World War II: Japanese Turned Back at Guadalcanal

November 12-15, 1942 - Allied ships win the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. As fighting on Guadalcanal raged, the Japanese organized a convoy to transport 7,000 reinforcements to the island in early November 1942. To support these efforts, they dispatched two sizable surface forces to bombard the Allied air strip at Henderson Field. Alerted to Japanese intentions, Admiral William "Bull" Halsey directed warships to intercept the approaching enemy. In two sharp night actions (right) on November 13 and November 14/15, the Japanese were soundly defeated and lost the battleships Hiei and Kirishima. Having ceded naval superiority around Guadalcanal, the Japanese were unable to land reinforcements and the Allies succeeded in liberating the island.

Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval Historical Center