Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands

25–27 October 1942, North of the Santa Cruz Islands

Japanese tactical victory; American strategic success

The Japanese army planned to take Henderson Field in late October, and the Combined Fleet came south to finish the American carriers. Rear Admiral Thomas Kinkaid had Enterprise, newly repaired, and Hornet. Both sides struck on the morning of 26 October. Enterprise's scouts put two bombs into Zuihō, and Hornet's dive bombers wrecked Shōkaku's flight deck, but Japanese aircraft hit Hornet with bombs, torpedoes and two crashing planes, and then hit Enterprise twice. South Dakota's new anti-aircraft guns shot down many attackers; a burning plane crashed onto the destroyer Smith. Hornet was hit again that afternoon and abandoned. American destroyers could not sink her and left her burning; Japanese destroyers finished her with torpedoes that night. America had lost a carrier and was left with only one damaged one in the Pacific. But Japan lost 99 aircraft and 148 of its best aircrew, more than at Midway, and its carriers had to go home to train new ones. The army attack on Henderson Field had already failed.