title: Building material

text: The term "plastics" covers a range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic condensation or polymerization products that can be molded or extruded into objects, films, or fibers. Their name is derived from the fact that in their semi-liquid state they are malleable, or have the property of plasticity. Plastics vary immensely in heat tolerance, hardness, and resiliency. Combined with this adaptability, the general uniformity of composition and lightness of plastics ensures their use in almost all industrial applications today. High performance plastics such as ETFE have become an ideal building material due to its high abrasion resistance and chemical inertness. Notable buildings that feature it include: the Beijing National Aquatics Center and the Eden Project biomes.


title: Building material

text: Building papers and membranes are used for many reasons in construction. One of the oldest building papers is red rosin paper which was known to be in use before 1850 and was used as an underlayment in exterior walls, roofs, and floors and for protecting a jobsite during construction. Tar paper was invented late in the 19th century and was used for similar purposes as rosin paper and for gravel roofs. Tar paper has largely fallen out of use supplanted by asphalt felt paper. Felt paper has been supplanted in some uses by synthetic underlayments, particularly in roofing by synthetic underlayments and siding by housewraps.


title: Building material

text: There are a wide variety of damp proofing and waterproofing membranes used for roofing, basement waterproofing, and geomembranes.


title: Building material

text: Fired clay bricks have been used since the time of the Romans. Special tiles are used for roofing, siding, flooring, ceilings, pipes, flue liners, and more.


title: Building material

text: A relatively new category of building materials, living building materials are materials that are either composed of, or created by a living organism; or materials that behave in a manner that's reminiscent of such. Potential use cases include self-healing materials, and materials that replicate (reproduce) rather than be manufactured.


title: Building material

text: In the market place, the term "building products" often refers to ready-made particles or sections made from various materials, that are fitted in architectural hardware and decorative hardware parts of a building. The list of building products excludes the building materials used to construct the building architecture and supporting fixtures, like windows, doors, cabinets, millwork components, etc. Building products, rather, support and make building materials work in a modular fashion.


title: Building material

text: "Building products" may also refer to items used to put such hardware together, such as caulking, glues, paint, and anything else bought for the purpose of constructing a building.


title: Building material

text: To facilitate and optimize the use of new materials and up-to-date technologies, ongoing research is being undertaken to improve efficiency, productivity and competitiveness in world markets.


title: Building material

text: Material research and development may be commercial, academical or both, and can be conducted at any scale. An example of a building material prototyping facility is the open source "Forty Walls House" in Australia, where up to 40 new sustainable materials are being rapidly prototyped and tested simultaneously in a building that is permanently occupied and monitored.


title: Building material

text: Rapid prototyping allows researchers to develop and test materials quickly, making adjustments and solving issues during the process. Rather than developing materials theoretically and then testing them, only to discover fundamental flaws, rapid prototypes allow for comparatively quick development and testing, shortening the time to market for a new materials to a matter of months, rather than years.


title: Building material

text: In 2017, buildings and construction together consumed 36% of the final energy produced globally while being responsible for 39% of the global energy related CO emissions. The shares from the construction industry alone were 6% and 11% respectively. Energy consumption during building material production is a dominant contributor to the construction industry's overall share, predominantly due to the use of electricity during production. Embodied energy of relevant building materials in the US are provided in the table below.


title: NBA 2K

text: NBA 2K is a series of basketball sports simulation video games developed by Visual Concepts and released annually since 1999. The premise of the series is to emulate the sport of basketball, and more specifically, the National Basketball Association.


title: NBA 2K

text: The series was originally published by Sega Sports. Beginning with 2005's "NBA 2K6", the series is currently published by 2K Sports. As of 2021, the series consists of twenty-three main installments and several spinoff titles across eighteen different platforms. An official eSports league, the "NBA 2K League", launched in 2018.


title: NBA 2K

text: Each installment in the "NBA 2K" series emulates the National Basketball Association, and present slight improvements over the previous installments. As such, gameplay simulates a typical game of basketball, with the player controlling an entire team or a select player; objectives coincide with the rules of basketball and presentation resembles actual televised NBA games. Various game modes have been featured in the series, allowing for gameplay variety. Numerous elements of the games feature customizable options. Each game features the teams and players from the current NBA season; historic NBA teams and players have also been featured, as have EuroLeague teams and (starting with "NBA 2K20") WNBA teams. Fictional players and teams can also be created and compiled.


title: NBA 2K

text: A staple of the series is its career mode, which has been described as a sports-themed role-playing video game. "ESPN NBA Basketball" was the first game in the series to feature such a mode, but it wasn't until "NBA 2K10" and its successors that the mode became a more integral part of the series. The mode was initially titled 24/7, before being changed to MyPlayer, and settling on MyCareer. The modes center on the basketball career of the player's created player; the player customizes several aspects of their player and plays through their career in the NBA. Key events in the player's career are depicted, such as the draft and their retirement ceremony. A storyline is often present in the modes, and high school and college-level basketball has also been depicted. The player upgrades their player's attributes as they play, and can participate in off-court activities.


title: NBA 2K

text: Another mainstay of the series is a mode allowing the player to assume control of an NBA franchise, acting as general manager. The mode has been featured in numerous "NBA 2K" games and is often titled Association; the most recent games in the series feature the MyGM and MyLeague modes. In the modes, the player controls virtually all aspects of a team, rather than just playing games with the team. As the player simulates through seasons, they must satisfy the needs of the team's personnel and the owner.


title: NBA 2K

text: MyTeam mode, which was introduced in "NBA 2K13", focuses on building a team of players and competing against other players' teams online. The player's primary venue for acquiring players for their team is card packs; the player purchases a card pack, which features random items the player can use in the mode, including players. In addition to compiling a select group of players, the player can also customize their team's jerseys and court, among other things. The game mode progressed even further on "NBA 2K19", with a MyTeam tournament between the best Xbox and PS4 players for a prize of $250,000 occurring. Other online-focused modes have also been featured in the series, such as Pro-Am, which focuses on players building a team together with their custom players.


title: NBA 2K

text: In addition to regulation NBA games, street basketball has been featured in numerous games in the series. Created players and real players can be used in such modes; additionally, some celebrities have made appearances as playable characters in the series. In more recent games, the street basketball modes are titled Blacktop and MyPark. Blacktop is structured in the typical style of street basketball. MyPark consists of an open area filled with players who can join different games on different courts. Several games in the series feature a mode which allows the player to hold a slam dunk contest.


title: NBA 2K

text: Several games in the series have featured game modes that are exclusive to that particular game. "NBA 2K11" featured the Jordan Challenge mode, in which players are tasked with recreating some of Michael Jordan's most memorable feats, such as scoring 69 points in a single game. "NBA 2K12" featured the NBA's Greatest mode, where the player can play with past NBA players, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, and Bill Russell. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows versions of "NBA 2K14" featured a mode titled Path to Greatness; similar to the Jordan Challenge mode, it focuses on the career of LeBron James.


title: NBA 2K

text: All twenty-four of the series main installments have been developed by Visual Concepts. The first six games were published by Sega Sports, before the company sold Visual Concepts to Take Two Interactive, thus forming 2K Sports.


title: NBA 2K

text: The original "NBA 2K Game" was initially released in November 1999 for the Dreamcast. Allen Iverson is the cover athlete. The first four games in the "NBA 2K" series feature commentary from fictional announcers Bob Steele and Rod West, portrayed by Bob Fitzgerald and Rod Brooks respectively.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K1" was initially released in October 2000 for the Dreamcast. Iverson(PHI) was the cover athlete for the second time. "NBA 2K1", among other things, introduces a mode which focuses on street basketball, and a mode which allows the player to act as the general manager of a team; most of the game's successors feature variations of the two modes. This was also the first game in the series to allow for online play, allowing for 8 people to play together online.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K2" was released in late 2001 and early 2002 for Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. Iverson(PHI) is the cover athlete for the third time. In addition to the regular players and teams from the 2001–02 NBA season, "NBA 2K2" features several past players and their respective teams, including Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. "NBA 2K2" is the first game in the series to be released for multiple platforms, and the last to be released for Dreamcast.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K3" was initially released in October 2002 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. It is the second and final time of the game in the series to be released for the GameCube. Allen Iverson(PHI) is once again the cover athlete.


title: NBA 2K

text: "ESPN NBA Basketball" was released in October and November 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. For the fifth and final time, Allen Iverson(PHI) is the cover athlete. The game introduces a 24/7 mode, a career mode in which the player can create a customizable character and use them to compete in basketball tournaments and other competitions. Online game modes are also present, and each player has a unique facial design, also a first. The game features a commentary team consisting of Bob Fitzgerald and Tom Tolbert; Kevin Frazier hosts pre-game shows.


title: NBA 2K

text: "ESPN NBA 2K5" was first released in September 2004 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is the last game in the series to be published by Sega Sports before the company sold Visual Concepts to Take Two Interactive, forming 2K Sports. Ben Wallace is the cover athlete replacing Iverson. It is the second and final in the series to feature ESPN branding. The game features Stuart Scott as a presenter, Bob Fitzgerald as a play-by-play commentator, Bill Walton as a second commentator, Michele Tafoya as a sideline reporter.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K6" was initially released in September 2005 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and, for the first time, Xbox 360. It is the first game in the series to be published by 2K Sports. Shaquille O'Neal serves as the game's cover athlete; he was also involved in some of the game's motion capture development. In "NBA 2K6", Kevin Harlan is the play-by-play commentator, Kenny Smith is the color commentator, and Craig Sager is the sideline reporter. The next two installments in the series feature the same team.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K7" was initially released in September 2006 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, and Xbox 360. It is the first game in the series to be released for the PlayStation 3 and the last to be released for the original Xbox. O'Neal returns as the cover athlete. "NBA 2K7" is the first game in the series to feature a licensed soundtrack; the previous games featured music produced exclusively for the games. The soundtrack, which was compiled by Dan the Automator, consists of 13 songs, and was also released in CD format as "Dan the Automator Presents 2K7".


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K8" was initially released in October 2007 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Chris Paul is the game's cover athlete. The game introduces the Slam Dunk Contest game mode. The soundtrack consists of 23 licensed songs.


title: NBA 2K

text: In June 2008, 2K Sports announced that they were partnering with Tencent to release an online version of "NBA 2K" for the Chinese market. Since then the game has expanded to other markets in Asia.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K9" was initially released in October 2008 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and, for the first time in the series, Microsoft Windows. Kevin Garnett(BOS) is featured as the game's cover athlete. The commentary team consists of Harlan and Clark Kellogg, with Cheryl Miller serving as sideline reporter. The soundtrack consists of 24 licensed songs and one original song.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K10" was initially released in October 2009 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable (a first), Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Wii (also a first). It is the first game since "NBA 2K3" to be released on a Nintendo platform. Kobe Bryant(LAL) is the game's cover athlete. Fans were able to vote for which image they favoured out of four to be used on the cover. The game features a reincarnated career mode titled MyPlayer, which would become a staple of the future games in the series, later being retitled as MyCareer. Harlan and Kellogg return as commentators, while Doris Burke replaces Miller as sideline reporter. The licensed soundtrack consists of 30 songs. In addition to the standard release, a limited edition version of the game, titled "NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition", was also released; it included several bonuses, such as a Bryant figurine manufactured by McFarlane Toys. A demo of sorts was released on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live prior to the release of the main game in August 2009, titled "NBA 2K10 Draft Combine". It features Derrick Rose as its cover athlete and allows the player to compete in activities related to the main game's MyPlayer mode.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K11" was released in October 2010 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Microsoft Windows. Michael Jordan is the game's cover athlete, and the game features several modes focusing on Jordan. One such mode is "The Jordan Challenge", a mode in which the player must recreate ten of Jordan's most memorable career achievements, such as scoring 69 points in a game. "NBA 2K11" also introduces historic NBA teams and players. The game features the same presenters as "NBA 2K10". The soundtrack consists of 27 licensed songs.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K12" was released in October 2011 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Windows, and, for the first time, iOS. This was the final game to be released for the PlayStation 2. With three different covers, "NBA 2K12" is the first game in the series to feature multiple cover athletes. The cover athletes are Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan (for the second straight year). The game introduces the "NBA's Greatest" mode, where players use a wide range of historic players and teams. Steve Kerr joins Harlan and Kellogg in the commentary booth, and Burke returns as sideline reporter. The same team is present in the next three games in the series. A demo of "NBA 2K12" was released prior to the release of the main game. The soundtrack consists of 28 licensed songs. Regarding the soundtrack, a contest was held, the winners of which would contribute to the soundtrack with an original song.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K13" was initially released in September/October 2012 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, iOS, Android, and Microsoft Windows. It was the final game to be released on the PlayStation Portable and Wii. A version for Wii U was released as a launch title in November 2012 and in PAL regions the following month. The game's cover features Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose. MyTeam makes its debut in "NBA 2K13", the mode focuses on building your very own fantasy team and compete against other people. Jay Z is credited as executive producer of the game; among other things, he curated the soundtrack, which consists of 24 songs.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K14" was initially released in October and November 2013 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Android. LeBron James serves as cover athlete; he also curated the soundtrack, which features 20 licensed songs. "NBA 2K14" introduces EuroLeague teams. "NBA 2K14" was also the first year they introduced "The Park" as an additional mode to take your myplayer to the streets along with other users and play with them on a variety of courts.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K15" was initially released in October 2014 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Android, and iOS. Kevin Durant(OKC) serves as the cover athlete. "NBA 2K15" introduces pre-game shows presented by Ernie Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal. One new feature concerns player creation; the player is now able to scan their own face into the game. The soundtrack, which consists of 27 licensed songs, was curated by Pharrell Williams.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K16" was released worldwide on September 29, 2015, for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. A version for Android and iOS was released on October 14, 2015. The game features seven different covers with eight cover athletes: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Michael Jordan, Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol, Dennis Schröder, andTony Parker. "NBA 2K16"s mid-game commentary team remains the same, except Kerr has been replaced by Greg Anthony. The pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows now feature the returning Kenny Smith, in addition to Johnson and O'Neal. Director Spike Lee worked on the MyCareer mode. The soundtrack, which features 50 songs, was curated by DJ Khaled, DJ Premier, and DJ Mustard. A companion app featuring Paul George and developed by Cat Daddy Games was released alongside the game.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K17" was released worldwide in September 2016 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Android, and iOS. The game features four different cover athletes, Paul George, Kobe Bryant, Danilo Gallinari, and Pau Gasol. "NBA 2K17" still features a three-person commentary team and one sideline reporter, but the personnel has been overhauled. Seven different commentators are present, namely Kevin Harlan, Clark Kellogg, Greg Anthony, Brent Barry, Chris Webber, and Steve Smith, while David Aldridge replaces Burke as sideline reporter. The pre-game, halftime, and post-game presentation trio remains unchanged. The game's soundtrack was compiled by Grimes, Imagine Dragons, and Noah Shebib, and features 50 songs. A demo of sorts, titled "The Prelude", was released prior to the release of the main game. A companion app featuring Karl-Anthony Towns was also released.


title: NBA 2K

text: On November 22, 2016, a virtual reality "NBA 2K" title was released. Titled "NBA 2KVR Experience", the game is a collection of basketball mini-games and is not part of the main series. It is available for PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Samsung Gear VR and the user plays as LeBron James. This title uses Unreal Engine 4.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K18" was released in September 2017. It is the first game in the series to be released for the Nintendo Switch; it was also released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android, iOS, and Microsoft Windows. Kyrie Irving is the cover athlete. The Legend Edition/Legend Edition Gold versions of the game, which include various physical and digital extras, features Shaquille O'Neal as the cover athlete. The Canadian version of the game features DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors as its cover athlete. The Neighborhood makes its debut in "NBA 2K18". The game's soundtrack consists of 49 licensed songs. Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett appear as guest commentators. "NBA 2K18" adds seventeen new classic teams as well as an 'All-Time Team' for each franchise.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K19" was released on September 11, 2018, while the 20th Anniversary Edition (which was one year away), featuring the cover athlete LeBron James, was released on September 7, the same day as the release of "NBA Live 19". This game marks the first time in the series that a version of the game was not made for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. The game's standard edition cover athlete is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, while the cover athlete for the Australian and New Zealand version of the game is Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers. In addition, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett both return as guest commentators, with analyst Bill Simmons being added to the announcer roster.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K Mobile" was released in November 2018 for iOS and Android. The game was developed by Cat Daddy Games.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K20" was released on September 6, 2019. The game's standard and deluxe editions' cover athletes are Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, while the cover athlete for the Legend Edition is a former Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade, who played for MIA in 2003-2016, 2018-2019.


title: NBA 2K

text: The guest commentator roster of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Bill Simmons all return for "2K20". Following Bryant's death, he was removed from the roster, leaving Garnett and Simmons.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K21" was released on September 4, 2020. The cover athlete for the standard edition on the current console generation is Damian Lillard. Zion Williamson is the cover athlete for the standard version of the next console generation, and Kobe Bryant is the cover athlete for the Legend Edition cover for both console generations. The "Arcade Edition" was released for Apple Arcade on April 2, 2021.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K22" was released on September 10, 2021. The primary cover athlete is Luka Dončić. The "Arcade Edition" was released for Apple Arcade on October 19, 2021.


title: NBA 2K

text: "NBA 2K23" was released on September 8, 2022. The primary cover athlete for the standard and Digital Deluxe Editon is Devin Booker of the phoenix suns, while the cover athlete for the Michael Jordan Edition and Championship Edition is Michael Jordan. The game reintroduces the "Jordan Challenges" from NBA 2K11.


title: NBA 2K

text: The "NBA 2K" series has achieved consistent critical and commercial success. Elements of the series that are frequently praised include its presentation, specifically its commentary, attention to detail, and soundtrack, its abundance of content, its overall gameplay, and its consistency in terms of yearly releases without any drastic dips in quality. In recent years, the series has been seen by some critics as superior to other basketball games, specifically in comparison with EA Sports' "NBA Live" series.


title: NBA 2K

text: Conversely, later installments have been criticized for their technical issues, particularly in regards to the online components; the introduction of microtransactions; and the quality of some of the more story-focused incarnations of the MyCareer mode. The series has also been criticized for the lack of innovations in several installments.


title: NBA 2K

text: Specifically concerning sales, the "NBA 2K" series has established itself as one of the better-selling video game franchises. A May 2014 earnings call reported that games in the series have sold over 17 million copies worldwide. A report in February 2017, however, suggested that games in the franchise have sold in excess of 68 million copies. According to one analyst, the most recent entries in the series average at least four million copies sold. The best-selling game in the series is "NBA 2K14", which sold over seven million copies; it is also Take-Two Interactive's best-selling sports game. "NBA 2K16" is the fastest-selling title in the series, shipping over four million copies within its first week of release. "NBA 2K16" sold over 10million units in 2017. As of December 2018, the series has sold over 90million units worldwide, making it the best-selling NBA video game series.


title: NBA 2K

text: Games in the "NBA 2K" series have been nominated for multiple awards, from events such as the Spike Video Game Awards and The Game Awards, usually related to being the best sports game of the year.


title: NBA 2K

text: In February 2017, the National Basketball Association, in conjunction with Take-Two Interactive, announced the creation of an esports league centering on the "NBA 2K" franchise. Known as the "NBA 2K League", it commence competition in 2018. It was the first esports league to be operated by a North American professional sports league. The league is structured similarly to the NBA; teams are operated by NBA franchises and feature five professional esports players. The teams compete against each other in the current year's "NBA 2K" game, and each member of a team only uses their in-game MyPlayer. The league feature a regular season, as well as the playoffs and finals.


title: NBA 2K

text: Two separate lawsuits have been filed against Take-Two related to their recreation of tattoos on NBA players recreated in the series. The first suit was filed by Solid Oak Sketches, filed in January 2016, after trying to seek a licensing agreement to use the registered copyrighted tattoos with Take-Two. LeBron James had submitted a statement supporting Take-Two, in that he asserted he has given the company the license use his image in their cases, which included his tattoos from Solid Oak Sketches, but this conclusion was thrown out by the judge. In March 2020, a federal District Court judge ruled that while the tattoos were copyrighted elements their use in the games were small enough to meet "de minimis" considerations, and that further, due to the nature of tattooing, an implicit license to use the tattoos was granted by the license granted for using the players' likeness. The judge summarily dismissed the case, as well as asserting that broadly, video games using licensed likenesses of players with their tattoos will be using the tattoo art within fair use. The defence of fair use was applicable to the defendants as the purpose of the tattoos in the game (to create a realistic depiction of the players) was satisfactorily transformative in comparison to their original purpose (as a form of self-expression through body art).


title: NBA 2K

text: A separate lawsuit was filed by tattoo artist James Hayden in December 2017; Hayden asserted that Take-Two's recreation of his tattoos designed for NBA players like LeBron James within "NBA 2K16" and onward were copyright infringements. Take-Two sought a summary judgement to close the case, but by March 2019, the preceding judge gave partial summary to Take-Two, but left the main question of copyright infringement open. Hayden has failed to register the copyrights until after "NBA 2K16" was released, leaving 2K17 and onward potentially liable to be determined in a court trial. One question raised by the judge was whether the "NBA 2K" series was an ongoing game with annual updates, or if each release was considered a substantial new work, meaning that any copyright violation would apply repeatedly to all three post-2016 games in the series or as a singular violation.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: The Heartbreak Kid is a 2007 American black comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers (who also helped to write the film alongside Leslie Dixon and Scot Armstrong). It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name and stars Ben Stiller in the main role, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Åkerman, Jerry Stiller, Rob Corddry, Carlos Mencia, Scott Wilson, and Danny McBride. It tells the story of a sports shop owner who ends up in a rushed marriage with a shrewish woman and meets a true love interest during a trip to Mexico.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Eddie Cantrow, owner of a San Francisco sports shop, is single but ambivalent about relationships. One day, seeing a purse-snatching, he tries unsuccessfully to recover it. He and its owner Lila exchange pleasantries, and Eddie finds her attractive.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: They begin dating and get serious quickly. Suddenly, her company requires Lila to move to Holland, but her company does not deploy married employees abroad. At the urging of both his father Doc and best friend Mac, Eddie marries her after only dating a few months.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Before their wedding night, Eddie and Lila have never been sexually intimate nor spent much time getting to know each other. During the drive to their honeymoon in Los Cabos, Mexico, Eddie learns things about Lila he finds annoying, such as incessant singing.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Arriving to their room, they have sex for the first time and Eddie learns that Lila is aggressive in bed. His disaffection deepens when she divulges her history of substance abuse which resulted in a deviated septum, so she sprays drinks out of her nose. He learns she was only a volunteer, and the "thief" was an ex that she owed money to. Eddie realizes he made a mistake marrying Lila as he rushed into it. Not in love with her, he can't stand some of her newly discovered behavior and bad habits.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: On the beach, Lila insists on using mineral oil, refusing sunblock. She then blames Eddie for her second-degree sunburn. As the enormity of his mistake sinks in, he meets Miranda, a vacationer with her family from Mississippi. Immediately attracted, Eddie spend most of his honeymoon with Miranda and her family while the sunburn confines Lila to their room. Miranda's family all like Eddie except for her cousin, Martin, who senses he is hiding something. Confiding in Mac, he states he made a mistake marrying Lila and he is falling for Miranda.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Later that same evening, there is a misunderstanding between Eddie and Miranda's family because they hear he came to Mexico to mourn his wife who was killed by a maniac with an ice pick.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Later on, Eddie decides to propose divorce to Lila at lunch, but then Martin and his brother Buzz confront him. When Miranda learns about Lila, she and Eddie fall into the ocean and Eddie is stung by a jellyfish where Lila treats the stings by urinating on him. After the chaos, Lila and Miranda both abandon him (Miranda for his lies and Lila for his wish for a divorce). Lila even destroys Eddie's passport stranding him in Mexico.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Eddie sinks into depression, annoying Mexican Manuel with his problems. Coerced by Uncle Tito, he decides to go to Mississippi to make amends with Miranda. Border patrol agents repeatedly catch Eddie attempting to cross the U.S. border illegally with help from Tito, but he finally gets to Oxford, Mississippi.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Upon meeting Miranda's family, he learns that she has married her previous boyfriend. Despite promising to leave Miranda alone, Eddie sneaks in and awakens Miranda as her husband sleeps. Her husband wakes up when Martin bursts in and attacks Eddie with a baseball bat until Doc intervenes. Eddie agrees to leave if Miranda says she truly loves her new husband, which she does. Eddie leaves with Doc, without knowing that Miranda looks longingly from her balcony as he walks away.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Eighteen months later, Eddie is divorced from Lila (who got his sports store) and he moves permanently to Mexico to sell sporting goods on the beach. Some time later, Miranda arrives in Mexico and finds Eddie. She has left her husband, is single, and still in love with him. Eddie is thrilled. In a twist ending, Miranda is unaware that Eddie had remarried to a woman named Consuela causing Eddie to go through the same predicament again.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: During the film's preview at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con, a sex scene from the film was cut due to backlash for the nudity in prior films at the convention such as "300" and "Borat".


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: The film grossed in 3,219 theaters in its opening weekend, putting it in second place at the box office in North America. The film eventually grossed a total of worldwide, which includes $36,787,257 in North America and $90,979,393 in other territories.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 29% based on 157 reviews, with an average rating of 4.56/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Despite some amiable performances, "The Heartbreak Kid" is neither as daring nor as funny as the Farrelly Brothers' earlier films". On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 46 out of 100, based on 30 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.


title: The Heartbreak Kid (2007 film)

text: Peter Travers (of "Rolling Stone") declared the film the year's Worst Remake on his list of the Worst Movies of 2007. Jonathan Rosenbaum (of "The Chicago Reader") dismissed it as "brain-dead".


title: Inflorescence

text: An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on the axis of a plant. The modifications can involve the length and the nature of the internodes and the phyllotaxis, as well as variations in the proportions, compressions, swellings, adnations, connations and reduction of main and secondary axes.


title: Inflorescence

text: One can also define an inflorescence as the reproductive portion of a plant that bears a cluster of flowers in a specific pattern.


title: Inflorescence

text: The stem holding the whole inflorescence is called a peduncle. The major axis (incorrectly referred to as the main stem) above the peduncle bearing the flowers or secondary branches is called the rachis. The stalk of each flower in the inflorescence is called a pedicel. A flower that is not part of an inflorescence is called a solitary flower and its stalk is also referred to as a peduncle. Any flower in an inflorescence may be referred to as a floret, especially when the individual flowers are particularly small and borne in a tight cluster, such as in a pseudanthium.


title: Inflorescence

text: Inflorescences may be simple (single) or complex (panicle). The rachis may be one of several types, including single, composite, umbel, spike or raceme.


title: Inflorescence

text: Inflorescences are described by many different characteristics including how the flowers are arranged on the peduncle, the blooming order of the flowers and how different clusters of flowers are grouped within it. These terms are general representations as plants in nature can have a combination of types. These structural types are largely based on natural selection.


title: Inflorescence

text: Inflorescences usually have modified foliage different from the vegetative part of the plant. Considering the broadest meaning of the term, any leaf associated with an inflorescence is called a bract. A bract is usually located at the node where the main stem of the inflorescence forms, joined to the rachis of the plant, but other bracts can exist within the inflorescence itself. They serve a variety of functions which include attracting pollinators and protecting young flowers. According to the presence or absence of bracts and their characteristics we may distinguish the following:


title: Inflorescence

text: If many bracts are present and they are strictly connected to the stem, like in the family Asteraceae, the bracts might collectively be called an involucre. If the inflorescence has a second unit of bracts further up the stem, they might be called an involucel.


title: Inflorescence

text: Plant organs can grow according to two different schemes, namely monopodial or racemose and sympodial or cymose. In inflorescences these two different growth patterns are called indeterminate and determinate respectively, and indicate whether a terminal flower is formed and where flowering starts within the inflorescence.


title: Inflorescence

text: Indeterminate and determinate inflorescences are sometimes referred to as open and closed inflorescences respectively. The indeterminate patterning of flowers is derived from determinate flowers. It is suggested that indeterminate flowers have a common mechanism that prevents terminal flower growth. Based on phylogenetic analyses, this mechanism arose independently multiple times in different species.


title: Inflorescence

text: In an indeterminate inflorescence there is no true terminal flower and the stem usually has a rudimentary end. In many cases the last true flower formed by the terminal bud (subterminal flower) straightens up, appearing to be a terminal flower. Often a vestige of the terminal bud may be noticed higher on the stem.


title: Inflorescence

text: In determinate inflorescences the terminal flower is usually the first to mature (precursive development), while the others tend to mature starting from the base of the stem. This pattern is called acropetal maturation. When flowers start to mature from the top of the stem, maturation is basipetal, whereas when the central mature first, maturation is divergent.


title: Inflorescence

text: As with leaves, flowers can be arranged on the stem according to many different patterns. See 'Phyllotaxis' for in-depth descriptions


title: Inflorescence

text: When a single or a cluster of flower(s) is located at the axil of a bract, the location of the bract in relation to the stem holding the flower(s) is indicated by the use of different terms and may be a useful diagnostic indicator.


title: Inflorescence

text: There is no general consensus in defining the different inflorescences. The following is based on Focko Weberling's "Morphologie der Blüten und der Blütenstände" (Stuttgart, 1981). The main groups of inflorescences are distinguished by branching. Within these groups, the most important characteristics are the intersection of the axes and different variations of the model. They may contain many flowers (pluriflor) or a few (pauciflor). Inflorescences can be simple or compound.


title: Inflorescence

text: Indeterminate simple inflorescences are generally called racemose . The main kind of racemose inflorescence is the raceme (, from classical Latin "racemus", cluster of grapes). The other kind of racemose inflorescences can all be derived from this one by dilation, compression, swelling or reduction of the different axes. Some passage forms between the obvious ones are commonly admitted.


title: Inflorescence

text: Determinate simple inflorescences are generally called cymose. The main kind of cymose inflorescence is the cyme (pronounced 'saim', from the Latin "cyma" in the sense 'cabbage sprout', from Greek "kuma" 'anything swollen'). Cymes are further divided according to this scheme:


title: Inflorescence

text: A cyme can also be so compressed that it looks like an umbel. Strictly speaking this kind of inflorescence could be called umbelliform cyme, although it is normally called simply 'umbel'.


title: Inflorescence

text: Another kind of definite simple inflorescence is the raceme-like cyme or botryoid; that is as a raceme with a terminal flower and is usually improperly called 'raceme'.


title: Inflorescence

text: A reduced raceme or cyme that grows in the axil of a bract is called a fascicle. A verticillaster is a fascicle with the structure of a dichasium; it is common among the Lamiaceae. Many verticillasters with reduced bracts can form a spicate (spike-like) inflorescence that is commonly called a spike.


title: Inflorescence

text: Simple inflorescences are the basis for compound inflorescences or synflorescences. The single flowers are there replaced by a simple inflorescence, which can be both a racemose or a cymose one. Compound inflorescences are composed of branched stems and can involve complicated arrangements that are difficult to trace back to the main branch.


title: Inflorescence

text: A kind of compound inflorescence is the double inflorescence, in which the basic structure is repeated in the place of single florets. For example, a double raceme is a raceme in which the single flowers are replaced by other simple racemes; the same structure can be repeated to form triple or more complex structures.


title: Inflorescence

text: Compound raceme inflorescences can either end with a final raceme (homoeothetic), or not (heterothetic). A compound raceme is often called a panicle. Note that this definition is very different from that given by Weberling.


title: Inflorescence

text: Compound umbels are umbels in which the single flowers are replaced by many smaller umbels called umbellets. The stem attaching the side umbellets to the main stem is called a ray.


title: Inflorescence

text: The most common kind of definite compound inflorescence is the panicle (of Webeling, or 'panicle-like cyme'). A panicle is a definite inflorescence that is increasingly more strongly and irregularly branched from the top to the bottom and where each branching has a terminal flower.


title: Inflorescence

text: The so-called cymose corymb is similar to a racemose corymb but has a panicle-like structure. Another type of panicle is the anthela. An anthela is a cymose corymb with the lateral flowers higher than the central ones.


title: Inflorescence

text: A raceme in which the single flowers are replaced by cymes is called a (indefinite) thyrse. The secondary cymes can be of any of the different types of dichasia and monochasia. A botryoid in which the single flowers are replaced by cymes is a definite thyrse or thyrsoid. Thyrses are often confusingly called panicles.


title: Inflorescence

text: Other combinations are possible. For example, heads or umbels may be arranged in a corymb or a panicle.


title: Inflorescence

text: The family Asteraceae is characterised by a highly specialised head technically called a calathid (but usually referred to as 'capitulum' or 'head'). The family Poaceae has a peculiar inflorescence of small spikes (spikelets) organised in panicles or spikes that are usually simply and improperly referred to as spike and panicle. The genus "Ficus" (Moraceae) has an inflorescence called syconium and the genus "Euphorbia" has cyathia (sing. "cyathium"), usually organised in umbels.


title: Inflorescence

text: Some species have inflorescences reduced to composite flowers or pseudanthia, in which case it is difficult to differentiate between inflorescences and single flowers.


title: Inflorescence

text: Genes that shape inflorescence development have been studied at great length in "Arabidopsis". "LEAFY" (LFY) is a gene that promotes floral meristem identity, regulating inflorescence development in "Arabidopsis." Any alterations in timing of LFY expression can cause formation of different inflorescences in the plant. Genes similar in function to LFY include "APETALA1" (AP1). Mutations in LFY, AP1, and similar promoting genes can cause conversion of flowers into shoots. In contrast to LEAFY, genes like "terminal flower" (TFL) support the activity of an inhibitor that prevents flowers from growing on the inflorescence apex (flower primordium initiation), maintaining inflorescence meristem identity. Both types of genes help shape flower development in accordance with the ABC model of flower development. Studies have been recently conducted or are ongoing for homologs of these genes in other flower species.


title: Inflorescence

text: Inflorescence-feeding insect herbivores shape inflorescences by reducing lifetime fitness (how much flowering occurs), seed production by the inflorescences, and plant density, among other traits. In the absence of these herbivores, inflorescences usually produce more flower heads and seeds. Temperature can also variably shape inflorescence development. High temperatures can impair the proper development of flower buds or delay bud development in certain species, while in others an increase in temperature can hasten inflorescence development.


title: Inflorescence

text: The shift from the vegetative to reproductive phase of a flower involves the development of an inflorescence meristem that generates floral meristems. Plant inflorescence architecture depends on which meristems becomes flowers and which become shoots. Consequently, genes that regulate floral meristem identity play major roles in determining inflorescence architecture because their expression domain will direct where the plant's flowers are formed.


title: Inflorescence

text: On a larger scale, inflorescence architecture affects quality and quantity of offspring from selfing and outcrossing, as the architecture can influence pollination success. For example, "Asclepias" inflorescences have been shown to have an upper size limit, shaped by self-pollination levels due to crosses between inflorescences on the same plant or between flowers on the same inflorescence. In "Aesculus sylvatica", it has been shown that the most common inflorescence sizes are correlated with the highest fruit production as well.


title: Snack

text: A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home.


title: Snack

text: Traditionally, snacks are prepared from ingredients commonly available at home without a great deal of preparation. Often cold cuts, fruits, leftovers, nuts, sandwiches, and sweets are used as snacks. With the spread of convenience stores, packaged snack foods became a significant business.


title: Snack

text: Snack foods are typically designed to be portable, quick, and satisfying. Processed snack foods, as one form of convenience food, are designed to be less perishable, more durable, and more portable than prepared foods. They often contain substantial amounts of sweeteners, preservatives, and appealing ingredients such as chocolate, peanuts, and specially-designed flavors (such as flavored potato chips).


title: Snack

text: A snack eaten shortly before going to bed or during the night may be called a "bedtime snack", "late night snack", or "midnight snack".


title: Snack

text: In the United States, a popular snack food is the peanut. Peanuts first arrived from South America via slave ships and became incorporated into African-inspired cooking on southern plantations. After the Civil War, the taste for peanuts spread north, where they were incorporated into the culture of baseball games and vaudeville theaters.


title: Snack

text: Along with popcorn (also of South American origin), snacks bore the stigma of being sold by unhygienic street vendors. The middle-class etiquette of the Victorian era (1837–1901) categorized any food that did not require proper usage of utensils as lower-class.


title: Snack

text: Pretzels were introduced to North America by the Dutch, via New Amsterdam in the 17th century. In the 1860s, the snack was still associated with immigrants, unhygienic street vendors, and saloons. Due to loss of business during the Prohibition era (1920-1933), pretzels underwent rebranding to make them more appealing to the public. As packaging revolutionized snack foods, allowing sellers to reduce contamination risk, while making it easy to advertise brands with a logo, pretzels boomed in popularity, bringing many other types of snack foods with it. By the 1950s, snacking had become an all-American pastime, becoming an internationally recognized emblem of middle American life.


title: Snack

text: Indonesia has a rich collection of snacks called "kue" (cakes and pastry), both savoury and sweet. Traditional kue is usually made from rice flour, coconut milk, and coconut sugar, and is mostly steamed or fried rather than baked. Traditional kue are popularly known as "kue basah" ("wet kue") that has a moist, soft texture because of rich coconut milk. "Kue kering" (dried kue) is the local name for cookies. Indonesia has several variations of kue, both native and foreign-influenced.


title: Snack

text: Traditional crackers are called "krupuk", made from bits of shrimp, fish, vegetables or nuts, which are usually consumed as a crunchy snack or an accompaniment to meals. These crispy snacks are sometimes added to main dishes for their crunchy texture; several Indonesian dishes such as gado-gado, karedok, ketoprak, lontong sayur, nasi uduk, asinan and bubur ayam are known to require specific types of krupuk as toppings. There are wide variations of "krupuk" available across Indonesia. The most popular ones would be "krupuk udang" (prawn crackers) and "krupuk kampung" or "krupuk putih" (cassava crackers).


title: Snack

text: Other popular types include "krupuk kulit" (dried buffalo-skin crackers), "emping melinjo" (gnetum gnemon crackers), and "kripik" (chips/crisps), such as "kripik pisang" (banana chips) and "keripik singkong" (Cassava chips). "Rempeyek" is a flour-based cracker with brittle of peanuts, anchovies or shrimp bound by a crispy flour cracker. "Rengginang" or "intip" (Javanese) is a rice cracker made from sun-dried and deep fried leftover rice.


title: Snack

text: Japan has a very wide range of snack foods, some of which that are internationally popular, ranging from onigiri to Melon pan.


title: Snack

text: In the Middle East, one of the most important snacks that contains a huge amount of proteins is Lupin or lupini beans. Lupin contains around 33-40% protein. Another common snack in the Middle East is hummus made of chickpeas.


title: Snack

text: Government bodies, such as Health Canada, recommend that people make a conscious effort to eat more healthy, natural snacks, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, and cereal grains while avoiding high-calorie, low-nutrient junk food.


title: Snack

text: A 2010 study showed that children in the United States snacked on average six times per day, approximately twice as often as American children in the 1970s. This represents consumption of roughly 570 calories more per day than U.S. children consumed in the 1970s.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles between Allied (primarily American) and Imperial Japanese forces during the months-long Guadalcanal Campaign in the Solomon Islands during World War II. The action consisted of combined air and sea engagements over four days, most near Guadalcanal and all related to a Japanese effort to reinforce land forces on the island. The only two U.S. Navy admirals to be killed in a surface engagement in the war were lost in this battle.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Allied forces landed on Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942 and seized an airfield, later called Henderson Field, that was under construction by the Japanese military. There were several subsequent attempts to recapture the airfield by the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy using reinforcements delivered to Guadalcanal by ship, efforts which ultimately failed. In early November 1942, the Japanese organized a transport convoy to take 7,000 infantry troops and their equipment to Guadalcanal to attempt once again to retake the airfield. Several Japanese warship forces were assigned to bombard Henderson Field with the goal of destroying Allied aircraft that posed a threat to the convoy. Learning of the Japanese reinforcement effort, U.S. forces launched aircraft and warship attacks to defend Henderson Field and prevent the Japanese ground troops from reaching Guadalcanal.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: In the resulting battle, both sides lost numerous warships in two extremely destructive surface engagements at night. Nevertheless, the U.S. succeeded in turning back attempts by the Japanese to bombard Henderson Field with battleships. Allied aircraft also sank most of the Japanese troop transports and prevented the majority of the Japanese troops and equipment from reaching Guadalcanal. Thus, the battle turned back Japan's last major attempt to dislodge Allied forces from Guadalcanal and nearby Tulagi, resulting in a strategic victory for the U.S. and its allies and deciding the ultimate outcome of the Guadalcanal campaign in their favor. It was the last major naval battle in the Pacific War for the next one-and-a-half years, until the Battle of the Philippine Sea. It was one of the costliest naval battles of the Second World War in terms of lives lost.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The six-month Guadalcanal campaign began on 7 August 1942, when Allied (primarily U.S.) forces landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and the Florida Islands in the Solomon Islands, a pre-war colonial possession of Great Britain. The landings were meant to prevent the Japanese using the islands as bases from which to threaten the supply routes between the U.S. and Australia, to secure the islands as starting points for a campaign to neutralize the major Imperial Japanese military base at Rabaul, and to support the Allied New Guinea campaign. The Japanese had occupied Tulagi in May 1942 and began constructing an airfield on Guadalcanal in June 1942.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: By nightfall on 8 August, the 11,000 Allied troops secured Tulagi, the nearby small islands, and a Japanese airfield under construction at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal (later renamed Henderson Field). Allied aircraft operating out of Henderson were called the "Cactus Air Force" (CAF) after the Allied code name for Guadalcanal. To protect the airfield, the U.S. Marines established a perimeter defense around Lunga Point. Additional reinforcements over the next two months increased the number of U.S. troops at Lunga Point to more than 20,000 men.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: In response, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters assigned the Imperial Japanese Army's 17th Army, a corps-sized command based at Rabaul and under the command of Lieutenant-General Harukichi Hyakutake, with the task of retaking Guadalcanal. Units of the 17th Army began to arrive on Guadalcanal on 19 August, to drive Allied forces from the island.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Because of the threat posed by CAF aircraft based at Henderson Field, the Japanese were unable to use large, slow transport ships to deliver troops and supplies to the island. Instead, they used warships based at Rabaul and the Shortland Islands. The Japanese warships—mainly light cruisers or destroyers from the Eighth Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa—were usually able to make the round trip down "The Slot" to Guadalcanal and back in a single night, thereby minimizing their exposure to air attack. Delivering the troops in this manner prevented most of the soldiers' heavy equipment and supplies—such as heavy artillery, vehicles, and much food and ammunition—from being carried to Guadalcanal with them. These high-speed warship runs to Guadalcanal occurred throughout the campaign and came to be known as the "Tokyo Express" by Allied forces and "Rat Transportation" by the Japanese.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The first Japanese attempt to recapture Henderson Field failed when a 917-man force was defeated on 21 August in the Battle of the Tenaru. The next attempt took place from 12 to 14 September, ending in the defeat of the 6,000 men under the command of Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi at the Battle of Edson's Ridge.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: In October, the Japanese again tried to recapture Henderson Field by delivering 15,000 more men—mainly from the Army's 2nd Infantry Division—to Guadalcanal. In addition to delivering the troops and their equipment by Tokyo Express runs, the Japanese successfully pushed through one large convoy of slower transport ships. Enabling the approach of the transport convoy was a nighttime bombardment of Henderson Field by two battleships on 14 October that heavily damaged the airfield's runways, destroyed half of the CAF's aircraft, and burned most of the available aviation fuel. In spite of the damage, Henderson personnel were able to restore the two runways to service and replacement aircraft and fuel were delivered, gradually restoring the CAF to its prebombardment level over the next few weeks.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The next Imperial attempt to retake the island with the newly arrived troops occurred from 20 to 26 October and was defeated with heavy losses in the Battle for Henderson Field. At the same time, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet) engaged U.S. naval forces in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, which resulted in a tactical victory for the Japanese. However, the Americans won a strategic victory as the Japanese navy failed in its objectives and the Japanese carriers were forced to retreat because of losses to carrier aircraft and aircrewmen. Thereafter, Yamamoto's ships returned to their main bases at Truk in Micronesia, where he had his headquarters, and Rabaul while three carriers returned to Japan for repairs and refitting.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The Japanese Army planned another attack on Guadalcanal in November 1942, but further reinforcements were needed before the operation could proceed. The Army requested assistance from Yamamoto to deliver the needed reinforcements to the island and to support their planned offensive on the Allied forces guarding Henderson Field. Yamamoto provided 11 large transport ships to carry 7,000 army troops from the 38th Infantry Division, their ammunition, food, and heavy equipment from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. He also sent a warship support force from Truk on 9 November which included the battleships and . Equipped with special fragmentation shells, they were to bombard Henderson Field on the night of 12–13 November and destroy it and the aircraft stationed there in order to allow the slow, heavy transports to reach Guadalcanal and unload safely the next day. The warship force was commanded from "Hiei" by recently promoted Vice Admiral Hiroaki Abe.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Because of the constant threat posed by Japanese aircraft and warships, it was difficult for Allied forces to resupply their forces on Guadalcanal, which often came under attack from Imperial land and sea forces in the area. In early November 1942, Allied intelligence learned that the Japanese were preparing again to try to retake Henderson Field. Therefore, the U.S. sent Task Force 67 (TF 67)—a large reinforcement and re-supply convoy, split into two groups and commanded by Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner—to Guadalcanal on 11 November. The supply ships were protected by two task groups—commanded by Rear Admirals Daniel J. Callaghan and Norman Scott—and aircraft from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. The transport ships were attacked several times on 11 and 12 November near Guadalcanal by Japanese aircraft based at Buin, Bougainville, in the Solomons, but most were unloaded without serious damage. Twelve Japanese aircraft were shot down by antiaircraft fire from the U.S. ships or by fighter aircraft flying from Henderson Field.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Abe's warship force assembled north of Indispensable Strait and proceeded towards Guadalcanal on 12 November with an estimated arrival time for the warships of early morning of 13 November. The convoy of slower transport ships and 12 escorting destroyers, under the command of Raizō Tanaka, began its run down New Georgia Sound (known as "the Slot") from the Shortlands with an estimated arrival time at Guadalcanal during the night of 13 November.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Three more destroyers (, , and ) would provide a rear guard in the Russell Islands during Abe's foray into the waters of Savo Sound around and near Savo Island off the north coast of Guadalcanal that would soon be nicknamed "Ironbottom Sound" as a result of the numerous ships sunk in this succession of battles and skirmishes. U.S. reconnaissance aircraft spotted the approach of the Japanese ships and passed a warning to the Allied command. Thus warned, Turner detached all usable combat ships to protect the troops ashore from the expected Japanese naval attack and troop landing and ordered the supply ships at Guadalcanal to depart by the early evening of 12 November. Callaghan was a few days senior to the more experienced Scott, and therefore was placed in overall command.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: During their approach to Guadalcanal, the Japanese force passed through a large and intense rain squall which, along with a complex formation plus some confusing orders from Abe, split the formation into several groups. The U.S. force steamed in a single column in Ironbottom Sound, with destroyers in the lead and rear of the column, and the cruisers in the center. Five ships had the new, far-superior SG radar, but Callaghan's deployment put none of them in the forward part of the column, nor did he choose one for his flagship. Callaghan did not issue a battle plan to his ship commanders.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: At about 01:25 on 13 November, in near-complete darkness due to the bad weather and dark moon, the ships of the Imperial Japanese force entered the sound between Savo Island and Guadalcanal and prepared to bombard Henderson Field with the special ammunition loaded for the purpose. The ships arrived from an unexpected direction, coming not down the slot but from the west side of Savo Island, thus entering the sound from the northwest rather than the north. Unlike their American counterparts, the Japanese sailors had drilled and practiced night fighting extensively, conducting frequent live-fire night gunnery drills and exercises. This experience would be telling in not only the pending encounter, but in several other fleet actions off Guadalcanal in the months to come.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Several of the U.S. ships detected the approaching Japanese on radar, beginning at about 01:24, but had trouble communicating the information to Callaghan due to problems with radio equipment, lack of discipline regarding communications procedures, and general inexperience in operating as a cohesive naval unit. Messages were sent and received but did not reach the commander in time to be processed and used. With his limited understanding of the new technology, Callaghan wasted further time trying to reconcile the range and bearing information reported by radar with his limited sight picture, to no avail. Lacking a modern combat information center (CIC), where incoming information could be quickly processed and coordinated, the radar operator was reporting on vessels that were not in sight, while Callaghan was trying to coordinate the battle visually, from the bridge. (Post battle analysis of this and other early surface actions would lead directly to the introduction of modern CICs early in 1943.)


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Several minutes after initial radar contact the two forces sighted each other, at about the same time, but both Abe and Callaghan hesitated ordering their ships into action. Abe was apparently surprised by the proximity of the U.S. ships, and with decks stacked with San Shiki special bombardment (rather than armor penetrating) munitions, was momentarily uncertain if he should withdraw to give his battleships time to rearm, or continue onward. He decided to continue onward. Callaghan apparently intended to attempt to cross the T of the Japanese, as Scott had done at Cape Esperance, but—confused by the incomplete information he was receiving, plus the fact that the Japanese formation consisted of several scattered groups—he gave several confusing orders on ship movements, and delayed too long in acting.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The U.S. ship formation began to fall apart, apparently further delaying Callaghan's order to commence firing as he first tried to ascertain and align his ships' positions. Meanwhile, the two forces' formations began to overlap as individual ship commanders on both sides anxiously awaited permission to open fire.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: At 01:48, "Akatsuki" and "Hiei" turned on large searchlights and illuminated "Atlanta" only away—almost point-blank range for the battleship's main guns. Several ships on both sides spontaneously began firing, and the formations of the two adversaries quickly disintegrated. Realizing that his force was almost surrounded by Japanese ships, Callaghan issued the confusing order, "Odd ships fire to starboard, even ships fire to port", though no pre-battle planning had assigned any such identity numbers to reference, and the ships were no longer in coherent formation. Most of the remaining U.S. ships then opened fire, although several had to quickly change their targets to attempt to comply with Callaghan's order. As the ships from the two sides intermingled, they battled each other in an utterly confused and chaotic short-range mêlée in which superior Japanese optic sights and well-practiced night battle drill proved deadly effective. Indeed, the battle was so close-quarters that at one point opposing warships, the battleship "Hiei" and destroyer "Laffey" passed within "" of each other. An officer on "Monssen" likened it afterwards to "a barroom brawl after the lights had been shot out".


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: At least six of the U.S. ships—including "Laffey", "O'Bannon", "Atlanta", "San Francisco", "Portland", and "Helena"—fired at "Akatsuki", which drew attention to herself with her illuminated searchlight. The Japanese destroyer was hit repeatedly and blew up and sank within a few minutes.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Perhaps because it was the lead cruiser in the U.S. formation, "Atlanta" was the target of fire and torpedoes from several Japanese ships—probably including "Nagara", "Inazuma", and "Ikazuchi"—in addition to "Akatsuki". The gunfire caused heavy damage to "Atlanta", and a type 93 torpedo strike cut all of her engineering power. The disabled cruiser drifted into the line of fire of "San Francisco", which accidentally fired on her, causing even greater damage. Scott and many of the bridge crew were killed. Without power and unable to fire her guns, "Atlanta" drifted out of control and out of the battle as the Japanese ships passed her by. The lead U.S. destroyer, "Cushing", was also caught in a crossfire between several Japanese destroyers and perhaps "Nagara". She too was hit heavily and stopped dead in the water.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Hiei", with her nine lit searchlights, huge size, and course taking her directly through the U.S. formation, became the focus of gunfire from many of the U.S. ships. The destroyer "Laffey" passed so close to "Hiei" that they missed colliding by , only avoiding the collision by accelerating. "Hiei" was unable to depress her main or secondary batteries low enough to hit "Laffey", but "Laffey" was able to rake the Japanese battleship with shells and machine gun fire, causing heavy damage to the superstructure and bridge, wounding Abe and killing his chief of staff. Abe was thus limited in his ability to direct his ships for the rest of the battle. "Sterett" and "O'Bannon" likewise fired several salvos into "Hiei"s superstructure from close range, and perhaps one or two torpedoes into her hull, causing further damage before both destroyers escaped into the darkness.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Unable to fire her main or secondary batteries at the three destroyers causing her so much trouble, "Hiei" instead concentrated on "San Francisco", which was passing by only away. Along with "Kirishima", "Inazuma", and "Ikazuchi", the four ships made repeated hits on "San Francisco", disabling her steering control and killing Callaghan, Captain Cassin Young, and most of the bridge staff. The first few salvos from "Hiei" and "Kirishima" consisted of the special fragmentation bombardment shells, which caused less damage to the interior of "San Francisco" than armor-piercing shells would have done; this may have saved her from being sunk outright. Not expecting a ship-to-ship confrontation, it took the crews of the two Japanese battleships several minutes to switch to armor-piercing ammunition, and "San Francisco", almost helpless to defend herself, managed to momentarily sail clear of the melee. She had landed at least one shell in "Hiei"s steering gear room during the exchange, flooding it with water, shorting out her power steering generators, and severely inhibiting "Hiei"s steering capability. "Helena" followed "San Francisco" to try to protect her from further harm.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Two of the U.S. destroyers met a sudden demise. Either "Nagara" or the destroyers "Teruzuki" and "Yukikaze" came upon the drifting "Cushing" and pounded her with gunfire, knocking out all of her systems. Unable to fight back, "Cushing"s crew abandoned ship. "Cushing" sank several hours later. "Laffey", having escaped from her engagement with "Hiei", encountered "Asagumo", "Murasame", "Samidare", and, perhaps, "Teruzuki". The Japanese destroyers pounded "Laffey" with gunfire and then hit her with a torpedo which broke her keel. A few minutes later fires reached her ammunition magazines and she blew up and sank.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Portland"—after helping sink "Akatsuki"—was hit by a torpedo from "Inazuma" or "Ikazuchi", causing heavy damage to her stern and forcing her to steer in a circle. After completing her first loop, she was able to fire four salvos at "Hiei" but otherwise took little further part in the battle.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Yūdachi" and "Amatsukaze" independently charged the rear five ships of the U.S. formation. Two torpedoes from "Amatsukaze" hit "Barton", immediately sinking her with heavy loss of life. "Amatsukaze" turned back north and later also hit "Juneau" with a torpedo while the cruiser was exchanging fire with "Yūdachi", stopping her dead in the water, breaking her keel, and knocking out most of her systems. "Juneau" then turned east and slowly crept out of the battle area.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Monssen" avoided the wreck of "Barton" and steamed onward looking for targets. She was noticed by "Asagumo", "Murasame", and "Samidare" who had just finished blasting "Laffey". They smothered "Monssen" with gunfire, damaging her severely and forcing the crew to abandon ship. The ship sank some time later.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Amatsukaze" approached "San Francisco" with the intention of finishing her off. While concentrating on "San Francisco", "Amatsukaze" did not notice the approach of "Helena", which fired several full broadsides at "Amatsukaze" from close range and knocked her out of the action. The heavily damaged "Amatsukaze" escaped under cover of a smoke screen while "Helena" was distracted by an attack by "Asagumo", "Murasame", and "Samidare".


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Aaron Ward" and "Sterett", independently searching for targets, both sighted "Yūdachi", which appeared unaware of the approach of the two U.S. destroyers. Both U.S. ships hit "Yūdachi" simultaneously with gunfire and torpedoes, heavily damaging the destroyer and forcing her crew to abandon ship. The ship did not sink right away. Continuing on her way, "Sterett" was suddenly ambushed by "Teruzuki", heavily damaged, and forced to withdraw from the battle area to the east. "Aaron Ward" wound up in a one-on-one duel with "Kirishima", which the destroyer lost with heavy damage. She tried to retire from the battle area to the east but soon stopped dead in the water because the engines were damaged.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The star shells rose, terrible and red. Giant tracers flashed across the night in orange arches. ... the sea seemed a sheet of polished obsidian on which the warships seemed to have been dropped and were immobilized, centered amid concentric circles like shock waves that form around a stone dropped in mud.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Ira Wolfert, an American war correspondent, was with the Marines on shore and wrote of the engagement:


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The action was illuminated in brief, blinding flashes by Jap searchlights which were shot out as soon as they were turned on, by muzzle flashes from big guns, by fantastic streams of tracers, and by huge orange-colored explosions as two Jap destroyers and one of our destroyers blew up... From the beach it resembled a door to hell opening and closing ... over and over.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: After nearly 40 minutes of brutal, close-quarters fighting, the two sides broke contact and ceased fire at 02:26, after Abe and Captain Gilbert Hoover (the captain of "Helena" and senior surviving U.S. officer) ordered their respective forces to disengage. Abe had one battleship ("Kirishima"), one light cruiser ("Nagara"), and four destroyers ("Asagumo", "Teruzuki", "Yukikaze", and "Harusame") with only light damage and four destroyers ("Inazuma", "Ikazuchi", "Murasame", and "Samidare") with moderate damage. The U.S. had only one light cruiser ("Helena") and one destroyer ("Fletcher") that were still capable of effective resistance. Although perhaps unclear to Abe, the way was now open for him to bombard Henderson Field and finish off the U.S. naval forces in the area, thus allowing the troops and supplies to be landed safely on Guadalcanal.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: At this crucial juncture, Abe, like Mikawa before him and Kurita after him, chose to abandon the mission and depart the area. Several reasons are conjectured as to why he made this decision. Much of the special bombardment ammunition had been expended in the battle. If the bombardment failed to destroy the airfield, then his warships would be vulnerable to CAF air attack at dawn. His own injuries and the deaths of some of his staff from battle action may have affected Abe's judgement. Perhaps he was also unsure as to how many of his or the U.S. ships were still combat-capable because of communication problems with the damaged "Hiei". Furthermore, his own ships were scattered and would have taken some time to reassemble for a coordinated resumption of the mission to attack Henderson Field and the remnants of the U.S. warship force. For whatever reason, Abe called for a disengagement and general retreat of his warships, although "Yukikaze" and "Teruzuki" remained behind to assist "Hiei". "Samidare" picked up survivors from "Yūdachi" at 03:00 before joining the other Japanese ships in the retirement northwards.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: At 03:00 on 13 November, Admiral Yamamoto postponed the planned landings of the transports, which returned to the Shortlands to await further orders. Dawn revealed three crippled Japanese ("Hiei", "Yūdachi", and "Amatsukaze"), and three crippled U.S. ships ("Portland", "Atlanta", and "Aaron Ward") in the general vicinity of Savo Island. "Amatsukaze" was attacked by U.S. dive bombers but escaped further damage as she headed to Truk, and eventually returned to action several months later. The abandoned hulk of "Yūdachi" was sunk by "Portland", whose guns were still functioning despite other damage to the ship. The tugboat motored around Ironbottom Sound throughout the day of 13 November, assisting the damaged U.S. ships and rescuing U.S. survivors from the water.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: During the morning and early afternoon, IJN carrier under the command of Vice Admiral Kakuji Kakuta, which was located about 200 miles north of the Solomons, dispatched several combat air patrols, consisting of Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters and Nakajima B5N and Aichi D3A bombers (for navigational aid), to cover the crippled "Hiei". In addition, several more patrols were dispatched from ground bases at Rabaul and Buin. These patrols engaged U.S. aircraft that were sent from Henderson Field and from the aircraft carrier , but they could not save "Hiei".


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Hiei" was attacked repeatedly by Marine Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo planes from Henderson Field, Navy TBFs, and Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from "Enterprise", which had departed Nouméa on 11 November, as well as Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers of the U.S. Army Air Forces' 11th Bombardment Group from Espiritu Santo. Abe and his staff transferred to "Yukikaze" at 08:15. "Kirishima" was ordered by Abe to take "Hiei" under tow, escorted by "Nagara" and its destroyers, but the attempt was cancelled because of the threat of submarine attack and "Hiei"s increasing unseaworthiness. After sustaining more damage from air attacks, "Hiei" sank northwest of Savo Island, perhaps after being scuttled by her remaining crew, in the late evening of 13 November.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Portland", "San Francisco", "Aaron Ward", and "Sterett" were eventually able to make their way to rear-area ports for repairs. "Atlanta", however, sank near Guadalcanal at 20:00 on 13 November. Departing from the Solomon Islands area with "San Francisco", "Helena", "Sterett", and "O'Bannon" later that day, "Juneau" was torpedoed and sunk by (). "Juneau"s 100+ survivors (out of a total complement of 697) were left to fend for themselves in the open ocean for eight days before rescue aircraft belatedly arrived. While awaiting rescue, all but ten of "Juneau"s crew had died from their injuries, the elements, or shark attacks. The dead included the five Sullivan brothers.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Most historians appear to agree that Abe's decision to retreat represented a strategic victory for the United States. Henderson Field remained operational with attack aircraft ready to deter the slow Imperial transports from approaching Guadalcanal with their precious cargoes. Plus, the Japanese had lost an opportunity to eliminate the U.S. naval forces in the area, a result which would have taken even the comparatively resource-rich U.S. some time to recover from. Reportedly furious, Admiral Yamamoto relieved Abe of command and later directed his forced retirement from the military. It appears that Yamamoto may have been more angry over the loss of one of his battleships ("Hiei") than he was over the abandonment of the supply mission and failure to completely destroy the U.S. force. Shortly before noon, Yamamoto ordered Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō, commanding the Second Fleet at Truk, to form a new bombardment unit around "Kirishima" and attack Henderson Field on the night of 14–15 November.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Including the sinking of "Juneau", total U.S. losses in the battle were 1,439 dead. The Japanese suffered between 550 and 800 dead. The U.S. ships that were sunk or scuttled during the battle were two light cruisers, "Atlanta" and "Juneau", and four destroyers, "Monssen", "Cushing", "Laffey", and "Barton". Analyzing the effect of this engagement, historian Richard B. Frank states:


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: This action stands without peer for furious, close-range, and confused fighting during the war. But the result was not decisive. The self-sacrifice of Callaghan and his task force had purchased one night's respite for Henderson Field. It had postponed, not stopped, the landing of major Japanese reinforcements, nor had the greater portion of the (Japanese) Combined Fleet yet been heard from."


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Although the reinforcement effort to Guadalcanal was delayed, the Japanese did not give up trying to complete the original mission, albeit a day later than originally planned. On the afternoon of 13 November, Tanaka and the 11 transports resumed their journey toward Guadalcanal. A Japanese force of cruisers and destroyers from the 8th Fleet (based primarily at Rabaul and originally assigned to cover the unloading of the transports on the evening of 13 November) was given the mission that Abe's force had failed to carry out—the bombardment of Henderson Field. The battleship "Kirishima", after abandoning its rescue effort of "Hiei" on the morning of 13 November, steamed north between Santa Isabel and Malaita Islands with her accompanying warships to rendezvous with Kondo's Second Fleet, inbound from Truk, to form the new bombardment unit.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The 8th Fleet cruiser force, under the command of Mikawa, included the "Takao"-class heavy cruisers and , the "Mogami"-class and the older and smaller "Aoba"-class , the light cruisers and , and six destroyers: , , , , , . Mikawa's force was able to slip into the Guadalcanal area uncontested, the battered U.S. naval force having withdrawn. "Suzuya" and "Maya", under the command of Shōji Nishimura, bombarded Henderson Field while the rest of Mikawa's force cruised around Savo Island, guarding against any U.S. surface attack (which in the event did not occur). The 35-minute bombardment caused some damage to various aircraft and facilities on the airfield but did not put it out of operation. The cruiser force ended the bombardment around 02:30 on 14 November and cleared the area to head towards Rabaul on a course south of the New Georgia island group.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: At daybreak, aircraft from Henderson Field, Espiritu Santo, and "Enterprise"—stationed south of Guadalcanal—began their attacks, first on Mikawa's force heading away from Guadalcanal, and then on the transport force heading towards the island. The attacks on Mikawa's force sank "Kinugasa", killing 511 of her crew, and damaged "Maya", forcing her to return to Japan for repairs. "Chokai" suffered damage from near misses, causing some flooding and reduced speed. "Michishio" was critically damaged by near misses, losing all propulsion. She had to be towed out of the battle and then all the way back to Japan, arriving in March 1943 with repairs finished in November 1943. Two of "Isuzu"s boiler rooms were flooded as a result of near misses, reducing her speed.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Repeated air attacks on the transport force overwhelmed the escorting Japanese fighter aircraft, sank six of the transports, and forced one more to turn back with heavy damage, before it later sank. Survivors from the transports were rescued by the convoy's escorting destroyers and returned to the Shortlands. A total of 450 army troops were reported to have perished. The remaining four transports and four destroyers continued towards Guadalcanal after nightfall of 14 November, but stopped west of Guadalcanal to await the outcome of a warship surface action developing nearby (see below) before continuing.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Kondo's ad hoc force rendezvoused at Ontong Java on the evening of 13 November, then reversed course and refueled out of range of Henderson Field's bombers on the morning of 14 November. The U.S. submarine stalked but was unable to attack "Kirishima" during refueling. The bombardment force continued south and came under air attack late in the afternoon of 14 November, during which they were also attacked by the submarine , which launched five torpedoes (but scored no hits) before reporting its contact by radio.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Kinugasa" was the third and last Japanese heavy cruiser to be sunk in the Solomon Islands campaign. Almost two years passed before the Japanese navy lost another, when 6 were sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf within the span of a few days.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Kondo's force approached Guadalcanal via Indispensable Strait around midnight on 14 November, and a quarter moon provided moderate visibility of about . The force included "Kirishima", heavy cruisers and , light cruisers and "Sendai", and nine destroyers, some of the destroyers being survivors (along with "Kirishima" and "Nagara") of the first night engagement two days prior. Kondo flew his flag in the cruiser "Atago".


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Low on undamaged ships, Admiral William Halsey, Jr., detached the new battleships and , of "Enterprise"s support group, together with four destroyers, as TF 64 under Admiral Willis A. "Ching" Lee to defend Guadalcanal and Henderson Field. It was a scratch force; the battleships had operated together for only a few days, and their four escorts were from four different divisions—chosen simply because, of the available destroyers, they had the most fuel. The U.S. force arrived in Ironbottom Sound in the evening of 14 November and began patrolling around Savo Island. The U.S. warships were in column formation with the four destroyers in the lead, followed by "Washington", with "South Dakota" bringing up the rear.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: At 22:55 on 14 November, radar on "South Dakota" and "Washington" began picking up Kondo's approaching ships near Savo Island, at a distance of around .


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Kondo split his force into several groups, with one group—commanded by Shintaro Hashimoto and consisting of "Sendai" and destroyers and ("C" on the maps)—sweeping along the east side of Savo Island, and destroyer ("B" on the maps) sweeping counterclockwise around the southwest side of Savo Island to check for the presence of Allied ships. The Japanese ships spotted Lee's force around 23:00, though Kondo misidentified the battleships as cruisers. Kondo ordered the "Sendai" group of ships—plus "Nagara" and four destroyers ("D" on the maps)—to engage and destroy the U.S. force before he brought the bombardment force of "Kirishima" and heavy cruisers ("E" on the maps) into Ironbottom Sound. The U.S. ships ("A" on the maps) detected the "Sendai" force on radar but did not detect the other groups of Japanese ships. Using radar targeting, the two U.S. battleships opened fire on the "Sendai" group at 23:17. Admiral Lee ordered a cease fire about five minutes later after the northern group disappeared from his ship's radar. "Sendai", "Uranami", and "Shikinami" were undamaged and circled out of the danger area.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Meanwhile, the four U.S. destroyers in the vanguard of the U.S. formation began engaging both "Ayanami" and the "Nagara" group of ships at 23:22. "Nagara" and her escorting destroyers responded effectively with accurate gunfire and torpedoes, and destroyers and were hit and sunk within 10 minutes with heavy loss of life. The destroyer had part of her bow blown off by a torpedo and had to retreat (she sank the next day), and destroyer was hit in her engine room and put out of the fight. The U.S. destroyers had completed their mission as screens for the battleships, absorbing the initial impact of contact with the enemy, although at great cost. Lee ordered the retirement of "Benham" and "Gwin" at 23:48.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Washington" passed through the area still occupied by the damaged and sinking U.S. destroyers and fired on "Ayanami" with her secondary batteries, setting her afire. Following close behind, "South Dakota" suddenly suffered a series of electrical failures, reportedly during repairs when her chief engineer locked down a circuit breaker in violation of safety procedures, causing her circuits repeatedly to go into series, making her radar, radios, and most of her gun batteries inoperable. Nonetheless, she continued to follow "Washington" towards the western side of Savo Island until 23:35, when "Washington" changed course left to pass to the southward behind the burning destroyers. "South Dakota" tried to follow but had to turn to starboard to avoid "Benham", which resulted in the ship being silhouetted by the fires of the burning destroyers and made her a closer and easier target for the Japanese.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Receiving reports of the destruction of the U.S. destroyers from "Ayanami" and his other ships, Kondo pointed his bombardment force towards Guadalcanal, believing that the U.S. warship force had been defeated. His force and the two U.S. battleships were now heading towards each other.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Almost blind and unable to effectively fire her main and secondary armament, "South Dakota" was illuminated by searchlights and targeted by gunfire and torpedoes by most of the ships of the Japanese force, including "Kirishima", beginning around midnight on 15 November. Although able to score a few hits on "Kirishima", "South Dakota" took 26 hits—some of which did not explode—that completely knocked out her communications and remaining gunfire control operations, set portions of her upper decks on fire, and forced her to try to steer away from the engagement. All of the Japanese torpedoes missed. Admiral Lee later described the cumulative effect of the gunfire damage to "South Dakota" as to, "render one of our new battleships deaf, dumb, blind, and impotent". "South Dakota"s crew casualties were 39 killed and 59 wounded, and she turned away from the battle at 00:17 without informing Admiral Lee, though observed by Kondo's lookouts.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The Japanese ships continued to concentrate their fire on "South Dakota" and none detected "Washington" approaching to within . "Washington" was tracking a large target ("Kirishima") for some time but refrained from firing since there was a chance it could be "South Dakota". "Washington" had not been able to track "South Dakota"s movements because she was in a blind spot in "Washington"s radar and Lee could not raise her on the radio to confirm her position. When the Japanese illuminated and fired on "South Dakota", all doubts were removed as to which ships were friend or foe. From this close range, "Washington" opened fire and quickly hit "Kirishima" with at least nine (and possibly up to 20) main battery shells and at least seventeen secondary ones, disabling all of "Kirishima"s main gun turrets, causing major flooding, and setting her aflame. "Kirishima" was hit below the waterline and suffered a jammed rudder, causing her to circle uncontrollably to port.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: At 00:25, Kondo ordered all of his ships that were able to, to converge and destroy any remaining U.S. ships. However, the Japanese ships still did not know where "Washington" was, and the other surviving U.S. ships had already departed the battle area. "Washington" steered a northwesterly course toward the Russell Islands to draw the Japanese force away from Guadalcanal and the presumably damaged "South Dakota". The Imperial ships finally sighted "Washington" and launched several torpedo attacks, but she avoided all of them and also avoided running aground in shallow waters. At length, believing that the way was clear for the transport convoy to proceed to Guadalcanal (but apparently disregarding the threat of air attack in the morning), Kondo ordered his remaining ships to break contact and retire from the area about 01:04, which most of the Japanese warships complied with by 01:30.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: "Ayanami" was scuttled by "Uranami" at 02:00, while "Kirishima" capsized and sank by 03:25 on 15 November. "Uranami" rescued survivors from "Ayanami" and destroyers "Asagumo", "Teruzuki", and "Samidare" rescued the remaining crew from "Kirishima". Three U.S. destroyers, "Walke", "Benham", and "Preston", were sunk during the battle. In the engagement, 242 U.S. and 249 Japanese sailors died. The engagement was one of only two battleship-against-battleship surface battles in the entire Pacific campaign of World War II, the other being at the Surigao Strait during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The four Japanese transports beached themselves at Tassafaronga on Guadalcanal by 04:00 on 15 November, and Tanaka and the escort destroyers departed and raced back up the Slot toward safer waters. The transports were attacked, beginning at 05:55, by U.S. aircraft from Henderson Field and elsewhere, and by field artillery from U.S. ground forces on Guadalcanal. Later, the destroyer approached and opened fire on the beached transports and surrounding area. These attacks set the transports afire and destroyed any equipment on them that the Japanese had not yet managed to unload. Only 2,000 to 3,000 of the embarked troops made it to Guadalcanal, and most of their ammunition and food were lost.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Yamamoto's reaction to Kondo's failure to accomplish his mission of neutralizing Henderson Field and ensuring the safe landing of troops and supplies was milder than his earlier reaction to Abe's withdrawal, perhaps because of Imperial Navy culture and politics. Kondo, who also held the position of second in command of the Combined Fleet, was a member of the upper staff and battleship "clique" of the Imperial Navy, while Abe was a career destroyer specialist. Admiral Kondo was not reprimanded or reassigned, but, instead, was left in command of one of the large ship fleets based at Truk.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: The failure to deliver to Guadalcanal most of the troops and especially supplies in the convoy prevented the Japanese from launching another offensive to retake Henderson Field. Thereafter, the Imperial Navy was able to deliver only subsistence supplies and a few replacement troops to Japanese Army forces on Guadalcanal. Because of the continuing threat from Allied aircraft based at Henderson Field, plus nearby U.S. aircraft carriers, the Japanese had to continue to rely on warship deliveries to their forces on Guadalcanal. These supplies and replacements were not enough to sustain Japanese troops on the island, who – by 7 December 1942 – were losing about 50 men each day from malnutrition, disease, and Allied ground and air attacks. On 12 December, the Japanese Navy proposed that Guadalcanal be abandoned. Despite opposition from Japanese Army leaders, who still hoped that Guadalcanal could be retaken from the Allies, Japan's Imperial General Headquarters—with approval from the Emperor—agreed on 31 December to the evacuation of all Japanese forces from the island and establishment of a new line of defense for the Solomons on New Georgia.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: Thus, the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was the last major attempt by the Japanese to seize control of the seas around Guadalcanal or to retake the island. In contrast, the U.S. Navy was thereafter able to resupply the U.S. forces at Guadalcanal at will, including the delivery of two fresh divisions by late December 1942. The inability to neutralize Henderson Field doomed the Japanese effort to successfully combat the Allied conquest of Guadalcanal. The last Japanese resistance in the Guadalcanal campaign ended on 9 February 1943, with the successful evacuation of most of the surviving Japanese troops from the island by the Japanese Navy in Operation Ke. Building on their success at Guadalcanal and elsewhere, the Allies continued their campaign against Japan, which culminated in Japan's defeat and the end of World War II. U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, upon learning of the results of the battle, commented, "It would seem that the turning point in this war has at last been reached."


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: On November 12, 1942, the (Japanese) Imperial Navy had the better ships and the better tactics. After November 15, 1942, its leaders lost heart and it lacked the strategic depth to face the burgeoning U.S. Navy and its vastly improving weapons and tactics. The Japanese never got better while, after November 1942, the U.S. Navy never stopped getting better.


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: General Alexander Vandegrift, the commander of the troops on Guadalcanal, paid tribute to the sailors who fought the battle:


title: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

text: We believe the enemy has undoubtedly suffered a crushing defeat. We thank Admiral Kinkaid for his intervention yesterday. We thank Lee for his sturdy effort last night. Our own aircraft has been grand in its relentless hammering of the foe. All those efforts are appreciated but our greatest homage goes to Callaghan, Scott and their men who with magnificent courage against seemingly hopeless odds drove back the first hostile attack and paved the way for the success to follow. To them the men of Cactus lift their battered helmets in deepest admiration.