Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands

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In October 1942, as part of the Guadalcanal campaign, the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands was fought between U.S. and Japanese carrier task forces. It is one of the five true aircraft carrier battles.

After Marine Gen. A.A. Vandegrift returned to Guadalcanal after a strategy conference, the Japanese launched a ground operation to recapture the field, and, from traffic analysis, it was learned that Japanese fleet elements were at sea, perhaps to reinforce a captured airstrip. Adm. William Halsey ordered USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Hornet (CV-8) to advance, under their group commander, Adm. Thomas Kinkaid, north of the Santa Cruz Islands. This would put them astride the path of any Japanese force coming from Truk.

In the early morning of 26 October, land-based patrol planes found the Japanese force, but their report made it to Halsey but not Kinkaid. Not realizing that Kinkaid was not ignoring the opportunity for an attack at dawn, but also not wanting to give tactical instructions to the local commander, Halsey broadcast the message:

`ATTACK -- REPEAT -- ATTACK`

Eventually, a search plane unit sent out by Kinkaid found the Japanese force and damaged the light carrier IJN Zuiho. Japanese search aircraft, however, launched an attack against the Americans, disabling the Hornet. A second Japanese attack damaged the Enterprise, while U.S. aircraft damaged a heavy cruiser and an aircraft carrier. Hornet, however, had to be abandoned. The Japanese finally sank her.

While the battle cost the Americans more in ships, the Japanese lost twice as many aircraft and pilots. This helped the ground troops hold the airfield.