The Wilmington morning star., 1942-11-17
Continued From Page One)

high seas fleet. aSSuTeu A1A1eu 81
premacy on the seas. The Solo
mons battle, while not of cours
giving the United Statets domi
nance in the whole Pacific area
appeared likely to hasten the da.
when that goal will be attained.
: Even the death of Rear Admira
! Daniel J. Callaghan, beloved
Uncle Dan" to many a Nav.
man and former naval aide t.
President Roosevelt, in the furl
Gus, close-range night engagement
which opened the three-day battl'
in the early morning of Novembe.
13 could not dampen the elatiol
with which naval officers announc
ed the victory.
In a lengthy communique, thu
Navy described the various &C
tions in which the American force
had sunk japanese battleship
three heavy cruisers, two hgh
cruisers, five destroyers and eigh
transports, destroyed the foul
beached cargo transports, ane
damaged a battleship and six de
stroyers.
Preparations for a major at
tempt by the japanese to recap
ture the southeastern Solomons be
came evident early this month
the Navy reported, when aerial re
connaissance revealed heavy
concentration of transports anc
warships of the enemy fleet il
New Britain and the northwestern
Solomons.
The huge expedition got under
way the morning of November 10
with japanese naval forces ap
preaching Guadalcanal from the
north, while other detachments, in
cluding large numbers of trans
ports, moved southeastward towaro
the American positions from Ra
baul and BUN, where the enemy
had been assembling it's expedi
tionary forces.
The Navy credited the Army
bombers of General Douglas Mac
Arthur's command with supplying
great assistance" in the earl,
phase of the looming fight, by
making repeated successful attack.
on the invasion fleet at Rabau
and BUN, as reported in commu
niques from Australia. MacAr
/ thurs aircraft also gave valuable
aid afte rthe naval actions devel
oped.
The Japanese moved toware
Guadalcanal behind warshir
spearhead of two battleships. two
heavy cruisers, four light cruiser.
and about ten destroyers, which
reached the Ameican-held islanc
shortly after midnight November
! 12.
1t was their intention, said the
communique, to lombard Navy
Marine forces ashore in prepare
ton for large scale landing from
the following transpots. The battle
units moved to the attack in three
groups.
However,. instead of the easy
conquest they expected, they rar
into units of the United State
fleet, which engaged them at clos,
range in the darkness, not only
landing telling blows on the Nip
ponese warships but creating such
confusion in the enemy fleet tina
before the fight was over two O.
the three japanese groups were
firing at each other. Instead o.
escorting their waiting soldiers
ashore, they ceased firing and, ,ir
the restrained language of the
communique, "retired to the north
ward"
Later during the day of Novem
ber 13, American planes kept ur
continual. running attack on the
damaged enemy ships still trying
to limp away from the scene o!
the fighting, and in the afternoon
the planes discovered twelve trans
ports under heavy naval escor
headed for Guadalcanal from the
vicinity of Bougainville Island, 26(
miles to the northeast.
The warships moved up thai
night and bombarded the Ameri
can positions on Guadalcanal, bu'
before the transports could move
up the morning of November 4
they were caught offshore by air
craft, and eight Of them were
sunk, leaving four-probably those
found later at Tassafaronga-pro
ceeding toward the island.
Enemy warships in the Guadal
canal area were engaged again by
the American fleet the night O.
November 14-15. Detailed reports
on this flight have not been re
ceived in Washington, but the nex
morning the remnants of the bat
tered Japanese force were foune
withdrawing to the north, and NJ
reports of any futher action have
come through.
The punishment dealt out to the
japanese fleet in this battle
brought the enemy's losses in the
Solomons to date, as reported by
Navy communicates, to 35 ship:
sunk, probably sunk and II dam
aged, or Ill vessels of all type:
| cI1nk and damapeH