Evening star., 1942-10-27
DecisiveBatt|e eRagesinSo|omons>
Outcome Not Clear Knox Says;
SCOTS at Jap Claims Of Big Toll
Foe Presses Drive
After Sinking Of
Carrier Wasp
9y the Associated Press.

The battle Of the Solomons
has erupted in a thunderous and
possibly decisive clash of ships,
planes and artillery over the
watery grave of the United
States aircraft carrier Wasp
victim Of three torpedoes.
All indications today were that
the Japanese, goaded by continual
bombing and realization that their
march OF conquest had stalled, were
throwing everything they have into
a frenzied drive to crack the Allied
front in the Southwest Pacific.
Both the Japanese and German
radios today reported Toxic claims
OF having sunk six United States
Warshlps, including four aircraft
carriers and battleship north of
Santa Cruz Islands, and imperial
Toxic headquarters asserted that %
American warships had been sunk
or damaged in the Solomons from
August Is to October Is, against
Japanese losses of II warships and
transports. The Japanese acknowl-
edged the loss of 1876 planes.
Secretary of the Navy Knox, at
press conference this morning,
branded the japanese claims as AN
other OF their fishing expeditions
IN quest of information.
Full-Scale Attack
Loss of the 14,709-ton, SIC, 1877 900
Wasp on September Is was disclosed
by the navy last night shortly before
it was announced that a full-scale
attack was roaring around the Amer
ican defenders of Guadalcanal by
land, sea and air.
Both announcements followed an
extraordinary White House confer
ence between President Roosevelt
and the naval high command.
Capt. Forrest P Sherman, COM
mander of the Wasp. disclosed at
Pearl Harbor last night that the
carrier was making a turn when hit
and if the torpedoes had been fired
a few minutes later they would have
missed. AS it was. the first three
hit near the bow and the fourth went
wild.
The battle now in progress already
has resulted in severe damage to
another United States carrier. the
sinking Of the destroyer Porter and
lesser damage to an unspecified
number of other ships.
But the fighting, which assumed
major proportions Sunday after a
series of tank, artillery and aerial
attacks on Guadalcanal, has not all
been one-sided.
The japanese have suffered dam
age to two carriers, two heavy cruis-
ers and one light cruiser since Sum-
day. Twenty-Five of their planes
have been knocked out of the skies,
including II fighters and five bomb
ers
Naval Supremacy Undecided.
The Americans appeared to have
the edge in the air, but the matter
of naval supremacy appeared yet to
be decided.
A force of enemy cruisers and de-
stroyers was able to stand off and
shell American positions on Guadal-
canal from the north Sunday while
enemy land troops were charging
against our southern flank.
Five heavy tank and artillery as
saults were made on the west flank
Friday and Saturday, but the enemy
apparently found the going too tough
there.
To add to Sundays day-long in
ferno, enemy dive bombers screamed
down on the American-held airfield,
inflicting minor damage. Five of the
bombers were shot out of flight of
about 16 and Grumman Wildcats
were reported to have accounted for
the II fighters
Although battered from land, sea
and air. the American soldiers and
Marines on the ground held their
positions" the Navy announced.
Series of Explosions.
1t was while protecting the move
ment of supplies and reinforcements
to these men, who have fought off
wave after wave of fresh enemy
troops, that the Wasp was lost.
She was mortally wounded by a
prowling submarine that fired a
salvo of three torpedoes into the
vicinity of her powder magazines
and gasoline storage tanks during
the afternoon of September Is. A
series of heavy explosions tore
through the ship, starting fires that
ragged out of control. 1t was nee
essary to abandon ship about three
hours after the attack.
All hope of saving her gone, a
United States destroyer admins
tered the coup de grace with tor
pedoes. She was the 18th ship re-
ported lost in the Solomons. The