Figure 1.--Here are the five Sullivan brothers (Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison and George) on board their ship, the light cruiser 'USS Juneau' obviously before reaching the South Pacific. All five were killed during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal when their damaged ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine (November 13, 1942). It expldedand broke in two, going down in 20 seconds. The reagedy caused the Navy to change its policy on assigning siblings.

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal while not the last major engagement around Guadalcanal, proved to be the climatic action of the campaign. It decided the fate of the Marines on the island. After Santa Cruz, the American prospects were not good. Despite their heroic resistance, unless the Navy prevailed in this action, the Japanese would have retaken the island and the Navy did not have a lot left after Santa Cruz. Most importantly, Hornet was lost and Enterprise seemingly out of action. Halsey after visiting the Marines on Guadalcanal returned to his headquarters on Noumea. There his staff informed him that the Japanese were preparing another major naval action. The cryptologists were still out if JN-25, but other evidence suggested by the intelligence group that the Japanese were planning a major action. They assumed that American carriers were now out of the equation, thus they committed a powerful force under Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo to a final action that would retake Guadalcanal. Battleships would shell the Marine perimeter and tear up Henderson Field. And without the American carriers and with Henderson Field disabled, the Japanese battleships would have pounded the Marines unmercifully. One reasons that the Marines were able to hold out was they had artillery and the Japanese who had trouble landing supplies were only lightly armed. The Japanese naval task force would have reversed this equation. And the other part of the Japanese operation was to land a large infantry force on the island. Without the American carriers and with Henderson Field out of action, the troop carriers could finally sail unmolested down the Slot and not only land reinforcements, but badly needed supplies. The Marines were barely holding as it was. If these landings succeeded, there is little doubt that the Marines would have been overwhelmed. Halsey did not have the details of the Japanese plan, but his intelligence group convinced him it was something big. As a result he pulled together what he had. The Enterprise was being patched together at the limited facilities at New Caledonia was ordered to sail. It was at the time the only operational American carrier in the Pacific, but only barely operational. The Japanese at Santa Cruz has disabled the forward elevator. This meant that it could not rapidly recover and rearm its squadrons. Had the Japanese initiated a carrier action, Enterprise would have been lost. Halsey's most powerful fleet elements were two fast battleships (South Dakota and Washington). South Dakota was the beginning of the torrent of new ships which was beginning to reach the Pacific Fleet. She was damaged at Santa Cruz and only partially operational. Washington was another of the new ships, but unlike South Dakota, fully operational. And significantly Washington was recently outfitted with advanced radar. Along with these capital ships were cruisers and destroyers. Halsey sent the battleships and smaller ships into into the narrow waters of the Slot against what could be a superior Japanese force. This violated standard naval doctrine. It was a risky decision, but he was determined to support the Marines on Guadalcanal. The result was some of the most furious naval fighting of the War and the most important U.S. Navy victory since Midway. The key question of the battle was, 'Where were the Japanese carriers?'. The Japanese after all had won the battle of Santa Cruz 2 weeks earlier. They had sunk Hornet and heavily damaged Enterprise, yet the Japanese task force had only light air cover from Rabaul. Enterprise deployed some of its air groups to Henderson field which meant that contrary to expectations, the troop convoys coming down the slot wold not have an easy time. This proved decisive in the battle along with Washington's radar. Apparently Yamamoto concluded that Enterprise had been sunk or so badly damaged that it could not be deployed. While only a light Japanese carrier had been sunk at Santa Cruz, a fleet carrier had been damaged and the air groups sustained heavy damage. Thus Yamamoto decided not to redeploy his depleted and battered carriers. In fact the Japanese carriers would not be deployed again for an offensive action until the 1944 Marianas campaign.) It proved to be a costly mistake.Admirals Callighan and Scott commanded a cruiser force that had to face an Imperial Navy force with two battleships.Hiei and Kirishima entered Iron Bottom Sound to bombard Henderson Field. Adm Callighan and Scott had no choice but to attack with their cruiser force, an epic mismatch. Their only chance of victory was to get in close. They did at great cost and manged to badly damage Hiei and prevent the shelling of Henderson Field. 【Hornfischer】 Both American admirals were killed and the cruiser force destroyed.Although Hiei was now gone, Admiral Kondo the next day continued their operation, moving Kinshima and its battle group into the Slot at night to shell Henderson Field. Halsey detached Enterprise's fast battleship escorts. It is at this point that Rear Admiral Willis Agustus Lee moved his Battleship Division Six into the Slot a risky operation, demonstrating the Navy's commitment to the Marines. Until this the Japanese had mastered night fighting in the Slot. This time with radar the circumstances changed. A ferocious naval engagement ensued. The Marines on Guadalcanal and the Enterprise flyers from the beach observed the fire from the big guns that would decide their fate.At a critical moment Lee on Washington concerned about P-T boats signaled the squadron, "Stand aside, I'm coming through.". (Along with 'Scratch one flattop.', this proved to be one of the most memorable signal of the Pacific War. South Dakota in the action was further damaged. Radar-directed fire was a critical difference. 【Hornfischer】 Kinshima was devastated by Washington's 16 inch guns and left a flaming wreck. Washington would be the only American battleship to destroy a Japanese battleship in a one on one action and at night--a time where the Japanese had been don=minant. The next day, the Marine and Navy flyers on Henderson Field began to pound the Japanese troop transports moving down the Slot. The American force in the battle sank two Japanese battleships, a heavy cruiser, and seven destroyers. The U.S. Navy lost two light cruisers and seven destroyers. The Americans also sank or destroyed 10 Japanese troop transports. It was the turning point of the struggle for Guadalcanal. Halsey cabled Nimitz, "We got the bastards licked!" He signaled his men, ".... Magnificently done. May God bless each and every one of you. To the glorious dead, hail heroes—may you all rest with God." The Japanese commanders, shocked by the loss of two battleships, would continue the struggle in the Slot, but never again commit such a powerful force. They would not again deploy capital ships to retake Guadalcanal, which meant the island would remain in American hands.

American Situation

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal while not the last major engagement around Guadalcanal, proved to be the climatic action of the campaign. It decided the fate of the Marines on the island. After Santa Cruz, the American prospects were not good. Despite their heroic resistance, unless the Navy prevailed in this action, the Japanese would have retaken the island and the Navy did not have a lot left after the Santa Cruz losses. Most importantly, Hornet was lost and Enterprise seemingly out of action.

Japanese Preparastions

Halsey after visiting the Marines on Guadalcanal returned to his headquarters on Noumea. There his staff informed him that the Japanese were preparing another major naval action. The cryptologists were still out if JN-25, but other evidence suggested by the intelligence group that the Japanese were planning a major action. The Jasoanese admirals assumed that American carriers were now out of the equation, thus they committed a powerful force under Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo to a final, decisive action that would retake Guadalcanal. Battleships would shell the Marine perimeter and tear up Henderson Field. And without the American carriers and with Henderson Field disabled, the Japanese battleships did not have to fear American air attacks. Therhy would have pounded the Marines unmercifully. A major reason that the Marines were able to hold out was that they had artillery support. The Japanese had trouble landing supplies because of American air cover from Henderson Field. The Japanese infantry on the island were thus only lightly armed. The Japanese naval task force would have reversed this equation. And the other part of the Japanese operation was to land a large infantry force on the island. Without the American carriers and with Henderson Field out of action, the troop carriers and supply ships could finally sail unmolested down the Slot and not only land reinforcements, but badly needed supplies. The Marines were barely holding as it was. If these landings succeeded, there is little doubt that the Marines would have been overwhelmed.

Halsey's Plan

Halsey did not have the details of the Japanese plan, but his intelligence group convinced him it was something big. As a result he pulled together what he had. The Enterprise was being patched together at the limited facilities at New Caledonia was ordered to sail. It was at the time the only operational American carrier in the Pacific--but only barely operational. The Japanese at Santa Cruz has disabled the forward elevator. This meant that it could not rapidly recover and rearm its squadrons. Had the Japanese initiated a carrier action, Enterprise would have been lost. Halsey's most powerful fleet elements were two fast battleships (South Dakota and Washington). South Dakota was the beginning of the torrent of new ships which was beginning to reach the Pacific Fleet. She was damaged at Santa Cruz and only partially operational. Washington was another of the new ships, but unlike South Dakota, fully operational. And significantly Washington was recently outfitted with advanced radar. Along with these capital ships were cruisers and destroyers. Halsey sent the battleships and smaller ships into into the narrow waters of the Slot against what could be a superior Japanese force. This violated standard naval doctrine. It was a risky decision, but he was determined to support the Marines on Guadalcanal.

The Battle

The result was some of the most furious naval fighting of the War and the most important U.S. Navy victory since Midway. The key question of the battle was, 'Where were the Japanese carriers?'. The Japanese after all had won the battle of Santa Cruz 2 weeks earlier. They had sunk Hornet and heavily damaged Enterprise, yet the Japanese task force had only light air cover from Rabaul. Enterprise deployed some of its air groups to Henderson field which meant that contrary to Japanese expectations, the troop convoys coming down the slot wold not have an easy time. This proved decisive in the battle along with Washington's radar. Apparently Yamamoto concluded that Enterprise had been sunk or so badly damaged that it could not be deployed. While only a light Japanese carrier had been sunk at Santa Cruz, a fleet carrier had been damaged and the air groups sustained heavy damage. Thus Yamamoto decided not to redeploy his depleted and battered carriers. In fact the Japanese carriers would not be deployed again for an offensive action until the 1944 Marianas campaign.) It proved to be a costly mistake.Admirals Callighan and Scott commanded a cruiser force that had to face an Imperial Navy force with two battleships. Hiei and Kirishima entered Iron Bottom Sound and proceeded to bombard Henderson Field. Adm Callighan and Scott had no choice but to attack with their cruiser force, an epic mismatch. Their only chance of victory was to get in close. They did and manged to badly damage Hiei and prevent the shelling of Henderson Field. 【Hornfischer】 The next morning, Hei weould be vrther damasged byond repair by air strikes from Henderson Field. Both American admirals were killed and the cruiser force destroyed.Although Hiei was now gone, Admiral Kondo continued their operation, moving the Kinshima and its battle group into the Slot at night to shell Henderson Field. Halsey detached Enterprise's fast battleship escorts.It is at this point that Rear Admiral Willis Agustus Lee moved his Battleship Division Six into the Slot a risky operation, demonstrating the Navy's commitment to the Marines. Until this the Japanese had mastered night fighting into the Slot. This time with radar the circumstances changed. A ferocious naval engagement ensued. The Marines on Guadalcanal and the Enterprise flyers from the beach observed the fire from the big guns that would decide their fate.At a critical moment Lee on Washington concerned about P-T boats signaled the squadron, "Stand aside, I'm coming through.". (Along with 'Scratch one flattop.', this proved to be one of the most memorable signal of the Pacific War. South Dakota in the action was further damaged. Radar-directed fire was a critical difference. 【Hornfischer】 Kinshima was devastated by Washington's 16 inch guns and left a flaming wreck. Washington would be the only American battleship to destroy a Japanese battleship in a one on one action and at night--a time where the Japanese had been don=minant. The next day, the Marine and Navy flyers on Henderson Field began to pound the Japanese troop transports moving down the Slot.

The Sullivan Brothers

Nothing more exemplified the Navy's commitment to the Marine asnd Army forces on Gudalcanal than the Sullivan brothers. Too often the Navy is accused of deserting them. Nothing could be further from the tryuth. They were a close-knit Irish family. The boys’ father worked on the railroad. And as they were growing up the boys always waved to him from a railroad bridge as they crossed it. In the patriotic frenzy following Pearl Harbor, the five Sullivsn brothers enlisted in the Navy. They insisted on staying together and were all assigned to the Atlanta-class light cruiser Juneau. Juneau was hit by as torpedo in the night action when Adms. Callighan and Scott's cruiser force took on Japanese battleships planning to bombard Henderson Field (November 12). Juneau was damaged and retired listing, but under power with the surviving cruisers. Japanese submarine I-26 intercepted the surviving cruissers. It fired at the larger target, the battered USS San Francisco, a heavy cruiser. The torpedoes missed San Francisco, but one struck Juneau and in the same place that had been damaged during the earlier battle. It caused a huge explosion, breasking Juneau broke in two. The ship disappeared in only 20 seconds. Some 687 officers and sailors, including the five Sullivan brothers, were killed. 【Kuklick】 Only 10 survivors were rescued after 8 days in the water. Hollywood made a film about them--"Thev fighting Sullivans' (1944). Bobby Driscol played the youngest Sullivan. In the movie Mrs.Sullivan sees a Navy chaplain coming to her door. She answers it and says, "Which one." He replies, "All five”. A reader writes, "I have always had special feelings for the story. In fact,the War Department saw to it that the story was filmed before the war ended as an attempt to sell war bonds. My mother took me to see it and some of the images remain in my mind today. I googled the ages of the five Sullivan brothers and hit on a site from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier--Remembering Waterloo’s five Sullivan brothers The early film takes them from small boys to the sinking of the Juneau. One thing that will hit you is the letter Mrs. Sullivan wrote inquiring about her boys when the paper reported them missing. The site contains numerous photos related to their growing up, inclusing all the scrapes the boys got in. I am a retired teacher and deal with the story when I return to the classroom."

Assessment

The American force in the battle sank two Japanese battleships, a heavy cruiser, and seven destroyers. The U.S. Navy lost two light cruisers and seven destroyers. The Americans also sank or destroyed 10 Japanese troop transports. It was the turning point of the struggle for Guadalcanal. Halsey cabled Nimitz, "We got the bastards licked!" He signaled his men, ".... Magnificently done. May God bless each and every one of you. To the glorious dead, hail heroes—may you all rest with God." The Japanese commanders, shocked by the loss of two battleships, would continue the struggle in the Slot, but never again commit such a powerful force. The Japanese mindset was looking forward to a decisive fleet action with the Americans--Katain Kessen. Losing two battleships for a small island far from Japan was not what they hand in mind. They would not again deploy capital ships to retake Guadalcanal, which meant the island would remain in American hands.

Sources

Kuklick, Bruce. "The deaths of these 5 sailors changed how US manned military units," World War II Magazine (November 9, 2019).

Lundstrom, John B. Guadalcanal Campaign.

Spector, Alan. The Eagle and the Rising Sun: The Japanese-American War 1941-1943 (Norton, 2003).

Thomas, Evan. Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign, 1941-1945 (Simon & Schuster: New York, 2006), 414p.

Created: 3:35 PM 8/30/2023
Last updated: 3:35 PM 8/30/2023