The US Navy assembles a Task Group to protect Hederson field and the Marines. The group is based around the heavy cruisers Northampton and Salt Lake City, the light anti-aircraft cruisers Atlanta and Helena and 3 destroyers.
The action begins at 2320 when USS Fletcher's SG radar picks up a small blip appearing from behind Savo Island at about 15,000 yards. This is IJN Kagero, leading the Japanese column.
The US commander orders the column to turn to port 120 degrees to cover ** CENSORED **
At 10,000 yards, Kagero get visual sighting of both USS Fletcher and USS Benson. The US ships still have no visual. Savo Island is causing interference for the US radar sets and only Fletcher has contact, now with Kagero, Nagara and Furutaka. Fletcher fires a star shell and illuminates Furutaka while Kagero lights up Benson. Fletcher, Benson and Atlanta's forwards guns all fire at Kagero, but all miss.
Nagara and Furutaka fire their forward guns at Benson but also get no hits.
The Japanese now turn to starboard to parallel the Americans at about 8,000 yards and Kagero launches 2 spreads of torpedoes at USS Benson.
The Japanese bring their heavy cruisers to bear and get 3 8" hits on Northampton, sending her steering wild for the moment.
The USS Atlanta scores a 5" hit on Nagara and knocks out her forward turret. Northampton scores a hit on Furutaka for light damage.
The situation at 2338
USS Benson is lucky to escape both spreads of torpedoes as the battle lines shake out in parallel to each other. So far, Atlanta's steering has not taken her out of line.
And then the slugging match begins...
Nagara gets smothered with a storm of 5" fire from Fletcher, Benson and Atlanta losing 2 turrets along with her main fire director and getting her rudder jammed hard to starboard. The heavy cruiser Kinugasa takes an 8" hit from Salt Lake City that floods one of her boiler rooms and drops her speed by a third.
Atlanta takes a funnel hit from Nagara and her speed drops slightly. Salt Lake City gets 2 8" hits from Kinugasa that don't cause any flooding, but drop her speed by almost half forcing her out of the battle line.
The next few minutes see a flurry of torpedo launches as well as Nagara spinning out of the Japanese line.
Fletcher and Benson's torpedoes just miss Furutaka.
And Nagara's small spread passes astern or Atlanta.
The Japanese heavies light up targets in the American line with their searchlights (Japanese searchlights were distictly better than the Americans and had a much longer range)
The Japanese score damage on Northampton and Helena which moved up to screen the damaged flagship. Northampton has taken a dangerous hit to her propshafts which will cause her to come to a halt in 2 turns before she can start to move again.
The Americans continue to pound the Japanese heavies, knocking out the after turret on Furutaka.
The Japanese battle line steams on past Savo as Nagara continues to flail around in a cricle. Kinugasa just squeaks by 2 more torpedo spreads fired by Benson and Fletcher. The trailing 3 destroyers are finally getting into the action, however, and more torpedoes flash out into the dark waters.
The American battle line completely disintegrates as Atlanta's steering problems send her veering off to port. Northampton is coasting to a stop and the Salt lake City is still crawling along trying to get her boilers back on line. Helena is trying to close up the gap and almost eats a Long Lance meant for Northampton. Somehow, Northampton is not hit, but it was damn close.
Will the US Navy be able to unscramble themselves in time to mount an effective defense?
The center of the Japanese line, lit up by star shells takes the brunt of US fire. Furutaka takes an 8" hit to the funnel and is slowed down a little.
Possibly the Salt Lake City's slower speed helped their accuracy, but whatever the reason, the "Swayback Maru" hits Kinugasa 5 times with 8" shells. Hits on A and B turrets start a chain reaction explosion that detonates the forward magazines. The ship is gone in seconds.
The US column is stacking up badly and draws concentrated fire from the entire Japanese line.
Northampton takes 4 8" hits and Helena takes 6 5" hits, one of which penetrates the magazines amidships, blowing the vessel in two.
To make matters worse, 4 spreads of torpedoes aimed at Northampton and Salt Lake City arrive on the scene.
The cruisers aren't hit, but the USS Stack runs afoul of one of the spreads and is reduced to sinking condition.
As the trailing 3 destroyers sweep by the burning wreckage of the Kinugasa, Yudachi and Murasame launch 2 more spreads at the now dead in the water Northampton.
The situation at 2352: The Fletcher and Benson reverse course to come to the aid of the battered cruisers. Atlanta and Salt Lake City's damage control parties are working feverishly to get their vessels under control and moving again. Meanwhile the Japanese line turns slightly to port looking to cross the T of the Americans.
It was inevitable. The Northampton, now dead in the water, took a torpedo just forward of the bridge and was forced to abandon ship.
Kagero lights up the Fletcher with a searchlight and is promptly hit 5 times by the combined fire of Fletcher and Benson. Someone upstairs was smiling on them, however and in spite of taking dangerous hits in the aft magazine and engine room, the ship escapes with only moderate damage and can still steam at full speed. Furutaka ia bracketed by Salt Lake City but only takes 1 5" hit.
Japanese return fire is more accurate and Salt Lake City is hit by 2 8" and 5 5" shells. A dangerous hit in the forward magazine knocks out A turret and the ship suffers flooding in one of two engine rooms. A funnel hit completes the damage and the cruiser's top speed is reduced to 8 knots.
The unscathed US destroyers lay smoke to shield their striken flagship. The smoke also conceals the fact that the Atlanta has repaired its steering and is returning to the fight.
The situation at 0011:
It's looking more and more like a Japanese victory, but it still could go either way.
The brave actions of the Fletcher and Benson also make them the most popular girls at the dance as far as Japanese fire directors are concerned and they are pinned by searchlights from Furutaka and Kagero.
The vessels almost disappear under a forest of shell splashes and hits. Fletchers radar is shot away and a bridge hit silences her guns for 2 turns. Benson's damage control teams are frantically struggling to control a fire in the forward magazines that takes the 2 forward turrets off line.
The Americans weak return fire targets Furutaka and causes some minor flooding.
Nagara has finally gotten her steering back under control and rejoins the fight, illuminating Fletcher again.
Kagero is put is a bad spot as she rounds the end of the smoke screen. She is the only enemy vessel visible to both Atlanta and Salt Lake City. She takes a 5" and an 8" hit that cause serious flooding amidships and slows her to 16 knots.
Disaster strikes on Furutaka as sloppy powder handling in B turret causes a flash fire as she targets Fletcher. THe cruiser now has only one of her main turrets operational.
Fletcher is targeted by the entire Japanese column and is quickly sunk by the overwhelming gunfire.
The Americans have had enough. Atlanta conducts on last gallant charge to cover the retreat of Benson and the crippled Salt Lake City. Atlanta is the only ship left with any torpedoes and if she's very lucky she'll be able to launch a spread at Furutaka before turning for home.
Bursting through the smokescreen, Atlanta is hit 5 times by 5" fire as she blazes away at Furutaka, scoring 5 hits on the heavy cruiser in return.
Salt Lake City also can bear on the Japanese heavy cruiser and scores an 8" hit as well. Furutaka suffers serious funnel and engine room damage and a warped rudder that prevents any turns to starboard.
The final humiliation is dealt to the US Navy as a hit detonates Atlanta's forward magazines, dealing her the same fate as her sistership and prompting the American commander to unwittingly paraphrase Admiral Beatty at Jutland by saying "What the F*#king Hell is wrong with our F*&king ships tonight?!!"
Both sides cease fire and Ironbottom Sound is quiet once more. The Salt Lake City tries to make like a dark hole in the night as she limps away. The heavily damaged Kagero and Furutaka turn back for home as the 3 untouched destroyers and Nagara continue on to complete the mission of bombarding ** CENSORED **.
The final tally:
Japanese- 1 heavy cruiser sunk, 1 heavy cruiser and 1 destroyer heavily damaged, 1 light cruiser moderately damaged, mission completed
US- 1 heavy cruiser, 2 light cruisers and 2 destroyers sunk, 1 heavy cruiser and 1 destroyer heavily damaged.
A clear, but costly Japanese victory.
-S
