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| Location The Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal during the night of November 14, 1942 until the early morning of November 15, 1942 in Iron Bottom Sound between Guadalcanal and Savo Island in the Solomon Islands. Also known as "The Battle of Saturday the 14th". This was the last of five major naval engagements during the Guadalcanal campaign after the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal during the night of November 12, 1942 until the early morning of November 13, 1942. Wartime History The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal had two phases. The first phase, the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal) began in the early morning of November 13, 1942. The second phase, the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was during the night of November 14, 1942 until the early morning of November 15, 1942. Second Phase of Battle: November 14-15, 1942 On November 14, 1942 in the evening, U.S. Navy Task Force 64 (TF-64) under the command of Admiral Willis A. "Ching" Lee entered Iron Bottom Sound off Guadalcanal to defend the area against Japanese Navy warships. The American force was comprised of USS Washington (BB-56) and USS South Dakota (BB-57) with destroyers USS Preston (DD-379), USS Walke (DD-416), USS Benham (DD-397) and USS Gwin (DD-433). The force was ad hoc, the battleships had only operated together for a few days and the destroyers were from different divisions and were assigned as screens based on their fuel supply. The force began patrolling south of Savo Island in a column formation with the destroyers in the lead with the battleships close behind. Meanwhile, the Japanese force under the command of Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō approached via Indispensable Strait to the Savo Island area. The force includes battleship Kirishima, heavy cruisers Atago (flagship) and Takao, light cruisers Nagara and Sendai plus nine destroyers (including several that participated in the first phase). Approaching Savo Island, the force split into three sections: the bombardment group; a close screen of the cruiser Nagara and six destroyers; and a distant screen of the cruiser Sendai and three destroyers in the van of the other forces. At the start of the battle, Sendai with destroyers Shikinami and Uranami were to sweep the east side of Savo Island while destroyer Ayanami patrolled counter clockwise around the southwest of Savo Island. At 10:55pm radar on the American battleships began to detect the approaching Japanese force off Savo Island at a distance of roughly 20,000 yards / 18,000m. At 11:00pm the Japanese spotted the Americans but misidentified the battleships as cruisers. At 11:17pm the U.S. battleships using radar targeting opened fire on Sendai, Uranami and Shikinami but failed to score any hits. At 11:22pm the four U.S. destroyers engaged Ayanami and Nagara responded with accurate gunfire and torpedoes and at 11:36pm sink USS Preston (DD-379). Also hit in the bow and severely damaged was USS Benham (DD-397) and USS Gwin (DD-433) and both were ordered to withdraw. Meanwhile, USS Washington (BB-56) engages Ayanami that was hit by gun fire and set on fire. At that moment, USS South Dakota (BB-57) suffered a series of electrical failures and temporarily lost radar, radio and gun battery control but remained in formation towards western Savo Island until 11:35pm when the battleships separated to pass the burning destroyers. On November 15, 1942 around midnight, USS South Dakota (BB-57) became silhouetted by the fires and was targeted with gunfire and torpedoes and was hit 26 times including several duds that knocked out communications and all gunfire control and caused fires on deck. The battleship managed to return fire scoring a few hits on Kirishima that jammed her rudder and causing her to circle to port. Damaged, at 12:17am South Dakota turned away from the engagement with 39 killed and 59 wounded. At 12:39am USS Walke (DD-416) was hit by gunfire and a torpedo and quickly sunk. References Combined Fleet: #4. Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (November 14-15, 1942) Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Battle of Guadalcanal 11-15 November, 1942 Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Naval Battle of Guadalcanal Historical Summary Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Naval Battle of Guadalcanal Chronology Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Surface Lessons of Guadalcanal (map Second Battle of Guadalcanal, 14-15 November 1942) History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II (1952) page 114–117 (The Battle of Guadalcanal) Contribute
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