By night, the Tokyo Express was not challenged until an American cruiser-destroyer force intercepted it at the Battle of Cape Esperance, 11–12 October. The Battle of Cape Esperance: A Sorely Needed Naval Victory U.S. cruisers and destroyers defeated a Japanese naval contingent off Cape Esperance during the Guadalcanal campaign. Battle disposition assumed on course 075° T. 2300 Course changed to 050° T. 2325 Helena's SG radar contacts enemy vessel bearing 315° T., distance 27,700 yards. On July 19, at the Battle of Cape Spada, the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney, along with five destroyers, attacked two Italian light cruisers, sinking one and damaging the other. Learning of the bombardment force's crisis, Jojima detached four destroyers to its aid after disembarking his troops. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Cape-Esperance, Battle of Guadalcanal: The Battles of the Eastern Solomons, Cape Esperance, and Santa Cruz, World War II: The Solomons, Papua, Madagascar, the Aleutians, and Burma, July 1942–May 1943, naval warfare: The age of the aircraft carrier. Battle of Cape Esperance, 11 October 1942 and Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942: ECIP t.p. Commanding officer: Captain Yonejiro Hisamune. References to specific designs, models, manufacturers, and/or modifications of ships and aircraft are used only for the purpose of historical consistency and do not assume any funding or other involvement in the project on the part of the holders of trademarks. This describes both sides at Cape Esperance, with the USN winning because it was only less confused, made less mistakes, and was barely able to keep the initiative. It was part of the Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. Hickman, Kennedy. The Battle of Cape Esperance was the first Allied triumph over the Japanese in a night battle. The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the, took place on 11–12 October, 1942, in the Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy. In assessing the battle, many of the American officers felt that chance had played a key role in allowing them to surprise the Japanese. The Battle of Cape Esperance: Encounter at Guadalcanal. began to patrol north-northeast from a point north of Cape Esperance to Savo Island an hour before midnight (2300).11 Scott’s ships assumed “formation DOG,” the line-of-battle reminiscent of the Age of Sail. World War II: Battle of Cape Esperance. Aboard his flagship, Aoba, Goto was taken by complete surprise. Stumbling Into Victory: The Battle of Cape Esperance 11 / 12 October 1942. 11-12 October 1942 Contributed by Daniel Muir and Jonathan Leung. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. At 12:20, with the Japanese retreating and his ships disorganized, Hall broke off the action. As he moved north, Hall, aware that the Americans had faired badly in previous night battles with the Japanese, crafted a simple battle plan. As a result, the Japanese were forced to deliver reinforcements to the island at night using destroyers rather than larger, slower troop transports. In the ensuing Battle of Cape Esperance, the Japanese lost the heavy cruiser Furutaka and the destroyer Fubuki, while the Americans lost the destroyer USS Duncan. By David Alan Johnson “One large, two small vessels, one six miles from Savo off northern beach, Guadalcanal. On 7 August 1942, Allied forces (primarily U.S.) landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida Islands in the Solomon Islands. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cape_Esperance Burning, with many of its guns out of action and Goto dead, Aoba turned to disengage. 2326 Salt Lake City's SC radar contacts three enemy vessels bearing 273° T., distance 16,000 yards. Battle of Cape Esperance Captain Tells of Jap Disater off Savo Contributed by Swift C. Barnes, Lt. Pearl Harbor - Nov. 2nd, 1942 A 40-minute battle the night of Oct. 11-12, off Savo Island, in which possibly nine Japanese warships were sunk, was described vividly today by Capt. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. Jun 18, 2016 - The Battle of Cape Esperance took place on 11–12 October 1942 in the Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy. The Battle of Cape Esperance took place the night of October 11/12, 1942. Through the entire month of September, Japanese transportation runs, made by destroyers, went unopposed by anything but sporadic air attacks from Henderson Field. Media in category "Battle of Cape Esperance" The following 2 files are in this category, out of 2 total. The Battles of Cape Esperance, 11 October 1942 and Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942 (Combat Narratives: Solomon Islands Campaign) Henry Varnum Poor. With the fleets in motion, Japanese aircraft attacked Henderson Field during the day, with the goal of preventing Allied aircraft from locating and attacking Jojima's ships. During night action on October 12, Italian destroyers and torpedo boats challenged a British cruiser south of Malta. Hickman, Kennedy. By day, they threatened to gain control of the air. Dubbed Henderson Field, Allied aircraft operating from the Guadalcanal soon dominated the sea lanes around the island during daylight hours. The Battle of Cape Esperance was the first Allied triumph over the Japanese in a night battle. In early August 1942, Allied forces landed on Guadalcanal and succeeded in capturing an airfield that the Japanese were building. While the cruiser was burning, the Americans shifted their fire to the destroyer Fubuki sinking it. Led by Rear Admiral Takatsugu Jojima, the force consisted of six destroyers and two seaplane tenders. Hall also informed his captains that they were open fire when the enemy was sited rather than waiting for orders. Later that night, Furutaka sank as a result of battle damage, and Duncan was lost to raging fires. (Battle of Cape Esperance, 11 October 1942) found: Concise encyclopedia of World War II, vol. Paperback. The Gun Club gives a brief, clear summary of the battle, based, according to the author, largely on Capt. Over the next few minutes, Aoba was hit more than 40 times by Helena, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Farenholt, and Laffey. 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