After the task force anchored off the islands on the morning of 26 October, "Enterprise"s search planes spotted the enemy carrier force and dropped two 500-pound bombs on the , setting the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in motion. When it subsided, the Navy had lost 74 aircraft, the carrier "Hornet" and one destroyer; "Enterprise", "South Dakota", one cruiser and one destroyer were damaged. The Japanese lost about 100 aircraft, but their ship casualties were much lower. Nimitz and Halsey expressed their satisfaction with Kinkaid's force and their battle against heavy odds, and the destroyers in the "Hornet" and "Enterprise" screens were commended for a stellar effort.