After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, in December 1941, Admiral Husband Kimmel would be relieved of command of the United States Pacific Fleet. Replacing him in command of CINCPACFLT was Admiral Chester Nimitz. With his fleet nearly destroyed, many assumed Nimitz would take time and operate deliberately – primarily on the defensive. But this was not the style of the new fleet commander. By May 1942, Admiral Nimitz launched the Battle of the Coral Sea and in August, his Marines would land on Guadalcanal – with their goal being to displace the Japanese infantry and take over Lunga Point Airfield (renamed to Henderson Field) – a Japanese airfield which allowed the Japanese to launch strikes as far away as Australia. At the time, it would have been impossible to know how viciously Japan would defend Guadalcanal – so much so that 2 1/2 months later, both naval and infantry battles were happening on Guadalcanal. 84 years ago today, the battle would be a fist fight between the two belligerents.
Naval aircraft from Japanese carrier, Zuikaku, attack U.S. naval ships at Guadalcanal
By mid-October 1942, the struggle for Guadalcanal had entered a desperate phase. U.S. Marines, and supporting forces, held Henderson Field, whose aircraft—the Cactus Air Force—posed a constant threat to Japanese shipping by day. Japan, determined to recapture the airfield, launched major reinforcement efforts. The night of October 13–14 saw Japanese battleships Kongō and Haruna bombard Henderson Field with nearly 1,000 14-inch shells, damaging the runway, destroying or damaging many aircraft, and burning vital fuel supplies. Despite this, American forces scrambled to keep the field operational and to deliver critical supplies, particularly aviation gasoline and bombs, to the embattled garrison.
On October 15, Japanese high-speed transports, including Sasako Maru, Kyūsyū Maru, and Azumasan Maru, reached the Tassafaronga area on Guadalcanal’s western coast, under cover of naval escorts. They began unloading troops of the 230th and 16th Infantry Regiments, along with equipment and supplies. U.S. Navy and Marine aircraft, from Henderson Field, responded vigorously. In waves, they attacked the convoy, beaching and destroying Sasako Maru and Kyūsyū Maru, while heavily damaging Azumasan Maru. Although the Japanese succeeded in landing roughly 3,000–4,500 men, and a substantial portion of their cargo, before withdrawing under air pressure, the attacks demonstrated the continuing power of the Cactus Air Force which continued to exact a heavy toll on Japanese logistics.
Simultaneously, an American supply effort was underway. A small task unit had departed Espiritu Santo on October 12, with cargo ships Bellatrix and Alchiba towing barges, the converted yacht Jamestown, the tug Vireo (AT-144) towing a barge, loaded with aviation gasoline and bombs, and the destroyer USS Meredith(DD-434), under Commander Harry E. Hubbard, as escort. Intelligence of a strong Japanese carrier force—including Shōkaku, Zuikaku, and Zuihō—operating north of the Solomons – forced most of the convoy to turn back. Recognizing the acute need for fuel at Henderson Field, Hubbard pressed onward with Meredith and Vireo.
On the morning of the October 15, Japanese reconnaissance spotted the pair. Meredith took Vireo’s crew aboard and prepared to scuttle the slow tug to deny it to the enemy. Shortly after noon, a strike of approximately 38 aircraft from Zuikaku—roughly 21 Aichi D3A “Val” dive-bombers, nine Nakajima B5N “Kate” torpedo bombers, and eight Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters—attacked. Meredith fought fiercely, shooting down three of her attackers, but was overwhelmed. Multiple bomb and torpedo hits destroyed communications, steering, and fire control, ignited fires, and caused catastrophic damage. She rolled over and sank in about ten minutes.
Of the roughly 273 men aboard Meredith that day (plus the Vireo crew), only a fraction survived the attack and the subsequent ordeal. Survivors spent approximately three days in overloaded life rafts or treading water in shark-infested seas. Sharks attacked the wounded, Japanese aircraft strafed men in the water, and exposure, burns, and dehydration took a heavy toll. Rescue finally came on October 18, when a PBY Catalina spotted them and guided USS Grayson (DD-435), USS Gwin (DD-433), and the tug Seminole to the scene. Accounts vary slightly on exact numbers, but roughly 80–100 men, from the two ships, were ultimately rescued, with additional deaths, from lingering injuries, following. The USS Meredith would earn a much-deserved battle star. Her loss underscored the extreme risks of the Guadalcanal supply effort and the high cost of contesting control of the surrounding waters and airspace.
When you read these battle narratives, you cannot help but to be awed by the courage of the men and women fighting in the Pacific Theater. There is little doubt, in this author’s mind, that they deserve to be called The Greatest Generation.
The Original Grey Beard Biker™
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