The Japanese have withdrawn their garrisons from Gavabutu, making it an easy capture. But as Torrey turns his undivided attention to Levu-Vana, his attempts to secure more material and manpower are frustrated by General Douglas MacArthur's simultaneous and much larger Solomon Islands campaign. Reconnaissance aircraft prove especially difficult to come by, and surface combatant forces amount to little more than several cruisers and destroyers, including Torrey's former command, now skippered by his former operations officer, Captain Burke. When the mission succeeds, Jere recognizes the disloyalty of Owynn and Broderick and gains a new regard for his father.