Eastern Solomons order of battle

The Battle of the Eastern Solomons was fought August 23–25, 1942 in the waters east and northeast of the Solomon Islands by forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet and the US Navy's Pacific Fleet. The battle resulted from a major effort by the Japanese to reinforce their troop strength on the island of Guadalcanal. The Japanese high command had realized this reinforcement was necessary following the annihilation of the Ichiki Detachment by the 1st Marines a few days earlier.

The battle can be counted both a tactical and strategic American victory: greater ship losses were inflicted on the Japanese, and the transports were turned back from their mission of landing reinforcements.

Forces deployed[]

Japanese forces

• Combat ships: 2 fleet carriers, 1 light carrier, 3 old battleships, 12 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, 30 destroyers, 2 1st-class submarines, 1 2nd-class submarine
• Aircraft: 69 fighters, 41 dive bombers, 57 torpedo bombers

American forces:

• Combat ships: 3 fleet carriers, 1 fast battleship, 5 heavy cruisers, 2 anti-aircraft light cruisers, 18 destroyers
• Aircraft: 100 fighters, 54 dive bombers, 54 scout bombers, 45 torpedo bombers

Ship losses[]

IJN

1 light carrier, 1 destroyer, 1 1st-class submarine

USN

none

Japanese order of battle[]

Guadalcanal Supporting Forces[]

Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo^[1]

Advanced Force[]

Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo

Main Body

• Cruiser Division 4
  • 3 heavy cruisers: Atago (Kondo's flagship), Maya, Takao
• Cruiser Division 5 (Vice Adm. Takeo Takagi)
  • 2 heavy cruisers: Myoko, Haguro
• Screen
  • Destroyer Squadron 4 (Rear Admiral Tamotsu Takama):
    • 1 light cruiser: Yura
    • 5 destroyers: Asagumo, Yamagumo, Kuroshio, Oyashio, Hayashio

Support Group

• 1 old battleship: Mutsu
• 3 destroyers: Murasame, Harusame, Samidare

Striking Force[]

Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo

Carrier Group (Vice Admiral Nagumo)

• 2 fleet carriers
  • Shōkaku (Capt. Masafumi Arima, Nagumo's flagship):
    • 27 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Hideki Shingo)
    • 27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Cdr. Mamoru Seki)
    • 18 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Cdr. Shigeharu Murata)
  • Zuikaku (Capt. Tameteru Notomo):
    • 27 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Ayao Shirane)
    • 27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Sadamu Takahashi)
    • 18 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Shigeichirō Imajuku)
• Screen
  • 6 destroyers: Akigumo, Yugumo, Makigumo, Kazegumo, Shikinami, Uranami

Vanguard Group (Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe)

• 2 old battleships: Hiei (Abe's flagship), Kirishima
• Cruiser Division 7 (Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura)
  • 3 heavy cruisers: Kumano, Suzuya, Chikuma
• Destroyer Squadron 10 (Rear Admiral Susumu Kimura)
  • 1 light cruiser: Nagara
  • 6 destroyers: Akizuki, Hatsukaze, Maikaze, Nowaki, Tanikaze, Yukikaze

Diversionary Group (Rear Admiral Chūichi Hara)

• 1 light carrier: Ryujo (Capt. Tadao Katō) (sunk):
  • 24 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Kenjirō Nōtomi)
  • 9 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Binichi Murakami)
• 1 heavy cruiser: Tone (Hara's flagship)
• 2 destroyers: Amatsukaze, Tokitsukaze

Southeast Area Forces[]

Vice Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara

Outer South Seas Force[]

Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa

Reinforcement Group (Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka)

• Transport Unit
  • 1 auxiliary cruiser: Kinryu Maru
    • Embarking 800 men of the 5th Yokosuka SNLF
  • 4 patrol boats: #1, #2, #34, #35
    • Embarking 700 men of the 2nd echelon of the IJA Ichiki Detachment
• Escort Unit
  • 1 light cruiser: Jintsu
  • 8 destroyers: Kagero, Mutsuki (sunk), Yayoi, Isokaze, Kawakaze, Suzukaze, Umikaze, Uzuki

Covering Group (Vice Admiral Mikawa)

• Cruiser Division 6 (Rear Adm. Aritomo Goto)
  • 3 heavy cruisers: Aoba, Furutaka, Kinugasa

Submarine Group

• 2 1st-class submarines
  • I-121, I-123 (sunk)
• 1 2nd-class submarine
  • Ro-34

American order of battle[]

Task Force 61[]

Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher in Saratoga^[2]

Task Force 11[]

Vice Admiral Fletcher

1 fleet carrier:

• Saratoga (Capt. DeWitt C. Ramsey)
  • Saratoga Air Group (Cmdr. Harry D. Felt)
    • 27 F4F Wildcat fighters (VF-5 – Lt. Cmdr. Leroy C. Simpler)
    • 17 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (VB-3 – Lt. Cmdr. Dewitt W. Shumway)
    • 15 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (VS-3 – Lt. Cmdr. )
    • 13 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (VT-8 – Lt. Harold H. Larsen)

Cruisers (Rear Admiral Carleton H. Wright):

• 2 heavy cruisers: Minneapolis (Capt. Frank J. Lowry), New Orleans (Capt. )

Screen (Capt. Samuel B. Brewer):

• 5 destroyers
  • 1 Porter class (8 x 5-in. main battery): Phelps
  • 4 Farragut class (4 x 5-in. main battery): Farragut, MacDonough, Worden, Dale

Task Force 16[]

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid in Enterprise

1 fleet carrier:

• Enterprise (Capt. Arthur C. Davis)
  • Enterprise Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Maxwell F. Leslie)
    • 29 F4F Wildcat fighters (VF-6 – Lt. Louis H. Bauer)
    • 17 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (VB-6 – Lt. Ray Davis)
    • 18 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (VS-5 – Lt. Turner F. Caldwell)
    • 15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (VT-8 – Lt. Cmdr. Charles M. Jett)

Battleship and Cruisers (Rear Admiral Mahlon S. Tisdale):

• 1 fast battleship: North Carolina (Capt. )
• 1 heavy cruiser: Portland (Capt. Laurance T. DuBose)
• 1 anti-aircraft light cruiser:^[a] Atlanta (Capt. Samuel P. Jenkins)

Screen (Capt. Edward P. Sauer):

• 6 destroyers
  • 1 Porter class (8 x 5-in. main battery): Balch
  • 2 Gleaves class (5 x 5-in. main battery): Grayson, Monssen
  • 1 Gridley class (4 x 5-in. main battery): Maury
  • 2 Benham class (4 x 5-in. main battery): Benham, Ellet

Task Force 18[]

Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes in Wasp

1 fleet carrier:

• Wasp (Capt. Forrest P. Sherman)
  • Wasp Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Wallace M. Beakley)
    • 28 F4F Wildcat fighters (VF-71 – Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Shands)
    • 18 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (VS-71 – Lt. Cmdr. John Eldridge)
    • 18 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (VS-72 – Lt. Cmdr. Ernest M. Snowden)
    • 15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (VT-7 – Lt Henry A. Romberg)

Cruisers (Rear Admiral Norman Scott):

• 2 heavy cruisers: Salt Lake City (Capt. Charles H. McMorris), San Francisco (Capt. Ernest G. Small)
• 1 anti-aircraft light cruiser:^[a] San Juan (Capt. )

Screen (Captain ):

• 7 destroyers
  • 1 Porter class (8 x 5-in. main battery): Selfridge
  • 2 Gleaves class (5 x 5-in. main battery): Aaron Ward, Buchanan
  • 3 Benham class (4 x 5-in. main battery): Lang, Stack, Sterett
  • 1 Benson class (4 x 5-in. main battery): Farenholt

Notes[]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1948). The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. V. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 0-7858-1306-3.
• Stille, Mark (2016). US Navy Light Cruisers, 1941-45. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4728-1140-0.
• Lundstrom, John B. (2005). 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.