Fujimi 401522 Gunkan Series 16 Battle of the Santa Cruz

Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands Battle of the Santa Cruz Island or Battle of Santa Cruz ) was fought on October 25-27, 1942, although Polish literature often accepts the actual date of the battle only on October 26, 1942. The battle in question was an air-sea clash between the US Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy in the course of the Pacific War (1941-1945). On the American side, there were admirals William Halsey and Thomas C. Kinkaid. Under their command, there were, among others, 2 aircraft carriers of the fleet, 1 cable ship and 6 cruisers. The Japanese side was commanded by admirals: Nobutake Kondo and Chuichi Nagumo. They headed a fleet of, among others: 3 attack aircraft carriers, 1 light aircraft carrier, 4 battleships and 10 destroyers. It is assumed that the main goal of the Japanese fleet was to recover from the defeat at Midway and destroy the main body of the US Navy supporting the American ground operations on the island of Guadalcanal. Of course, the American side wanted to ensure freedom of action in the Solomon Islands region. It is also often assumed that the battle was a tactical success for the Japanese, who inflicted slightly more losses on the American side than they suffered themselves, but by no means took their rematch for their defeat at Midway. Moreover, it was the Americans who still held the upper hand in the waters of the Solomon Islands. Thus, from a strategic point of view, it was the US Navy who succeeded in this battle.