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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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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.
Losses in parentheses
Ship Type | IJN |
USN |
---|---|---|
Fleet carriers (CV) | 3 | 2 (1) |
Light carriers (CVL) | 1 | |
Battleships (BB) | 4 | 1 |
Heavy cruisers (CA) | 8 | 3 |
Light cruisers (CL) | 2 | 3 |
Destroyers (DD) | 25 | 14 (1) |
Combat Aircraft | 199 (99) | 136 (81) |
Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo in heavy cruiser Atago
Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo
Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe in Hiei
Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid
Rear Admiral Kinkaid in fleet carrier Enterprise
Rear Admiral George D. Murray in fleet carrier Hornet
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