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.
The battle can be viewed as a tactical Japanese victory as they sank the American aircraft carrier and badly damaged another,, 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
Main Body
Vice Admiral Kondo
Cruiser Division 4
2 heavy cruisers (10 × 8-in. main battery): ,
Cruiser Division 5 (Rear Adm. Sentaro Omori in heavy cruiser Myoko)
1 heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery):
1 Takao-class heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery):
Destroyer Squadron 2 (Rear Adm. Raizo Tanaka in light cruiser Isuzu)
1 light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery):
2 destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): ,
3 destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): , ,
Carrier Group
Rear Admiral Kakuji Kakuta in carrier Jun'yō
Carrier Division 2
2 fleet carriers
20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Yoshio Shiga)
17 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Masao Yamaguchi†)
7 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Yoshiaki Irikiin†)
21 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
18 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
9 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers
Screen
2 destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): ,
Support Group
Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita in battleship Kongo
Battleship Division 3
2 fast battleships (8 × 14-in. main battery): ,
Screen
2 Kagerō-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): ,
Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo
Carrier Group
Vice Admiral Nagumo
2 fleet carriers
20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Hideki Shingō)
21 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Mamoru Seki†)
24 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Shigeharu Murata†)
20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Ayao Shirane)
23 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Sadamu Takahashi)
20 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Shigeichiro Imajuku†)
1 light carrier
20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Masao Satō)
6 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt(jg). Ichiro Tanaka)
Screen
1 heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery):
7 destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): , , , , , ,
1 destroyer (8 × 4-in. main battery):
Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe in Hiei
Battleship Division 11
2 fast battleships (8 × 14-in. main battery): ,
Cruiser Division 7 (Rear Adm. Shoji Nishimura)
1 heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery):
Cruiser Division 8 (Rear Adm. Chūichi Hara in Tone)
2 heavy cruisers (8 × 8-in. main battery): ,
Destroyer Squadron 10 (Rear Adm. Susumu Kimura)
1 light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery):
3 destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): , ,
4 destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): , , ,
Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid
Rear Admiral Kinkaid in fleet carrier Enterprise
1 fleet carrier
(Capt. Osborne B. Hardison)
Air Group (Cmdr. Richard K. Gaines)
VF-10: 34 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. James H. Flatley)
VB-10: 14 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. Cmdr. James A. Thomas)
VS-10: 20 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. James R. Lee)
VT-10: 9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Cmdr. John A. Collett†)
Screen
1 fast battleship (9 × 16-in. main battery):
Cruiser Division 4 (Rear Adm. Mahlon S. Tisdale in heavy cruiser Portland)
1 heavy cruiser (9 × 8-in. main battery):
1 anti-aircraft light cruiser (16 × 5-in. main battery):
Destroyer Squadron 5 (Capt. Charles L. Cecil)
1 destroyer (8 × 5-in. main battery):
1 destroyer (5 × 5-in. main battery):
Destroyer Division 10 (Cmdr. Thomas M. Stokes)
5 destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): , , , ,
1 destroyer (4 × 5-in. main battery):
Rear Admiral George D. Murray in fleet carrier Hornet
1 fleet carrier
(Capt. Charles P. Mason)
Air Group (Cmdr. Walter F. Rodee)
VF-72: 38 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. Henry G. Sanchez)
VB-8: 15 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. James E. Vose)
VS-8: 16 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. William J. Widhelm)
VT-6: 15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Edwin B. Parker, Jr.)
Screen
Cruiser Division 5 (Rear Adm. Howard H. Good) in heavy cruiser Northampton
1 (9 × 8-in. main battery):
1 heavy cruiser (10 × 8-iun. main battery):
2 anti-aircraft light cruisers (16 × 5-in. main battery): ,
Destroyer Squadron 2 (Cmdr. Arnold E. True)
5 destroyers (4 × 5-in. main battery): , , , , Russell
1 Benson-class destroyer (4 × 5-in. main battery): Barton
21 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (9 of which divert to attack incoming aircraft)
21 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
22 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (2 as navigational aid only)
9 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
19 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
16 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers
12 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
17 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
8 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
7 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers
5 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
2 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
7 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers
6 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
4 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
8 F4F Wildcat fighters
15 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (two shot down)
6 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers
8 F4F Wildcat fighters (3 shot down, 1 returned)
3 SBD Dauntless dive bombers
9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (2 shot down, 2 returned)
7 F4F Wildcat fighters
9 SBD Dauntless dive bombers
10 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers