japanese effort to successfully combat the Allied conquest of Guadalcanal.<ref name="guadalcanal400"/> The last Japanese resistance in the Guadalcanal campaign ended on 9 February 1943, with the successful evacuation of most of the surviving Japanese troops from the island by the Japanese Navy in Operation Ke. Building on their success at Guadalcanal and elsewhere, the Allies continued their campaign against Japan, which culminated in Japan's defeat and the end of World War II. U.S. President [[Franklin Roosevelt]], upon learning of the results of the battle, commented, "It would seem that the turning point in this war has at last been reached."<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;428–92; Dull, ''Imperial Japanese Navy'', pp.&nbsp;245–69; Morison, ''The Struggle for Guadalcanal'', pp.&nbsp;286–287.</ref>

Historian [[Eric M. Hammel|Eric Hammel]] sums up the significance of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal this way:
<blockquote>On November 12, 1942, the (Japanese) Imperial Navy had the better ships and the better tactics. After November&nbsp;15, 1942, its leaders lost heart and it lacked the strategic depth to face the burgeoning U.S. Navy and its vastly improving weapons and tactics. The Japanese never got better while, after November 1942, the U.S. Navy never stopped getting better.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', p.&nbsp;402.</ref></blockquote>

General [[Alexander Vandegrift]], the commander of the troops on Guadalcanal, paid tribute to the sailors who fought the battle:
<blockquote>We believe the enemy has undoubtedly suffered a crushing defeat. We thank [[Thomas C. Kinkaid|Admiral Kinkaid]] for his intervention yesterday. We thank Lee for his sturdy effort last night. Our own aircraft has been grand in its relentless hammering of the foe. All those efforts are appreciated but our greatest homage goes to Callaghan, Scott and their men who with magnificent courage against seemingly hopeless odds drove back the first hostile attack and paved the way for the success to follow. To them the men of Cactus lift their battered helmets in deepest admiration.<ref>The wording varies slightly from source to source: [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/usscushing.html USS ''Cushing''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205031345/http://www.destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/usscushing.html |date=5 February 2007 }}, [http://www.vectorsite.net/tw2guad_2.html#m5 Late November 1942 to February 1943: The endgame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060430081024/http://www.vectorsite.net/tw2guad_2.html#m5 |date=30 April 2006 }}, [https://web.archive.org/web/19991008162146/http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/4072/commendation.html Commendations for the Men who fought in the Naval Battle for Guadalcanal on November&nbsp;13th, 1942.], [http://www.usshelena.org/communiques.html Communiqués] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929184902/http://www.usshelena.org/communiques.html |date=29 September 2007 }}</ref></blockquote>

==Notes==

===Footnotes===
{{notelist}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book | last = Dull | first = Paul S. | year = 1978 | title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945 | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 0-87021-097-1 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/battlehistoryofi0000dull }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Evans | editor-first = David C. |first=Raizo |last=Tanaka |author-link=Raizo Tanaka | year = 1986|edition=2nd | chapter = The Struggle for Guadalcanal | title = The Japanese Navy in World War II: In the Words of Former Japanese Naval Officers | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = Annapolis, Maryland | isbn = 0-87021-316-4 }}
* {{cite book | last = Frank | first = Richard B. | author-link = Richard B. Frank | year = 1990 | title = Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle | publisher = [[Penguin Group]] | location = New York | isbn = 0-14-016561-4 | url = https://archive.org/details/guadalcanal00rich }}
* {{cite book | last = Griffith | first = Samuel B. | year = 1963 | title = The Battle for Guadalcanal | publisher = University of Illinois Press | location = Champaign, Illinois | isbn = 0-252-06891-2 }}
* {{cite book | last = Hammel | first = Eric | author-link = Eric M. Hammel | year = 1988 | title = Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, November 13–15, 1942 | publisher = Pacifica Press | location = (CA) | isbn = 0-517-56952-3 | url = https://archive.org/details/guadalcanaldecis00hamm }}
* {{cite book | last = Hara | first = Tameichi | author-link = Tameichi Hara | year = 1961 | chapter = Part Three, The "Tokyo Express" | title = Japanese Destroyer Captain | publisher = [[Ballantine Books]] | location = New York & Toronto | isbn = 0-345-27894-1 }} – Firsthand account of the first engagement of the battle by the captain of the Japanese destroyer {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Amatsukaze|1939|2}}.
* {{cite web | last = Jameson | first = Colin G. | year = 1944 | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-CN-Guadalcanal/index.html | title = The Battle of Guadalcanal, 11–15 November 1942 | publisher = Publications Branch, Office of Naval Intelligence, United States Navy (Somewhat inaccurate on the details of actual damage done to and actions by Japanese ships) | access-date = 8 April 2006 }}
* {{cite book | last = Jersey | first = Stanley Coleman | title = Hell's Islands: The Untold Story of Guadalcanal | year=2007 | publisher = Texas A&M University Press | location = [[College Station, Texas]] | isbn = 978-1-58544-616-2 }}
* {{cite book  | last = Kilpatrick | first = C. W. | year = 1987 | title = Naval Night Battles of the Solomons | publisher = Exposition Press | isbn = 0-682-40333-4 }}
* {{cite book | last = Kurzman | first = Dan | year = 1994 | title = Left to Die: The Tragedy of the USS Juneau | publisher = [[Pocket Books]] | location = New York | isbn = 0-671-74874-2 | url = https://archive.org/details/lefttodietragedy00kurz }}
* {{cite web | last = Lippman | first = David H. | year = 2006 | url = http://www.historynet.com/air_sea/naval_battles/3026056.html?page=6&c=y | title = Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal: Turning Point in the Pacific War | work = The HistoryNet.com | publisher = World War II magazine | access-date = 26 November 2006 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Lundgren |first1=Robert|title=Question 39/43: Loss of HIJMS ''Kirishima'' |journal=Warship International |date=2008 |volume=XLV |issue=4 |pages=291–296 |issn=0043-0374}}
* {{cite book | last = Lundstrom | first = John B. | year = 2005|edition=New | title = First Team And the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942 | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 1-59114-472-8 }}
* {{cite book|last=Miller|first=Donald L.|author2=Commager, Henry Steele|title=The Story of World War II|url=https://archive.org/details/storyofworldwari00mill|url-access=registration|year=2001|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=New York|isbn=978-0743227186}}
* {{cite book | last = Morison | first = Samuel Eliot | author-link = Samuel Eliot Morison | date = 1949 | chapter = The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 12–15 November 1942 | title = The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943 | volume= 5 | series= [[History of United States Naval Operations in World War II]] | publisher = [[Little, Brown and Company]] | location = Boston | isbn = 0-316-58305-7 }}
* Brett L Walker (2024). ''Yukikaze's War''. Cambridge University Press. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/978-1-108-83729-3|978-1-108-83729-3]]
* Stille, Cdr Mark (2008). ''Imperial Japanese Navy Battleship 1941–1945''. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/978-1-84603-280-6|978-1-84603-280-6]]

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last = Barham | first = Eugene Alexander | year = 1988 | title = The 228 Days of the United States Destroyer ''Laffey'', DD-459 | oclc= 17616581}}
* {{cite book | last = Calhoun | first = C. Raymond | year = 2000 | title = Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett, 1939–1945 | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 1-55750-228-5 }}
* {{cite book | last = Coombe | first = Jack D. | year = 1991 | title = Derailing the Tokyo Express | publisher = Stackpole | location = Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | isbn = 0-8117-3030-1 | url = https://archive.org/details/derailingtokyoex00coom }}
* {{cite book | last = D'Albas | first = Andrieu | year = 1965 | title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II | publisher = Devin-Adair Pub | isbn = 0-8159-5302-X }}
* {{cite web| last = Fuquea| first = David C.| date = 18 June 2004| url = https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA427566.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604203510/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA427566&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf | url-status = live | archive-date = 4 June 2011 | title = Commanders and Command Decisions: The Impact on Naval Combat in the Solomon Islands, November 1942 | format = Academic report | publisher = Center for Naval Warfare Studies, [[Naval War College]] | access-date = 4 August 2009 }}
* {{cite book | last = Generous | first = William Thomas Jr. | year = 2003 | title = Sweet Pea at War: A History of USS ''Portland'' (CA-33) | publisher = University Press of Kentucky | isbn = 0-8131-2286-4 }}: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0813191211  Online views of selections of the book]
* {{cite book | last = Grace | first = James W. | year = 1999 | title = Naval Battle of Guadalcanal: Night Action, 13 November 1942 | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] | location = [[Annapolis]], [[Maryland]] | isbn = 1-55750-327-3 }}
* {{cite news|author1-link=Thomas C. Hone|last = Hone|first = Thomas C.|year = 1981|title = The Similarity of Past and Present Standoff Threats|periodical = Proceedings of the U.S. Naval Institute|location = Annapolis, Maryland|volume = 107|issue = 9, September 1981|pages = 113–116|issn = 0041-798X }}
* {{cite book | last = Hornfischer | first = James D. | year = 2011 | title = Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal | publisher = Bantam Books | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-553-80670-0 | url = https://archive.org/details/neptunesinferno00jame }}
* {{cite book | last = Lacroix | first = Eric |author2=Linton Wells | year = 1997 | title = Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 0-87021-311-3 }}
* {{cite book | last = McGee | first = William L. | year = 2002 | title = The Solomons Campaigns, 1942–1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville&nbsp;– Pacific War Turning Point, Volume&nbsp;2 (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII) | publisher = BMC Publications | isbn = 0-9701678-7-3 }}
* {{cite book | last = Parkin | first = Robert Sinclair | year = 1995 | title = Blood on the Sea: American Destroyers Lost in World War II | publisher = Da Capo Press | isbn = 0-306-81069-7 }}
* {{cite book | last = Stafford | first = Edward P. | author2 = Paul Stillwell (Introduction) | year = 2002|edition=reissue | title = The Big E: The Story of the USS ''Enterprise'' | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 1-55750-998-0 }}

==External links==
{{Commons|Naval Battle of Guadalcanal}}
*
* {{cite web | last1 = Hough | first1 = Frank O. | last2 = Ludwig | first2 = Verle E. | last3 = Shaw | first3 = Henry I. Jr. | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/I/index.html | title = Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal | work = History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II | access-date = 27 October 2008 }}
* {{cite web|last=Lippman |first=David H. |year=2006 |url=http://www.historynet.com/air_sea/naval_battles/3026026.html |title=Battle of Guadalcanal: First Naval Battle in the Ironbottom Sound |work=HistoryNet.com |publisher=World War II magazine |access-date=27 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316122337/http://www.historynet.com/air_sea/naval_battles/3026026.html |archive-date=16 March 2008 }}
* {{cite book | last = Miller | first = John Jr. | year = 1949 | chapter-url = http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/GuadC/gc-07.htm | url = http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/GuadC/GC-fm.htm | title = Guadalcanal: The First Offensive | chapter = Chapter 7. Decision at Sea | series = United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific | access-date = 27 October 2008 | publisher = [[United States Army Center of Military History]] | id = CMH Pub 5-3 | archive-date = 25 December 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071225214108/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/GuadC/GC-fm.htm | url-status = dead }}
* {{cite web | last = Mohl | first = Michael | year = 1996–2008 | url = http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/57b.htm | title = BB-57 USS South Dakota 1942 | work = NavSource Online Photo Archive | publisher = NavSource Naval History | access-date = 27 October 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080922054801/http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/57b.htm | archive-date = 22 September 2008 | df = dmy-all }}
* {{cite web | last = Tully | first = Anthony P. | year = 1997 | url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/atully03.htm | title = Death of Battleship Hiei: Sunk by Gunfire or Air Attack? | access-date = 27 October 2008 }} Article on the battle of Friday the 13th that gives additional details on the demise of ''Hiei''.

{{World War II}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guadalcanal, Naval Battle Of}}
[[Category:1942 in Japan]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1942]]
[[Category:1942 in the Solomon Islands]]
[[Category:Battles and operations of World War II involving the Solomon Islands]]
[[Category:Guadalcanal Campaign]]
[[Category:Military history of Japan during World War II]]
[[Category:World War II naval operations and battles of the Pacific theatre]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Australia]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Japan]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the United States]]
[[Category:Pacific Ocean theater of World War II]]
[[Category:Night battles|Guadalcanal]]
[[Category:November 1942 events]]