Existing comment:
Letter:Adm Ernest King, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States fleet, sent this note to Capt Marc A Mitscher, wishing him "good luck and good hunting" on the Navy's first attack on the Japanese home islands.
Other Pacific Missions:
In addition to attacking enemy merchant ships, American submarines covertly transported commandos, rescued downed aviators, performed picket duty for invasion forces, and -- in one instance -- carried tons of gold and silver to prevent the Japanese from getting it.
As United States forces landed on Guadalcanal, two submarines, Nautilus and Argonaut, carried the Marine Corps' 2nd Raider Battalion to Makin, one of the Gilbert Islands. Landing on 17 August, the Marines eliminated the Japanese garrison, destroyed a radio station, military installations, 900 barrels of gasoline, and diverted Japanese guns and aircraft from Guadalcanal.
On 1 April 1944, the submarine Harder was off the island of Woleal when planes from Admiral Mitscher's task force flew over. One informed Harder that a downed pilot was near the island. Protected by fighters, the submarine nosed up to the beach and rescued the airman. Harder would be sunk four months later.
The Solomon Islands:
Both at sea and on shore, the battles to gain control of the Solomons were among the most ferocious military campaigns in the Pacific. This arduous campaign began when the Allies seized a Japanese air base on the strategically important island of Guadalcanal. Japan's effort to retake the base lasted nearly six months. Supply shortages and brutal seesaw bombing attacks created heavy losses for both sides.
However, the Americans demonstrated that they could replace their losses with ever-increasing numbers of men and ships. The Japanese could not, dooming the Empire. After the Solomon Islands Campaign, Allied victory became virtually certain.
Capturing Guadalcanal -- 7 August 1942:
Not long after the success at Midway, American commanders learned that the Japanese were building an airfield at Guadalcanal Island. If the airfield was completed, the Japanese could control sea lanes to Australia. A hastily gathered force arrived on Guadalcanal and neighboring island Tulagi on 7 August 1942. After a day of hard fighting, the Americans secured the airfield.
Savo Island -- 9 August 1942:
Countering the invasion of Guadalcanal, a Japanese naval force from Rabaul delivered the Allies one of their worst defeats. At Savo Island, Allied losses included four heavy cruisers -- Astoria, Quincy, Vincennes, and HMAS Canberra -- and the destroyer Jarvis.
Surprise and daring enabled the Japanese cruisers to retire from the battle relatively unscathed. The one significant exception: a chance encounter with a 1920s-era American submarine sent the cruiser Kako to the bottom.
The Battle of Savo Island was the US Navy's first fleet action since the Spanish-American War, and the first night fleet action ever. ...
Eastern Solomons -- 24 August 1942:
When Admiral Yamamoto learned that American planes were operating from Henderson Field and American carriers were in the area, he sent troops to recover the island and a carrier force to support the troops' landing.
The battle was inconclusive, and both sides suffered damage. Nevertheless, the Japanese were forced to turn back.
Planes from the carrier Enterprise managed to sink the light carrier Ryujo, but planes from the Combined Japanese Fleet also damaged the "Big E" ...
Battle of Bloody Ridge -- 11-14 September 1942:
The initial Japanese troops on Guadalcanal were construction workers, sent there to build an airfield. Combat soldiers arrived later, transported by destroyers running in at night: the "Tokyo Express." By mid-September, more than 6,000 soldiers were in position to try and wrest Henderson Field from the Americans.
The Japanese underestimated the number of Marines on Guadalcanal. In the battle to take the Henderson airfield, more than a thousand Japanese lost their lives. Only forty Marines were killed.
Cape Experience -- 11-12 October 1942:
On 11 October, American aviators discovered Japanese ships speeding toward Guadalcanal. Their mission: to bombard the Henderson airfield so the Americans could no longer use it.
A cruiser-destroyer force commanded by Rear Adm Norman Scott met the Japanese in a confused night battle that ended with the Japanese losing the carrier Furutaka and a destroyer, and the United States losing the destroyer Duncan.
Battle of Santa Cruz -- 27 October 1942:
Determined to retake Guadalcanal, Admiral Yamamoto dispatched the largest force since Midway: four carriers, four battleships, 14 cruisers, and 44 destroyers. The ships would cover landings on the island and fly in aircraft once the field was recaptured.
At Santa Cruz, the Japanese encountered Halsey's force, which included the carriers Hornet and Enterprise. The ensuing battle claimed the Hornet and heavily damaged a Japanese carrier and heavy cruiser. However, Japan's inability to dislodge the United States made Santa Cruz a strategic victory for the Allies. |