# Santa Cruz Islands order of battle

The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands was fought 25–27 October 1942 in the waters northwest of the Santa Cruz Islands by forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy's (IJN) Combined Fleet and the United States Navy's (USN) Pacific Fleet. The battle resulted from a major Japanese offensive with the goal to drive the US forces from Guadalcanal.
The battle can be viewed as a tactical Japanese victory as they sank the American aircraft carrier USS Hornet and badly damaged another, USS Enterprise, while suffering heavy damage in return to carriers Shōkaku and Zuihō. In strategic terms, however, it was ultimately a victory for the United States, as the Japanese failed in their objective to destroy American forces on and around Guadalcanal and suffered significant losses of experienced air crew.
Because the Japanese had the tactical initiative, their forces are listed first.

## Forces deployed

Losses in parentheses
| Ship Type | IJN | USN |
| Fleet carriers (CV) | 3 | 2 (1) |
| Light carriers (CVL) | 1 | |
| Battleships (BB) | 4 | 1 |
| Heavy cruisers (CA) | 8 | 3 |
| Light cruisers (CL) | 2 | 3 |
| Destroyers (DD) | 25 | 14 (1) |
| Combat Aircraft | 199 (99) | 136 (81) |

## Japanese order of battle
### Advance Force

Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo in heavy cruiser Atago
    Main Body
    Vice Admiral Kondo
       Cruiser Division 4
          2 Takao-class heavy cruisers (10 × 8-in. main battery): Atago, Takao
       Cruiser Division 5 (Rear Adm. Sentaro Omori in heavy cruiser Myoko)
          1 Myoko-class heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery): Myoko
          1 Takao-class heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery): Maya
       Destroyer Squadron 2 (Rear Adm. Raizo Tanaka in light cruiser Isuzu)
          1 Nagara-class light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery): Isuzu
          2 Yugumo-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Makinami, Naganami
          3 Shiratsuyu-class destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): Kawakaze, Suzukaze, Umikaze
    Carrier Group
    Rear Admiral Kakuji Kakuta in carrier Jun'yō
       Carrier Division 2
          2 Hiyō-class fleet carriers
             Jun'yō
                20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Yoshio Shiga)
                17 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Masao Yamaguchi†)
                7 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Yoshiaki Irikiin†)
             Hiyō
                21 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
                18 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
                9 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers
       Screen
          2 Kagerō-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Kuroshio, Hayashio
    Support Group
    Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita in battleship Kongō
       Battleship Division 3
          2 Kongō-class fast battleships (8 × 14-in. main battery): Kongō, Haruna
       Screen
          2 Kagerō-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Oyashio, Kagerō

### Carrier Striking Force

Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo
    Carrier Group
    Vice Admiral Nagumo
       2 fleet carriers
          Shōkaku
             20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Hideki Shingō)
             21 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Mamoru Seki†)
             24 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Shigeharu Murata†)
          Zuikaku
             20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Ayao Shirane)
             23 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Sadamu Takahashi)
             20 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Shigeichiro Imajuku†)
       1 light carrier
          Zuihō
             20 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Masao Satō)
             6 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt(jg). Ichiro Tanaka)
       Screen
          1 Mogami-class heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery): Kumano
          7 Kagerō-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Hatsukaze, Yukikaze, Maikaze, Hamakaze, Amatsukaze, Tokitsukaze, Arashi
          1 Akizuki-class destroyer (8 × 4-in. main battery): Teruzuki

### Vanguard Group

Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe in Hiei
    Battleship Division 11
       2 Kongo-class fast battleships (8 × 14-in. main battery): Hiei, Kirishima
    Cruiser Division 7 (Rear Adm. Shoji Nishimura)
       1 Mogami-class heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery): Suzuya
    Cruiser Division 8 (Rear Adm. Chūichi Hara in Tone)
       2 Tone-class heavy cruisers (8 × 8-in. main battery): Tone, Chikuma
    Destroyer Squadron 10 (Rear Adm. Susumu Kimura)
       1 Nagara-class light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery): Nagara
       3 Yugumo-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Makigumo, Kazagumo, Yūgumo
       4 Kagerō-class destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): Akigumo, Urakaze, Tanikaze, Isokaze

## American order of battle
### Task Force 16

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid

#### Task Force 16

Rear Admiral Kinkaid in fleet carrier Enterprise
    1 Yorktown-class fleet carrier
       Enterprise (Capt. Osborne B. Hardison)
          Air Group (Cmdr. Richard K. Gaines)
             VF-10: 34 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. James H. Flatley)
             VB-10: 14 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. Cmdr. James A. Thomas)
             VS-10: 20 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. James R. Lee)
             VT-10: 9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Cmdr. John A. Collett†)
    Screen
          1 South Dakota-class fast battleship (9 × 16-in. main battery): South Dakota
       Cruiser Division 4 (Rear Adm. Mahlon S. Tisdale in heavy cruiser Portland)
          1 Portland-class heavy cruiser (9 × 8-in. main battery): Portland
          1 Atlanta-class anti-aircraft light cruiser (16 × 5-in. main battery): San Juan
       Destroyer Squadron 5 (Capt. Charles L. Cecil)
          1 Porter-class destroyer (8 × 5-in. main battery): Porter
          1 Mahan-class destroyer (5 × 5-in. main battery): Mahan
       Destroyer Division 10 (Cmdr. Thomas M. Stokes)
          5 Mahan-class destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): Cushing, Preston, Smith, Conyngham, Shaw
          1 Gridley-class destroyer (4 × 5-in. main battery): Maury

#### Task Force 17

Rear Admiral George D. Murray in fleet carrier Hornet
    1 Yorktown-class fleet carrier
       Hornet (Capt. Charles P. Mason)
          Air Group (Cmdr. Walter F. Rodee)
             VF-72: 38 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. Henry G. Sanchez)
             VB-8: 15 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. James E. Vose)
             VS-8: 16 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. William J. Widhelm)
             VT-6: 15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Edwin B. Parker, Jr.)
    Screen
       Cruiser Division 5 (Rear Adm. Howard H. Good) in heavy cruiser Northampton
          1 Northampton-class (9 × 8-in. main battery): Northampton
          1 Pensacola-class heavy cruiser (10 × 8-iun. main battery): Pensacola
          2 Atlanta-class anti-aircraft light cruisers (16 × 5-in. main battery): San Diego, Juneau
       Destroyer Squadron 2 (Cmdr. Arnold E. True)
          5 Sims-class destroyers (4 × 5-in. main battery): Morris, Anderson, Hughes, Mustin, Russell
          1 Benson-class destroyer (4 × 5-in. main battery): Barton

## Individual attack waves
### Attack on Hornet (Nagumo carrier group first wave)

    21 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (9 of which divert to attack incoming aircraft)
    21 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
    22 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (2 as navigational aid only)

### Attack on Enterprise group (Nagumo carrier group second wave)

    9 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
    19 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
    16 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers

### Jun'yo 1st wave against Enterprise group

    12 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
    17 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers

### Jun'yo 2nd wave (1 torpedo hit on towed Hornet)

    8 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
    7 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers

### Zuikaku 3rd wave (1 bomb hit on Hornet being abandoned)

    5 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
    2 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers
    7 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers

### Jun'yo 3rd wave (1 bomb hit on abandoned Hornet)

    6 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters
    4 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers

### US first wave (Hornet): bomb hits on Shokaku, torpedo misses on Tone

    8 F4F Wildcat fighters
    15 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (two shot down)
    6 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

### US second wave (Enterprise): 1 bomb on Chikuma, torpedo misses on Suzuya

    8 F4F Wildcat fighters (3 shot down, 1 returned)
    3 SBD Dauntless dive bombers
    9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (2 shot down, 2 returned)

### US third wave (Hornet): 2 bombs, 1 torpedo on Chikuma

    7 F4F Wildcat fighters
    9 SBD Dauntless dive bombers
    10 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers