This week in the War, 9–15 November 1942: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was fought around the Solomon Islands, this week in the war, on the nights of 12/13 and 14/15 November 1942. The Japanese were attempting to reinforce their troops on the island of Guadalcanal and to dislodge the Americans who had landed in August and captured the airfield that the Japanese were in the process of constructing. The Americans named it Henderson Field.

The US fleet included the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and the battleships USS Washington and USS South Dakota.

The Japanese fleet included the aircraft carriers Junyo and Hiyo, and the battleships Hiei, Kirishima, Kongo, and Haruna.

The battle was fought both on the surface and in the air. Both sides lost a number of ships. The battleships Hiei and Kirishima were sunk. The Japanese attempt to land large scale reinforcements failed and, with it, their attempt to retake Henderson Field. From that point on, Japanese land forces on Guadalcanal were fighting a losing battle.

The Japanese evacuated the island of Guadalcanal in February 1943.