The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, a multi-day battle that would see more than 1,700 Americans killed, began on this day in history, Nov. 12, 1942.
Guadalcanal is the largest island in the Solomon Islands, a country located in the Pacific Ocean northeast of Australia and east of Papua New Guinea.
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal came several months into the extended military campaign on the island, and featured intense, heavy fights that saw large amounts of casualties on both sides.
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The fighting that began on Nov. 12 was “arguably the most unorganized and chaotic naval battle of World War II,” according to the website for The National WWII Museum.
The attack began with Japanese aircraft launching an assault on the American ships on Nov. 12, and continued on both the air and sea until Nov. 15.
The Battle of the Solomon Islands, photographed by the USS President Adams off the coast of Guadalcanal, Nov. 12, 1942. (CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
The American forces found themselves outnumbered and outmaneuvered by the Japanese navy, said the museum.
Despite these disadvantages, as well as “many errors,” the American forces “gave a good accounting of themselves, forcing the Japanese to abandon their mission of attacking Henderson Field,” said the museum’s site.
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As Henderson Field was not captured by the Japanese, the Americans were able to launch aircraft that would attack the Japanese ships the day after the initial attack.
The American aircraft sank the already damaged Japanese battleship Hiei, a major strategic victory, said The National WWII Museum.
The Hiei was the first Japanese battleship to be sunk during the war.
Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan, left, and Rear Admiral Norman Scott, right, were both killed during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal….