Guadalcanal 72 Years On

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Comparisons of schools of thought

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Battle Map

Mikawa's ships are approaching Savo Island

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Mikawa's TF slips past picket USS Blue

Blue and Chokai (lead IJN ship) were about 5.5 miles apart when IJN first saw Blue. Blue eventually gets to within 500 yards of Mikawa's column... and sees nothing!

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A common (SC) radar display (the red boxes) If there was more than one ship, there'd be more than one peak


Newer radar use the PPI display, which is what most people are used to today

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USN commanders were not used to the capability of SG radar and it took awhile to learn how to exploit it.

Almost all USN warships had excellent gunnery radar (range and direction).

The picket DDs, Blue and Ralph Talbot had SC radar with a range of about 10 miles.

Only CLAA San Juan had the excellent SG radar. It was back with the Eastern Force.

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Men on CA Quincy hear float planes. They tell their Captain those are Japanese planes (engine doesn't sound American). He denies it.

During night combat, people didn't have time to look at the clock when something happened.
Allied ships didn't attempt to synch clocks with each other. Therefore, all reported times are sort of fuzzy - even 72 years later
Mikawa's force spots DD Jarvis at 3,000 yards, limping towards Sydney Jarvis has no working radio. Nobody knows if Jarvis saw Mikawa's ships. Some of Mikawa's CAs fire torps at Jarvis. None hit. No guns fired to maintain surprise over other ships

IJN lookouts detect allied ships 10 miles away by light of the burning TR Elliot. Mikawa's force fires torps at Allied southern force! Less than 1 minute to fire after sighting. Training!
Chokai, Aoba, Furutaka start shooting at Chicago and Canberra from ranges of 4,500 to 9,000 yards
IJN float planes drop flares.
DD Patterson sees Mikawa TF - issues warning: "Warning Warning! Strange ships entering harbor!"
Northern force doesn't see the combat. A rain squall and Savo Island block the view
CA Canberra hit by torpedoes and 24 8" shells!
Canberra is able to fire a few shots (misses), launch 2 torps (misses) and is knocked out of action in less than 5 minutes. DD Bagley fires 8 torps. No hits. CL Tenryu sees Northern Force

CA Chicago hit by a Long Lance! Her bow is blown off. Chicago tries firing star shells. They don't work.
Northern Force realizes that something is up (they see flares, hear Patterson's warning message) but don't know what's going on. Northern Force continues on their patrol at 11-12 mph
Lookouts on CA Astoria see torpedoes whiz by. (Fired a few minutes earlier at Chicago) They raise an alarm.
Mikawa's TF launches 17 long lances at Northern Force The lead ship, Chokai, fires 4 torps at 6 miles range.

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The southern force is so preoccupied with getting ambushed that nobody gets around to sending a warning message to the other ships!

All those flares, starshells and torps tip Astoria off - she goes to General quarters (until now, the ship's Capt. had been asleep)

Chicago fires at DD Yunagi - hits only her searchlight
CA Vincennes illuminated by CA Kako's searchlights.
CA Astoria (the rear ship of NF) sees Chokai's searchlight.
Astoria is under fire. Astoria fires at Chokai Then Capt. Greenman orders ceasefire - thinks Chokai is an allied ship. Vincennes hit by gunfire from CA Kako. Vincennes shoots back, hits CA Kinugasa 5 miles away.
Vincennes is on fire (her hangar) IJN turn off searchlights and use fire as target.
on Astoria: "Tell the Captain: Sir, for God's sake give the word COMMENCE FIRING."
Astoria opens fire again.
The first 4 salvos from Chokai missed Astoria. The 5th 8" gun salvo... doesn't.
Vincennes takes *multiple* torpedo hits from Chokai. That's that.
The Japanese columns move on to the next ship in line, Quincy.
CA Quincy attacked by gunfire from CA Aoba.
Quincy is brilliantly illuminated by multiple IJN searchlights. She's already on fire.

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Quincy is brilliantly illuminated by multiple IJN searchlights. She's already on fire.
As the Mikawa's formation advances, one CA hammers away at Quincy from only 200 yards


Long Lance from CL Yubari hits what's left of Vincennes
After 15 minutes, IJN stops shooting at Astoria

(over the next 15 minutes) DD Ralph Talbot tries to intercept Mikawa's force
Mikawa's force stops shooting and departs
IJN put searchlights on Talbot. Talbot turns on recognition lights! It works - they recognize her!
CA Furutaka, CL Tenryu and DD Yubari fire at Talbot - hit it twice Talbot fires 4 torps - all miss

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Listing 20 degrees, the burning Talbot flees into a rain squall 12 dead, 2 missing

Mikawa leaves instead of going after the transports. Why??

Over the next 20 minutes Vincennes rolls over and sinks.
Quincy sinks Iron Bottom Sound #1

USN had 1,270 killed 709 wounded IJN 58 killed, 53 wounded

The IJN made the same mistakes as the USN... in training. They learned from those mistakes
Fletcher hasn't heard about battle yet. He also hasn't received an answer from Ghormley on his request to withdraw his CVs. He heads back to 'canal.

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Marines on Guadalcanal hear naval gunfire last couple of hours. gets fainter after 2:30am Marines conclude IJN have been driven off. (thats the scene you prob thinking of waterbug )

Fletcher gets word about Savo Island battle. Capt. Sherman, on CV Wasp, asks permission to launch a strike after the IJN raiders. (Wasp has night-trained pilots). Fletcher denies the request. Three Times!