Battle of Tassafaronga

Battle of Tassafaronga
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Conflict	Battle of Tassafaronga
Partof	the Pacific War of World War II
Date	November 30, 1942
Place	Off Tassafaronga Point, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Result	Japanese tactical victory
Combatant1	United States
Combatant2	Empire of Japan
Commander1	Carleton H. Wright
Commander2	Raizō Tanaka
Strength1	5 cruisers, 6 destroyers
Strength2	8 destroyers
Casualties1	1 cruiser sunk, 3 cruisers heavily damaged, 395 killed
Casualties2	1 destroyer sunk, 197 killed

Battle of Tassafaronga. The Battle of Tassafaronga, also known as the Fourth Battle of Savo Island, was a nighttime naval engagement fought on November 30, 1942, between United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy forces during the Guadalcanal campaign. The battle occurred as a Japanese destroyer force under Rear Admiral Raizō Tanaka attempted to deliver supplies to Japanese forces on Guadalcanal using a high-speed transport method. Despite being outnumbered and surprised by a larger Allied cruiser-destroyer force commanded by Rear Admiral Carleton H. Wright, Tanaka's expertly handled destroyers launched a devastating torpedo counterattack that crippled the United States formation.

Background

By late November 1942, the campaign for Guadalcanal had reached a critical stalemate, with both the United States and Japan struggling to sustain their forces on the island. The Imperial Japanese Navy had shifted from using slower transport ships to a system called the "Tokyo Express," utilizing fast destroyers to run supplies down The Slot to Guadalcanal. American naval forces, operating from bases like Espiritu Santo, aimed to intercept these nightly runs. Following previous engagements like the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, U.S. intelligence, including decrypted messages from MAGIC, detected the planned run by Destroyer Squadron 2 under the renowned Raizō Tanaka. Admiral William Halsey dispatched Task Force 67, built around the heavy cruisers USS ''Minneapolis'' and USS ''New Orleans'', to ambush the Japanese force off Tassafaronga Point.

Battle

In the early hours of November 30, Raizō Tanaka's eight destroyers, led by IJN ''Naganami'', approached Guadalcanal. The American force, commanded by Carleton H. Wright aboard USS ''Minneapolis'', detected the Japanese on radar near Savo Island. Wright’s van destroyers USS ''Fletcher'' and USS ''Perkins'' launched torpedoes, but most missed their targets. The American cruisers then opened fire with their main batteries, scoring hits on the destroyer IJN ''Takanami''. As the U.S. ships illuminated themselves with gunfire, the remaining Japanese destroyers, executing a well-drilled maneuver, turned and unleashed spreads of the formidable Type 93 torpedo. These "Long Lance" torpedoes struck the cruisers USS ''Minneapolis'', USS ''New Orleans'', USS ''Pensacola'', and USS ''Northampton'' in quick succession, causing catastrophic damage.

Aftermath

The Japanese torpedo attack was devastating; USS ''Northampton'' sank several hours later, while the other three heavy cruisers were severely crippled and forced to retire. Despite losing IJN ''Takanami'', Raizō Tanaka successfully withdrew his remaining destroyers, having largely aborted his supply mission. The damaged American cruisers, including USS ''Minneapolis'' with its bow blown off, underwent extensive repairs at shipyards like Pearl Harbor and Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The battle was a severe tactical blow to the United States Navy, which lost crucial cruiser strength at a pivotal time. However, the strategic failure of the Japanese to deliver their supplies further weakened the beleaguered Japanese Seventeenth Army on Guadalcanal.

Order of battle

The American Task Force 67 was divided into a cruiser and destroyer group. The Cruiser Group, under Carleton H. Wright, consisted of the heavy cruisers USS ''Minneapolis'' (flagship), USS ''New Orleans'', USS ''Pensacola'', and USS ''Northampton'', along with the light cruiser USS ''Honolulu''. The Destroyer Group included the destroyers USS ''Fletcher'', USS ''Perkins'', USS ''Maury'', and USS ''Drayton'', with USS ''Lamson'' and USS ''Lardner'' in a separate squadron. The Japanese force, the "Tokyo Express" run led by Raizō Tanaka on IJN ''Naganami'', comprised the destroyers IJN ''Makinami'', IJN ''Oyashio'', IJN ''Kuroshio'', IJN ''Kagerō'', IJN ''Kawakaze'', IJN ''Suzukaze'', and IJN ''Takanami''.

Significance

The Battle of Tassafaronga was a stark demonstration of Japanese superiority in night fighting and torpedo tactics during the early stages of the Pacific War. It highlighted the devastating effectiveness of the Type 93 torpedo and exposed continuing deficiencies in American night combat doctrine and radar coordination. The defeat prompted serious tactical reviews within the United States Navy, leading to improved training and the development of new combat instructions. Strategically, while a Japanese tactical victory, it failed to alter the course of the Guadalcanal campaign. The inability to reliably resupply troops contributed directly to the Japanese decision to evacuate the island, a major turning point in the Solomon Islands campaign that secured the southern advance toward Rabaul for the Allies. Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the United States Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Japan Category:Battles of the Guadalcanal Canal