November 13th, 1942

[Park Kraken]

The battle also known as Friday the 13th, 1st Naval Battle of Guadacanal, or part of the battle simply known as The Naval Battle of Guadacanal.

With the United States Marines in control of Henderson airfield, the Japanese needed to eliminate the airfield as a threat if they were to land reinforcements and stop the Americans from controlling the island. Cruisers had not worked, so this time they sent in the big guns in the form of Battleships. The Americans had sent in reinforcements via a cruiser squadron to the Slot.

Beginnning Order of Battle:

Axis:

Battleship Hiei (F)
Battleship Kirishima
Light Cruiser Nagara
11xDestroyers

Allies:

Heavy Cruiser San Francisco (F)
Heavy Cruiser Portland
Light Cruiser Atlanta
Light Cruiser Juneau
Light Cruiser Helena
8xDestroyers


Battle synopsis: The American force was patrolling the slot, when Helena's radar established contact with the approaching enemy force. Adm. Callaghan, whose flag was the San Fran, didn't trust the radar sighting and tried to cross the enemy 'T' using the inferior radar onboard his own ship.

This ended up placing the two lines of ships on a collision force for one another. Before fighting had commence, the two forces had closed the distance to one another at 1,000 yards.

What happened next as a point blank brawl of monstrous portions as both formations passed through one armor. The sole good thing about this was, at this range, the 8" guns of Portland and San Fran could penetrate the armored belt of the battleships, which they proceeded to do so.

The Americans would get the worse end of the deal, but the bombardement mission would be foiled, which would seal Hiei's fate the next morning as she tried to withdraw with heavy damage.


Losses:

Axis:
Battleship Hiei sunk
Destroyer Akatsuki sunk
Destroyer Yudachi sunk
other vessels with light damage

Allies:
Heavy Cruiser San Francisco heavily damaged (Adm. Callaghan KIA)
Heavy Cruiser Portland heavily damaged
Light Cruiser Atlanta sunk (Adm. Scott KIA)
Light Cruiser Juneau sunk
Light Cruiser Helena lightly damaged
Destroyer Cushing sunk
Destroyer Laffey sunk (had dueled with Hiei at range of 75 feet)
Destroyer Barton sunk
Destroyer Monssen sunk
3xDestroyers heavily damaged

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

I remember reading a book about the Juneau and its' seven survivors. It was a good book, if not more than a little morbid when you think of all those guys dying of thirst, hunger, shark attack, or going schizo after drinking seawater.

[Park Kraken]

The Sullivan brothers died onboard the Juneau when she sank, which started the rule that if your siblings die, then you must come home (which is what the movie Saving Private Ryan is about).