Two minutes later, Aoba's lookouts identified the ships as American, but Gotō remained skeptical and directed his ships to flash identification signals. Once the Allies realized this they started sending in forces and by August 7 Allied forces started landing on Guadalcanal, Gavutu and Tulagi. Duncan's crew, however, thinking that Farenholt and Laffey were commencing an attack on the Japanese warships, increased speed to launch a solitary torpedo attack on Gotō's force without telling Scott what they were doing. Incorrectly applying the perceived lessons learned from this battle, U.S. commanders in future naval night battles in the Solomons consistently tried to prove that American naval gunfire was more effective than Japanese torpedo attacks. [12], To protect the transports carrying the 164th to Guadalcanal, Ghormley ordered Task Force 64 (TF 64), consisting of four cruisers (San Francisco, Boise, Salt Lake City, and Helena) and five destroyers (Farenholt, Duncan, Buchanan, McCalla, and Laffey) under U.S. Rear Admiral Norman Scott, to intercept and combat any Japanese ships approaching Guadalcanal and threatening the convoy. Air attacks by U.S. aircraft from Henderson Field sank two of these destroyers later that day. In total, 195 Duncan sailors survived; 48 did not. The Guadalcanal campaign would last six months. After Asagumo took off her survivors, Natsugumo sank at 16:27. Now having the necessary information he made an attack plan, he told his captains that they would come from the south side of Savo Island, make their attack and then withdraw to the north. [14], At 08:00, on 11 October, Jojima's reinforcement group departed the Shortland Islands anchorage to begin their 250 mi (220 nmi; 400 km) run down the Slot to Guadalcanal. Fubuki was starboard of Aoba and Hatsuyuki to port. [16], Allied reconnaissance aircraft sighted Jojima's supply convoy 210 mi (180 nmi; 340 km) from Guadalcanal between Kolombangara and Choiseul in the Slot at 14:45 on the same day, and reported it as two "cruisers" and six destroyers. When Crutchley left for the meeting he didn’t inform the crew of the HMAS Australia that he had left. Heavily damaged, Fubuki began to sink. All six Zeros ditched; only one pilot was recovered. The reverse of the Savo Island battle postcard. 1] Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942 2] Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 August, aka Battle of the Stewart Islands 3] Battle of Cape Esperance on 11-12 October, aka 2nd Battle of Savo Island where Rear Admiral Scott crossed the Japanese T and the Japanese TF Commander Admiral Goto was mortally wounded Gotō departed the Shortland Islands for Guadalcanal at 14:00 the same day. World War II. I have been meaning to re-send a higher resolution scan my friend so that it too, can be translated. A junior officer on Helena later wrote, "Cape Esperance was a three-sided battle in which chance was the major winner. The cruiser's float aircraft, launched in advance, were to find and illuminate the Japanese warships with flares. McCalla located the burning, abandoned Duncan about 03:00, and several members of McCalla's crew made an attempt to keep her from sinking. The U.S. formation at this point was in position to cross the T of the Japanese formation, giving Scott's ships a significant tactical advantage. Two screening destroyers—Fubuki and Hatsuyuki—accompanied CruDiv6. After two days into the Battle of Savo Island the crews of the Allied ships were exhausted so the ship was at Condition II. Despite the approaching northern force the Japanese continued to attack the southern force with torpedoes. The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the Sea Battle of Savo Island (サボ島沖海戦), took place on 11–12 October 1942, in the Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy. Scott answered with, "Roger", meaning only that the message was received, not that he was confirming the request to act. A United States naval task force bearing the U.S. 1st Marine Division arrived off Guadalcanal, in the eastern Solomon Islands, on the morning of August 7, 1942, and launched the first American offensive operation of World War II. RAdm. Guadalcanal is located in the eastern part of the islands and was occupied by some Japanese forces that were building an airfield on the island. Naval History and Heritage Command) [32], Jojima—learning of the bombardment force's crisis—detached destroyers Shirayuki and Murakumo to assist Furutaka or her survivors and Asagumo and Natsugumo to rendezvous with Kinugasa, which had paused in her retreat northward to cover the withdrawal of Jojima's ships. At 07:00, five CAF Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers attacked Kinugasa but inflicted no damage. [11], In the meantime, Major General Millard F. Harmon—commander of United States Army forces in the South Pacific—convinced Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley—overall commander of Allied forces in the South Pacific—that the marines on Guadalcanal needed to be reinforced immediately if the Allies were to successfully defend the island from the next expected Japanese offensive. The last ship of the line, Astoria, managed to fire eleven salvos, one of which scored a hit in Chokai's operations room, but did not harm her fighting efficiency. The Battle of Savo Island, also known as the First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the First Battle of the Solomon Sea (第一次ソロモン海戦, Dai-ichi-ji Soromon Kaisen? 1942 Guadalcanal– Savo Island - The first American offensive of the war was the landing on Guadalcanal. When the Astoria came into battle it was hit by the Chokai and lost propulsion, despite that it managed to inflict some damage on the Chokai. Both the Americans and the Japanese were short of ships. Between 23:42 and 23:44, Helena and Boise reported their contacts to Scott on San Francisco who mistakenly believed the two cruisers were actually tracking the three U.S. destroyers that were thrown out of formation during the column turn. Since U.S. Navy warships had yet to attempt to interdict any Tokyo Express missions to Guadalcanal, the Japanese were not expecting any opposition from U.S. naval surface forces that night. At the Battle of Savo Island, Japan sank three American ships and killed over 1,000 U.S. sailors in addition to dooming an Australian ship and killing 84 Australian sailors while suffering 129 killed of their own. Despite hitting the Chokai and in doing so almost killing Mikawa it soon suffered three torpedo hits form the Japanese and sank. The naval battle was the second of four major surface engagements during the Guadalcanal campaign and took place at the entrance to the strait between Savo Island and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Kinugasa was sunk one month later during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. [9], The first attempt by the Japanese Army to recapture Henderson Field was on 21 August, in the Battle of the Tenaru, and the next, the Battle of Edson's Ridge, from 12–14 September; both failed. In return Astoria was soon reduced to the same blazing shambles as the others and she sank at 1215 close by Savo Island … (U.S. At 23:49, Furutaka was hit in her torpedo tubes, igniting a large fire that attracted even more shellfire from the US ships. Although Gotō's bombardment mission failed, Jojima's reinforcement convoy was successful in delivering the crucial men and equipment to Guadalcanal. The convoy consisted of two seaplane tenders and six destroyers and was commanded by Rear Admiral Takatsugu Jojima. [22], At 23:32, Helena's radar showed the Japanese warships to be about 27,700 yd (25,300 m) away. Yamamoto was now taking the offensive, and his battleships and destroyer… [13], Continuing with preparations for the October offensive, Japanese Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa's Eighth Fleet staff, headquartered at Rabaul, scheduled a large and important Tokyo Express supply run for the night of 11 October. Going southeast he was joined by Rear Admiral Aritomo Goto’s Cruiser Division 6 which was made up of the heavy cruisers Kako, Aoba, Furutaka and Kinugasa. Japanese Forces. The destroyers were to illuminate any targets with searchlights and discharge torpedoes while the cruisers were to open fire at any available targets without awaiting orders. The forces in the south were guarded by the USS Chicago and the HMAS Canberra, both heavy cruisers and the destroyers USS Bagley and USS Patterson. Sep 30, 2017 - The Japanese Navy were well trained to fight in Night battles at sea and they caught the allied ships By surprise and raked Havoc on there Destroyers, cruisers and sinking 4 allied ships and killing more than a thousand sailors. Japanese cruiser Tenryu before the war. The Chicago tried to get into the battle but was hit by a torpedo and her captain moved her west and left the Battle of Savo Island. These high-speed runs occurred throughout the campaign and were later called the "Tokyo Express" by the Allies and "Rat Transportation" by the Japanese. Furutaka's damage caused her to lose power around 00:50, and she sank at 02:28, 22 mi (19 nmi; 35 km) northwest of Savo Island. The Japanese first counter attacked with air raids on August 7 and 8. News of the victory was widely publicized in the American media. Cape Esperance (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}9°15′S 159°42′E / 9.250°S 159.700°E / -9.250; 159.700 (Cape Esperance)) is the northernmost point on Guadalcanal, and the battle took its name from this point. Savo Island (159.813E 9.130S) is a small volcanic island nine miles (14 km) northwest of Guadalcanal that divides "The Slot" running down the Solomons chain into two channels.The first European explorers to visit the island reported an abundance of food and the presence of a 1700' (520 meter) volcano with a five mile (eight kilometer) wide crater at the center of the island. the Battle of Savo Island to resupply. From 14 September to 9 October, numerous Tokyo Express runs delivered troops from the Japanese 2nd Infantry Division as well as Hyakutake to Guadalcanal. Seawater rushed in through rents in her hull opened by the explosion and helped quench the fire before it could explode the ship's powder magazines. As the three lead U.S. destroyers executed the column movement, San Francisco turned simultaneously. Upon receipt of Scott's "Roger", Helena—thinking they now had permission—opened fire, quickly followed by Boise, Salt Lake City, and to Scott's further surprise, San Francisco. Negative Effects on the U.S. Economy Caused by World War 2, The P-51 Mustang in Europe, The need for and effects of the P-51 Mustang in the skies over Europe. The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the Sea Battle of Savo Island (サボ島沖海戦), took place on 11–12 October 1942, in the Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy. At the same time, but in a separate operation, three heavy cruisers and two destroyers—under the command of Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotō—were to bombard the Allied airfield on Guadalcanal (called Henderson Field by the Allies) with the object of destroying Allied aircraft and the airfield's facilities. The Pacific War, 1942 The Battle of Savo Island - Aug 9, 1942 Off Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands In the summer of 1942, the Japanese had to be stopped in their drive to … In 32 minutes during this Battle of Savo Island, the Japanese sank four Allied heavy cruisers and a destroyer, killing 1,270 officers and men at virtually no loss to themselves. The presence of Admiral Scott's task force at Cape Esperance represented the U.S. Navy's first major attempt to wrest night time operational control of waters around Guadalcanal away from the Japanese. This belief was severely tested just two months later during the Battle of Tassafaronga. The CAF aircraft also scored several more hits on the stationary Murakumo, setting her afire. These ships—mainly light cruisers and destroyers—were usually able to make the round trip down "the Slot" to Guadalcanal and back in a single night, thereby minimizing their exposure to air attacks. His ships passed between Blue and Ralph Talbot because their radars weren’t effective due to the land masses nearby. However, the Battle of Cape Esperance provided a significant morale boost to the U.S. Navy after the failure at Savo Island. Quincy was somewhat slower in entering the battle and when it did it found itself in the crossfire between Japanese columns. That means that half of the crew rests while the other crew is on duty. The USS Chicago was heavily damaged. Along with the heavy cruisers there were also the destroyers, USS Wilson and USS Helm, USS Ralph Talbot and USS Blue. A force of Japanese cruisers and destroyers engaged the Allied fleet in a furious night battle that came to be called the Battle of Savo Island. "[38], Coordinates: 9°9′S 159°38′E / 9.150°S 159.633°E / -9.150; 159.633, Battle in the Pacific theatre of World War II, "IJN Seaplane Tender Chitose: Tabular Record of Movement", "HIJMS Furutaka: Tabular Record of Movement", "HIJMS Kinugasa: Tabular Record of Movement", "Stumbling Into Victory: The Battle of Cape Esperance", "IJN Hatsuyuki: Tabular Record of Movement", "IJN Murakumo: Tabular Record of Movement", "IJN Natsugumo: Tabular Record of Movement", "Report of Action off Savo Island, Solomons, Night of 11–12 October 1942", "IJN Nisshin: Tabular Record of Movement", Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Rape during the Soviet occupation of Poland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Cape_Esperance&oldid=1014401528, Naval battles of World War II involving Japan, Naval battles of World War II involving the United States, Battles and operations of World War II involving the Solomon Islands, Military history of Japan during World War II, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 March 2021, at 21:17. The Battle of Savo was right at the beginning of the campaign. 8th Fleet. First Battle of Savo Island. This persisted for the months of August and September, 1942. Almost every day, US convoys sailed in to land men and material on the island, and every night the Japanese did the same. [17], Scott crafted a simple battle plan for the expected engagement. August 8/9 - A major U.S. naval disaster off Savo Island, north of Guadalcanal, as eight Japanese warships wage a night attack and sink three U.S. heavy cruisers, an Australian cruiser, and one U.S. destroyer, all in less than an hour. 4.0 out of 5 stars Overall a good read of the Savo Island Battle Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2012 Overall, "Disaster in the Pacific: New light on the Battle of Savo Island" is a fine book that covers not only the battle itself, but the surrounding controversies the disaster entailed. The column was led by Farenholt, Duncan, and Laffey, and followed by San Francisco, Boise, Salt Lake City, and Helena. By 12:00, however, they had to abandon the effort as bulkheads within Duncan collapsed causing the ship to finally sink 6 mi (5.2 nmi; 9.7 km) north of Savo Island. In the ensuing attack, Murakumo was hit by a torpedo in her engineering spaces, leaving her without power. At 23:33, Scott ordered his column to turn towards the southwest to a heading of 230°. Three months of bitter air-ground-sea action in the Solomon Islands had resulted in a stalemate. Gotō's flagship Aoba led the Japanese cruisers in column, followed by Furutaka and Kinugasa. Hatsuyuki picked up Furutaka's survivors and joined the retreat northward. The Japanese raids were mostly defeated by planes launched from the aircraft carriers. The battle of Savo Island (9 August 1942) was a crushing Japanese victory in the waters just off Guadalcanal that saw them sink four Allied cruisers and helped to isolate the US Marines fighting on Guadalcanal.. Pacific War alpha - version 2.03 Preview of the 2nd battle of the Guadalcanal campaign. Battle of Savo Island, August 9, 1942 This sketch of the events of the Guadalcanal Campaign is based on several sources, many listed in the bibliography, especially the books by Samuel Eliot Morison, John Toland, and James D. Hornfischer. Conflict & Dates: The Battle of Savo Island was fought August 8-9, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945). The Japanese losses in comparison were light, 58 of their men were killed and three of their heavy cruisers were damaged. At this point in the Battle of Savo Island, Mikawa decided to withdraw to regroup and resupply. The U.S. was still unaware of the range and power of Japanese torpedoes, the effectiveness of Japanese night optics, and the skilled fighting ability of most Japanese destroyer and cruiser commanders. Duncan—on fire—was abandoned by her crew at 02:00. [26], Aoba, continuing to receive damaging hits, turned to starboard to head away from Scott's formation and began making a smoke screen which led most of the Americans to believe that she was sinking. [24], Gotō's force was taken almost completely by surprise. The Allies wanted control over the island because of the advantage the Japanese would have with it if they manage to complete the airfield, they would be able to directly attack the supply lines to Australia. [23], At 23:45, Farenholt and Laffey—still unaware of Gotō's approaching warships—increased speed to resume their stations at the front of the U.S. column. In the meantime, Aoba and Hatsuyuki reached the sanctuary of the Japanese base in the Shortland Islands at 10:00. 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