Complex sentence: The battleship transited the Panama Canal on August 21,1942, and headed for the Tonga Islands, arriving at Nukualofa, Tonga on September 4; two days later, she struck an uncharted coral pinnacle in Lahai Passage and suffered extensive damage to her hull.
Split into simpler sentences: The battleship transited the Panama Canal on 21 August 1942 and set course for the Tonga Islands, arriving at Nukualofa, Tonga on 4 September. Two days later, she struck an uncharted coral pinnacle in Lahai Passage and suffered extensive damage to her hull.