Existing comment:
Air Defense, Battle of Santa Cruz, October 26, 1942
by Commander Dwight Shepler, USNR
Repulse of the final attempt of the Japanese seaborne air forces to cut off the beleaguered invasion of Guadalcanal. Two of the three remaining fast carriers of that tenuous period, Enterprise and Hornet, with their screening task groups dominated by the performance of the battleship South Dakota, beat off climactic air attack by planes of four enemy carriers. The sinking Hornet burns on the horizon, while ships maneuvering violently at 30 knots are from left to right: destroyer Smith, forecastle afire from a divebomber's crash; heavy cruiser Portland; battleship South Dakota; destroyer Shaw; furious anti-aircraft cruiser San Juan; immortal Enterprise; and heavy cruiser Northampton.
Painted from the artist's combat sketches. |