Battle of Tassafaronga

30 November 1942, Off Tassafaronga Point, Guadalcanal

Japanese victory

Rear Admiral Raizō Tanaka brought eight destroyers down the Slot loaded with drums of supplies to be pushed over the side for the troops ashore. Rear Admiral Carleton Wright was waiting with five cruisers and six destroyers, and his radar saw the Japanese first. But he hesitated for four minutes before letting his destroyers fire torpedoes, at long range, and all of them missed. When the cruisers opened fire they concentrated on the nearest destroyer, Takanami, and sank her. The rest of Tanaka's ships turned and fired some 44 of their long-range Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes. Minneapolis and New Orleans had their bows blown off, Pensacola was set on fire, and Northampton was hit twice and sank. 395 Americans died. The Japanese, however, had dropped none of their supplies, and the troops on Guadalcanal went on starving.