Santa Cruz Islands order of battle

The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands was fought 25–27 October 1942 in the waters northwest of the Santa Cruz Islands by forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy's (IJN) Combined Fleet and the United States Navy's (USN) Pacific Fleet. The battle resulted from a major Japanese offensive with the goal to drive the US forces from Guadalcanal.

IJ Combined Fleet and
US Pacific Fleet Commanders

Adm. Chester W. Nimitz (HQ at Pearl Harbor)

The battle can be viewed as a tactical Japanese victory as they sank the American aircraft carrier USS Hornet and badly damaged another, USS Enterprise, while suffering heavy damage in return to carriers Shōkaku and Zuihō. In strategic terms, however, it was ultimately a victory for the United States, as the Japanese failed in their objective to destroy American forces on and around Guadalcanal and suffered significant losses of experienced air crew.

Because the Japanese had the tactical initiative, their forces are listed first.

Forces deployed

Japanese forces

Combat ships: 3 fleet carriers, 1 light carriers, 4 fast battleships, 10 cruisers, 25 destroyers

Aircraft: 199

Advance Force (Kondo): 1CV 2BB 4CA 1CL 10DD

Carrier Strike Force (Nagumo): 2CV 1CVL 1CA 8DD

Vanguard (Abe): 2BB 3CA 1CL 7DD

American forces

Combat ships: 2 fleet carriers, 1 fast battleship, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers

Aircraft: 136

TF16 (Kinkaid): 1CV 1BB 1CA 1CL 8DD

TF17 (Murray): 1CV 2CA 2CL 4DD

Losses

Ships: IJN – none, USN – 1 fleet carrier, 1 destroyer

Aircraft: IJN – 99, USN – 81

Japanese order of battle

Advance force

Vice Adm. Nobutake Kondo

Heavy cruiser Atago

Light carrier Jun'yō

Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo

Main body (Vice Admiral Kondo in Atago)

Cruiser Division 4

2 Takao-class heavy cruisers: Atago, Takao

Cruiser Division 5 (Rear Admiral Sentaro Omori in Myoko)

2 heavy cruisers

1 Myoko-class: Myoko

1 Takao-class: Maya

Destroyer Squadron 2 (Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka in Isuzu)

1 Nagara-class light cruiser: Isuzu

5 destroyers

2 Yugumo-class: Makinami, Naganami

3 Shiratsuyu-class: Kawakaze, Suzukaze, Umikaze

Carrier group (Rear Admiral Kakuji Kakuta in Jun'yō)

Carrier Division 2

2 Hiyō-class carriers

Jun'yō

20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Yoshio Shiga)

17 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Masao Yamaguchi†)

7 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Yoshiaki Irikiin†)

Hiyō (leaves the formation for Truk on 22 October) [1]

21 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters

18 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers

9 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers

Screen

2 Kagero-class destroyers: Kuroshio, Hayashio

Support group (Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita in Kongo)

Battleship Division 3

2 Kongo-class fast battleships: Kongo, Haruna

Screen

2 Kagero-class destroyers: Oyashio, Kagerō

Carrier striking force

Vice Adm. Chuichi Nagumo

Fleet carrier Zuikaku

Destroyer Yukikaze

Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo

Carrier group (Vice Admiral Nagumo)

2 fleet carriers

Shōkaku

20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Hideki Shingō)

21 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Mamoru Seki†)

24 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Shigeharu Murata†)

Zuikaku

20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Ayao Shirane)

23 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Sadamu Takahashi)

20 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Shigeichiro Imajuku†)

1 light carrier

Zuihō

20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Masao Satō)

6 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt(jg). Ichiro Tanaka)

Screen

1 heavy cruiser: Kumano

8 destroyers: Hatsukaze, Yukikaze, Maikaze, Hamakaze, Amatsukaze, Tokitsukaze, Arashi, Teruzuki

Vanguard group

Hiroaki Abe

(Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe in Hiei)

Battleship division

2 Kongo-class fast battleships: Hiei, Kirishima

Cruiser Division 7 (Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura)

1 Mogami-class heavy cruiser: Suzuya

Cruiser Division 8 (Rear Admiral Chūichi Hara in Tone)

2 Tone-class heavy cruisers: Tone, Chikuma

Destroyer Squadron 10 (Rear Admiral Susumu Kimura)

1 Nagara-class light cruiser: Nagara

7 destroyers

3 Yugumo-class: Makigumo, Kazagumo, Yūgumo

4 Kagero-class: Akigumo, Urakaze, Tanikaze, Isokaze

Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighter

Aichi D3A "Val" dive bomber

Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bomber

American order of battle

Task Force 61

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid

Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber

Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid

Task Force 16

Rear Admiral Kinkaid in Enterprise

Carrier

Yorktown-class fleet carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) (Capt. Osborne B. Hardison)
- Air Group (Cmdr. Richard K. Gaines)
  - 34 F4F Wildcat fighters (VF-10 – Lt. Cmdr. James H. Flatley)
  - 14 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (VB-10 – Lt. Cmdr. James A. Thomas)
  - 20 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (VS-10 – Lt. Cmdr. James R. Lee)
  - 9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (VT-10 – Lt. Cmdr. John A. Collett†)

Screen

South Dakota-class battleship South Dakota
- 16x 5-inch/38 DP guns (Mk37 GFCS)
- 7x4 40mm bofors
- 34x 20mm Oerlikon
- 7x4 1.1-inch guns
Cruiser Division 4 (Rear Admiral Mahlon S. Tisdale)
- Portland-class heavy cruiser Portland (Tisdale's flagship)
  - 8x 5-inch/38 DP guns
  - 4x4+4x2 40mm bofors
  - 12x 20mm Oerlikon
- Atlanta-class light cruiser San Juan
  - 8x2 5-inch/38 DP guns (Mk37 GFCS)
  - 4x4 1.1-inch guns
  - 6x 20mm Oerlikon
Destroyer Squadron 5 (Capt. Charles L. Cecil)
- 2 destroyers
  - Porter-class destroyer leader: Porter
    - 2x4 1.1-inch guns
  - Mahan-class: Mahan
    - 5x 5-inch/38 DP guns
Destroyer Division 10 (Cmdr. Thomas M. Stokes)
- 6 destroyers
  - Gridley-class: Maury
  - Mahan-class: Cushing, Preston, Smith, Conyngham, Shaw
    - 29x 5-inch/38 DP guns

Task Force 17

Rear Admiral George D. Murray in Hornet

Carrier

Hornet (Capt. Charles P. Mason)
- Air Group (Cmdr. Walter F. Rodee)
  - 38 F4F Wildcat fighters (VF-72 – Lt. Cmdr. Henry G. Sanchez)
  - 15 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (VB-8 – Lt. James E. Vose)
  - 16 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (VS-8 – Lt. Cmdr. William J. Widhelm)
  - 15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (VT-6 – Lt. Edwin B. Parker, Jr.)

Screen

Cruiser Division 5 (Rear Admiral Howard H. Good)
- 2 heavy cruisers:
  - 1 Northampton-class: Northampton (Good's flagship)
    - 8x 5-inch/25 AA guns
    - 24x 40mm Bofors
    - 28x 20mm Oerlikon
  - 1 Pensacola-class: Pensacola
    - 8x 5-inch/25 AA guns
    - 24x 40mm Bofors
    - 28x 20mm Oerlikon
- 2 Atlanta-class light cruisers: San Diego, Juneau
  - 16x2 5-inch/38 DP guns (Mk37 GFCS)
  - 8x4 1.1-inch guns
  - 12x 20mm Oerlikon
Destroyer Squadron 2 (Cmdr. Arnold E. True)
- 4 Sims-class destroyers: Morris, Anderson, Hughes, Mustin
  - 16x 5-inch/38 DP guns (Mk37 GFCS)

Individual attack waves

Attack on Hornet (Nagumo carrier group first wave)

21 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (9 of which divert to attack incoming aircraft)

21 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers

22 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (2 as navigational aid only)

Attack on Enterprise group (Nagumo carrier group second wave)

9 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters

19 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers

16 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers

Jun'yo 1st wave against Enterprise group

17 Vals
12 Zeroes

Jun'yo 2nd wave (1 torpedo hit on towed Hornet)

7 torpedo bombers
8 Zeroes

Zuikaku 3rd wave (1 bomb hit on Hornet being abandoned)

7 torpedo bombers
2 dive bombers
5 Zeroes

Jun'yo 3rd wave (1 bomb hit on abandoned Hornet)

4 dive bombers
6 Zeroes

US first wave (Hornet): bomb hits on Shokaku, torpedo misses on Tone

15 Dauntlesses (two shot down)
6 Avengers
8 Wildcats

US second wave (Enterprise): 1 bomb on Chikuma, torpedo misses on Suzuya

3 Dauntlesses
9 Avengers (2 shot down, 2 returned)
8 Wildcats (3 shot down, 1 returned)

US third wave (Hornet): 2 bombs, 1 torpedo on Chikuma

9 Dauntlesses
10 Avengers
7 Wildcats

References

Notes

http://www.combinedfleet.com/hiyo.htm

References

Frank, Richard B. (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 0-14-016561-4.
Hammel, Eric (1999). Carrier Strike: The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, October 1942. Pacifica, California: Pacifica Press. ISBN 0-9355-5337-1.
Lundstrom, John B. (2005). The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942 (New ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-472-8.
Morison, Samuel Eliot (1948). The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943: Volume V of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 0-7858-1306-3.

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[1] ttp://www.combinedfleet.com/hiyo.htm