# Eastern Solomons order of battle

The Battle of the Eastern Solomons was fought August 23–25, 1942 in the waters east and northeast of the Solomon Islands by forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet and the US Navy's Pacific Fleet. The battle resulted from a major effort by the Japanese to reinforce their troop strength on the island of Guadalcanal. The Japanese high command had realized this reinforcement was necessary following the annihilation of the Ichiki Detachment by the 1st Marines a few days earlier.
The battle can be counted both a tactical and strategic American victory: greater ship losses were inflicted on the Japanese, and the transports were turned back from their mission of landing reinforcements.

## Forces deployed

Japanese forces
    Combat ships: 2 fleet carriers, 1 light carrier, 3 old battleships, 13 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, 30 destroyers, 2 1st-class submarines, 1 2nd-class submarine
    Aircraft: 69 fighters, 41 dive bombers, 57 torpedo bombers
American forces
    Combat ships: 3 fleet carriers, 1 fast battleship, 5 heavy cruisers, 2 anti-aircraft light cruisers, 18 destroyers
    Aircraft: 100 fighters, 54 dive bombers, 54 scout bombers, 45 torpedo bombers
Ship losses
    IJN : 1 light carrier, 1 destroyer, 1 1st-class submarine
    USN : none

## Japanese order of battle
### Guadalcanal Supporting Forces

Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo in heavy cruiser Atago
    Advanced Force
    Vice Admiral Kondo
       Main Body
          Cruiser Division 4
             3 Takao-class heavy cruisers (10 × 8-in. main battery): Atago, Maya, Takao
          Cruiser Division 5 (Vice Adm. Takeo Takagi)
             2 Myoko-class heavy cruisers (10 × 8-in. main battery): Myoko, Haguro
          Destroyer Squadron 4 (Rear Adm. Tamotsu Takama):
             1 Nagara-class light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery): Yura
             2 Asashio-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Asagumo, Yamagumo
             3 Kagero-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Kuroshio, Oyashio, Hayashio
       Support Group
          1 Nagato-class battleship (8 × 16-in. main battery): Mutsu
          3 Shiratsuyu-class destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): Murasame, Harusame, Samidare
    Striking Force
    Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo in fleet carrier Shokaku
       Carrier Group
       Vice Admiral Nagumo
          2 Shōkaku-class fleet carriers
             Shōkaku (Capt. Masafumi Arima)
                27 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Hideki Shingo)
                27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Cdr. Mamoru Seki)
                18 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Cdr. Shigeharu Murata)
             Zuikaku (Capt. Tameteru Notomo)
                27 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Ayao Shirane)
                27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Sadamu Takahashi)
                18 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Shigeichirō Imajuku)
          Screen
             1 Kagero-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): Akigumo
             3 Yugumo-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): Yugumo, Makigumo, Kazegumo
             2 Fubuki-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): Shikinami, Uranami
       Vanguard Group
       Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe
          Battleships
             2 Kongo-class fast battleships (8 × 14-in. main battery): Hiei, Kirishima
          Cruiser Division 7 (Rear Adm. Shoji Nishimura)
             2 Mogami-class (10 × 8-in. main battery): Kumano, Suzuya
             1 Tone-class (8 × 8-in. main battery): Chikuma
          Destroyer Squadron 10 (Rear Admiral Susumu Kimura)
             1 Nagara-class light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery): Nagara
             1 Akizuki-class destroyer (8 × 4-in. main battery): Akizuki
             5 Kagero-class destroyer (6 × 5-in. main battery): Hatsukaze, Maikaze, Nowaki, Tanikaze, Yukikaze
       Diversionary Group
       Rear Admiral Chūichi Hara in heavy cruiser Tone
          1 light carrier: Ryujo (Capt. Tadao Katō) (sunk)
             24 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Kenjirō Nōtomi)
             9 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Binichi Murakami)
          1 Tone-class heavy cruiser (8 × 8-in. main battery): Tone
          2 Kagero-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Amatsukaze, Tokitsukaze

### Southeast Area Forces

Vice Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara
    Outer South Seas Force
    Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa
       Reinforcement Group
       Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka
          Transport Unit
             1 auxiliary cruiser: Kinryu Maru
                Embarking 800 men of the 5th Yokosuka SNLF
             4 patrol boats: No. 1, No. 2, No. 34, No. 35
                Embarking 700 men of the 2nd echelon of the IJA Ichiki Detachment
          Escort Unit
             1 Sendai-class light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery, 1 scout plane): Jintsu
             2 Kagero-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Kagero, Isokaze
             3 Shiratsuyu-class destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): Kawakaze, Suzukaze, Umikaze
             3 Mutsuki-class destroyers (4 × 4.7-in. main battery): Mutsuki (sunk), Yayoi, Uzuki
       Covering Group
       Vice Admiral Mikawa
          1 Takao-class heavy cruiser: Chōkai
          Cruiser Division 6 (Rear Adm. Aritomo Gotō)
             2 Aoba-class heavy cruisers (6 × 8-in. main battery): Aoba, Kinugasa
             1 Furutaka-class heavy cruiser (6 × 8-in. main battery): Furutaka
       Submarine Group
          2 1st-class submarines: I-121, I-123 (sunk)
          1 2nd-class submarine: Ro-34

## American order of battle
### Task Force 61

Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher in Saratoga

#### Task Force 11

Vice Admiral Fletcher
    1 Lexington-class fleet carrier
       Saratoga (Capt. DeWitt C. Ramsey)
          Air Group (Cmdr. Harry D. Felt)
             VF-5: 27 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. Leroy C. Simpler)
             VB-3: 17 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Dewitt W. Shumway)
             VS-3: 15 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Louis J. Kirn)
             VT-8: 13 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Harold H. Larsen)
    Cruisers (Rear Adm. Carleton H. Wright)
       2 New Orleans-class heavy cruisers (9 × 8-in./55-cal. main battery)
          Minneapolis (Capt. Frank J. Lowry)
          New Orleans (Capt. Walter S. DeLany)
    Screen (Capt. Samuel B. Brewer)
       5 destroyers
          1 Porter-class (8 × 5-in./38 SP/low elevation main battery): Phelps
          4 Farragut-class (4 × 5-in./38 DP main battery): Farragut, MacDonough, Worden, Dale

#### Task Force 16

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid in Enterprise
    1 Yorktown-class fleet carrier
       Enterprise (Capt. Arthur C. Davis)
          Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Maxwell F. Leslie)
             VF-6: 29 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Louis H. Bauer)
             VB-6: 17 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. Ray Davis)
             VS-5: 18 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Turner F. Caldwell)
             VT-3: 15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Charles M. Jett)
    Battleship and Cruisers (Rear Adm. Mahlon S. Tisdale)
       1 North Carolina-class fast battleship (9 × 16-in./45-cal. main battery)
          North Carolina (Capt. George H. Fort)
       1 Portland-class heavy cruiser (9 × 8-in./55-cal. main battery)
          Portland (Capt. Laurance T. DuBose)
       1 Atlanta-class anti-aircraft light cruiser (16 × 5-in./38-cal. main battery)
          Atlanta (Capt. Samuel P. Jenkins)
    Screen (Capt. Edward P. Sauer)
       6 destroyers
          1 Porter-class (8 × 5-in./38 SP/low elevation main battery): Balch
          2 Gleaves-class (5 × 5-in. dual purpose main battery): Grayson, Monssen
          1 Gridley-class (4 × 5-in./38 dual purpose main battery): Maury
          2 Benham-class (4 × 5-in./38 dual purpose main battery): Benham, Ellet

#### Task Force 18 (deployed but did not take part in battle)

Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes in Wasp
    1 Wasp-class fleet carrier
       Wasp (Capt. Forrest P. Sherman)
          Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Wallace M. Beakley)
             VF-71: 28 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Shands)
             VS-71: 18 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. John Eldridge)
             VS-72: 18 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Ernest M. Snowden)
             VT-7: 15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Henry A. Romberg)
    Cruisers (Rear Adm. Norman Scott)
       1 Pensacola-class heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery)
          Salt Lake City (Capt. Charles H. McMorris)
       1 New Orleans-class heavy cruiser (9 × 8-in. main battery)
          San Francisco (Capt. Ernest G. Small)
       1 Atlanta-class anti-aircraft light cruiser (16 × 5-in. main battery) S
          San Juan (Capt. James E. Maher)
    Screen (Capt. Robert G. Tobin)
       7 destroyers
          1 Porter-class (8 × 5-in. main battery): Selfridge
          2 Gleaves-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Aaron Ward, Buchanan
          3 Benham-class (4 × 5-in. main battery): Lang, Stack, Sterett
          1 Benson-class (4 × 5-in. main battery): Farenholt

## Individual attack waves
### Attack on Enterprise (Nagumo carrier group 1st wave)

    10 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters: 4 from Shokaku, 6 from Zuikaku
    27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers: 18 from Shokaku, 9 from Zuikaku

### Nagumo carrier group 2nd wave (found no targets)

    9 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters: 3 from Shokaku, 6 from Zuikaku
    27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers: 9 from Shokaku, 18 from Zuikaku

### Ryūjō Attack on Henderson Field

    6 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers: all from Ryūjō
    14 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters: all from Ryūjō

### B-17 strike on Nagumo carrier group

    TBD

### Saratoga strike on Ryūjō

    TBD

### B-17 strike on Ryūjō

    TBD