Battle of Rennell Island

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Rennell Island


caption=USS "Chicago" low in the water on the morning of January 30, 1943, from torpedo damage inflicted the night before.
partof=the Pacific Theater of World War II
date=January 29, 1943 – January 30, 1943
place=Rennell Island, Solomon Islands
result=Japanese victory
combatant1=Allied forces including:
flag|United States|1912
flag|Australia
combatant2=flag|Empire of Japan
commander1=William Halsey, Jr.,
Robert C. Giffen
commander2=Isoroku Yamamoto,
Jinichi Kusaka [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 288. Kusaka commanded the 11th Air Fleet, headquartered at Rabaul, which included the 701st and 705st Air Groups that participated in this battle.]
strength1=1 fleet carrier,
2 escort carriers,
6 cruisers,
8 destroyers,
14 fighter aircraft [Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 353 & 361. Although the three U.S. carriers together carried considerably more fighter aircraft than 14, this was the number that actually participated in the battle.]
strength2=32 bomber aircraftFrank, "Guadalcanal", p. 578.]
casualties1=1 cruiser sunk,
1 destroyer heavily damaged,
85 killed [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 581 & 641. Breakdown of deaths by ship: "Chicago": 62, "La Vallette": 22, and "Montpelier": 1. The Bettys strafed the U.S. ships during both attacks on January 29 and 30 which may have resulted in the one death on "Montpelier" (Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 355.)]
casualties2=12 aircraft destroyed,
60–84 killed [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 581. Japanese personnel losses estimated by multiplying the 12 aircraft destroyed by the five to seven man crew that Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers usually carried.] |

The Battle of Rennell Island (Japanese: レンネル島沖海戦) took place on January 29 – January 30, 1943, and was the last major naval engagement between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the lengthy Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands campaign during World War II. The battle took place in the South Pacific between Rennell Island and Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands.

In the battle, Japanese naval land-based torpedo bombers, seeking to provide protection for the impending evacuation of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal, made several attacks over two days on United States' warships operating as a task force south of Guadalcanal. In addition to approaching Guadalcanal with the objective of engaging any Japanese ships that might come into range, the U.S. task force was protecting an Allied transport ship convoy that was carrying replacement troops to Guadalcanal.

As a result of the Japanese air attacks on the task force, one U.S. heavy cruiser was sunk, a destroyer was heavily damaged, and the rest of the U.S. task force was forced to retreat from the southern Solomons area. Partly because of their success in turning back the U.S. task force in this battle, the Japanese were successful in evacuating their remaining troops from Guadalcanal by February 7, 1943, leaving Guadalcanal in Allied hands and ending the battle for the island.

Background

On August 7, 1942, Allied forces (primarily U.S.) landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida Islands in the Solomon Islands. The landings on the islands were meant to deny their use by the Japanese as bases for threatening the supply routes between the U.S. and Australia, and to secure the islands as starting points for a campaign with the eventual goal of isolating the major Japanese base at Rabaul while also supporting the Allied New Guinea campaign. The landings initiated the six-month-long Guadalcanal campaign. [Hogue, "Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal", p. 235–236.]

The last major attempt by the Japanese to drive Allied forces from Guadalcanal and Tulagi was defeated during the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in early November 1942. Thereafter, the Japanese Navy was only able to deliver subsistence supplies and a few replacement troops to Japanese Army forces on Guadalcanal. Because of the threat from Allied aircraft based at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, plus nearby U.S. aircraft carriers, the Japanese delivered these supplies at night, usually by destroyer or submarine, in operations the Allies called the "Tokyo Express." [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 526.] However, these supplies and replacements were not enough to sustain Japanese troops on the island, who by December 7, 1942, were losing about 50 men each day from malnutrition, disease, and Allied ground or air attacks. [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 527.] On December 12, the Japanese Navy proposed that Guadalcanal be abandoned. Despite opposition from Japanese Army leaders, who still hoped that Guadalcanal could eventually be retaken from the Allies, Japan's Imperial General Headquarters, with approval from the Emperor, on December 31, 1942, agreed to the evacuation of all Japanese forces from the island and establishment of a new line of defense for the Solomons on New Georgia. [Dull, "Imperial Japanese Navy", p. 261.]

, with the objective of inhibiting Allied aircraft or warships from disrupting the final stage of the "Ke" operation, which was the actual evacuation of all Japanese troops from Guadalcanal. [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 541.]

Allied forces misinterpreted the "Ke" preparations as the beginning of another Japanese offensive to try to retake Guadalcanal. [Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 351.] At this same time, Admiral William Halsey, Jr., overall commander of Allied forces involved in the battle for Guadalcanal, was under pressure from his superiors to complete the replacement of the U.S. 2nd Marine Regiment on Guadalcanal, which had been involved in the fighting since the initial landings in August, with fresh U.S. Army troops. [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 577.] Halsey hoped to take advantage of what he believed was an impending Japanese offensive to draw Japanese naval forces into a battle, while at the same time delivering the replacement army troops to Guadalcanal.McGee, "The Solomons Campaigns", p. 216.] On January 29, Halsey prepared and sent towards the southern Solomons area five warship task forces to cover the relief convoy and to engage any Japanese naval forces that came into range. These five task forces included two fleet carriers, two escort carriers, three battleships, 12 cruisers, and 25 destroyers. [Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 352.]

In front of this array of task forces was the troop convoy (Task Group (TG) 62.8), consisting of four transports and four destroyers. [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 577–578.] Ahead of the troop convoy, between Rennell Island and Guadalcanal, was a close support group called Task Force 18 (TF 18), under Rear Admiral Robert C. Giffen, which consisted of heavy cruisers USS "Wichita", "Chicago", and "Louisville"; light cruisers "Montpelier", "Cleveland", and "Columbia"; escort carriers "Chenango" and "Suwanne"; and eight destroyers. Admiral Giffen commanded TF 18 from "Wichita".Crenshaw, "South Pacific Destroyer", p. 62.] A fleet carrier task force, centered on carrier USS "Enterprise", steamed about 400 kilometers (250 mi) behind TG 62.8 and TF 18. The other fleet carrier and battleship task forces were about 240 kilometers (150 mi) further back. Admiral Giffen, along with cruiser "Wichita" and the two escort carriers, had just arrived in the Pacific after participating in Operation Torch in the North African Campaign. [Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 352–353.] Also, "Chicago" had just arrived back in the South Pacific, after completing repairs from damage suffered during the Battle of Savo Island almost six-months before.

Battle

Prelude

. The six destroyers were spread along a semicircle 3 kilometers (2 mi) ahead of the cruiser columns.

Giffen's force was being tracked by Japanese submarines, who reported on Giffen's location and movement to their naval headquarter's units. Around mid-afternoon, based on the submarine's reports, 32 G4M "Betty" torpedo bombers stationed at Rabaul and Kavieng and staging through Munda and Buka airfields [Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 354–355.] in the Solomons, took off carrying torpedoes to attack Giffen's force. One Betty turned back with engine trouble, leaving 31 Bettys in the attack force.

Action on January 29

) from the two escort carriers returned to their ships for the night, leaving Giffen's ships without air cover. [Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 355.]

The radar contacts were, in fact, the approaching 31 Japanese Betty torpedo bombers, who circled around to the south of TF 18 so that they could attack from the east, with the black backdrop of the eastern sky behind them. The Bettys split into two groups, with the first group of 16 bombers commencing their attacks on TF 18 at 19:19. In this attack, all of the first group of Betty's torpedoes missed, and one of the bombers was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from Giffen's ships.Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 579.]

Believing the attack was over, Giffen ordered his ships to cease zigzagging and to continue heading towards Guadalcanal on the same course and at the same speed. Meanwhile, other Japanese aircraft began dropping flares and floatlights to mark the course and speed of TF 18 in order to assist with the impending attack by the second group of Bettys.Crenshaw, "South Pacific Destroyer", p. 63.]

At 19:38, the second group of Bettys attacked, planting two torpedoes in "Chicago", causing heavy damage and bringing the cruiser to a dead stop. One other torpedo hit "Wichita" but did not explode, and two of the Bettys were shot down by anti-aircraft fire. At 20:08, Giffen ordered his ships to reverse direction, to slow to convert|15|kn|km/h, and to cease firing their anti-aircraft guns, which succeeded in concealing his ships from the Japanese aircraft, who all departed the area by 23:35. [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 579.] In pitch darkness, "Louisville" managed to take the crippled "Chicago" under tow and slowly headed south, away from the battle area, escorted by the rest of TF 18. [Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 358–359.]

Action on January 30

, which they did at 15:00, leaving behind six destroyers to protect "Chicago" and "Navajo". [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 579–580.]

At 15:40, "Enterprise" was 69 kilometers (43 mi) away from "Chicago", with ten of her fighters forming a CAP over the damaged cruiser. At this time, four of the CAP fighters chased and shot-down a scout Betty bomber. At 15:54, radar on "Enterprise" detected the incoming flight of Bettys, and launched 10 more fighters to attack the Betty formation. The escort carriers, however, had difficulties in getting their aircraft launched, preventing them from joining in the attack on the Betty formation until the engagement was over. [Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 360.]

At first the Bettys appeared to be trying to approach and attack "Enterprise" but turned towards "Chicago" after six "Enterprise" CAP fighters began to engage them. Four other CAP fighters chased the Bettys as they entered the anti-aircraft fire from "Chicago"’s escorting destroyers. In all, eight of the attacking Bettys were shot down by the CAP fighters or by anti-aircraft fire, but most of the bombers were able to drop their torpedoes before crashing. [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 580–581.]

One torpedo hit the destroyer USS "La Vallette" in her forward engine room, killing 22 of her crew and causing heavy damage. "Chicago" was hit by four torpedoes, one forward of the bridge and three others in her engineering spaces. "Chicago"’s captain, Ralph O. Davis, ordered the ship to be abandoned, and the cruiser sank, stern first, 20 minutes later. "Navajo" and the escorting destroyers rescued 1,049 survivors from "Chicago"’s crew, [Crenshaw, "South Pacific Destroyer", p. 64–65.] but 62 of her crew died. [Frank, "Guadalcanal", p. 581.] A final attack force of Japanese Betty torpedo bombers failed to find the remaining U.S. ships. "Navajo" took "La Vallette" under tow, and all of the remaining ships of TF 18 were able to make it to port at Espiritu Santo without further incident. [Morison, "Struggle for Guadalcanal", p. 363. "La Vallette" was under repair in the U.S. until August 6, 1943. "Dictionary of American Fighting Ships", [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/l1/la_vallette-ii.htm] ]

Aftermath

. [Naval Historical Center, [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-g/r-giffen.htm] ]

With Japanese air assets tied up in the battle with TF 18, the Allied transports were able to complete their mission of replacing the remaining Marine forces on Guadalcanal over the last two days in January. During this time, the other Allied task forces, including the two fleet carrier task forces, took station in the Coral Sea, in anticipation of an expected Japanese offensive in the southern Solomons

In reality, however, the Japanese were completing the secret evacuation of their remaining forces from Guadalcanal over three nights between February 2 and February 7. With TF 18 forced to retreat, very few Allied naval forces were left in the immediate Guadalcanal area, allowing the Japanese to successfully retrieve all of their ground forces, and the Allies did not realize the evacuation was happening until it was over. Many of these evacuated ground forces would play an important part in future battles between the Japanese and the Allies in the critical Solomon Islands campaign.

Notes

References

*cite book
last = Crenshaw
first = Russell Sydnor
authorlink =
year = 1998
chapter =
title = South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-136-X
*cite book
last = Dull
first = Paul S.
authorlink =
year = 1978
chapter =
title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-097-1
*cite book
last = Frank
first = Richard B.
authorlink = Richard B. Frank
year = 1990
title = Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
publisher = Penguin Group
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-14-016561-4
*cite book
last = McGee
first = William L.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2002
chapter = The Six-Month Struggle for Guadalcanal
title = The Solomons Campaigns, 1942–1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville—Pacific War Turning Point, Volume 2 (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII)
publisher = BMC Publications
location =
id = ISBN 0-9701678-7-3
*cite book
last = Morison
first = Samuel Eliot
authorlink = Samuel Eliot Morison
coauthors =
year = 1958
chapter = Chapter 15
title = The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943", vol. 5 of "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II
publisher = Little, Brown and Company
location = Boston
id = ISBN 0-316-58305-7

External links

*cite web
last = Chen
first = C. Peter
year = 2004 – 2006
url = http://www.ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=8
title = Battle of Rennell Island
format =
work = World War II Database
accessdate = 2006-07-13
*cite web
last = Hough
first = Frank O.
authorlink =
coauthors = Ludwig, Verle E., and Shaw, Henry I., Jr.
date =
year =
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/I/index.html
title = Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal
format =
work = History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II
pages =
publisher =
language =
accessdate = 2006-05-16
accessyear =
*cite web
last = McComb
first = David W.
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =
year = 2008
month =
url = http://www.destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/usslavallette/witten.html
title = Battle of Rennell Island
format =
work = Destroyer History Foundation
pages =
publisher =
language =
accessdate = 2008-04-16
accessyear =
*cite web
last = Wukovitz
first = John
year = 2006
url = http://www.thehistorynet.com/wwii/blsetbackinsolomons/
title = Battle of Rennell Island: Setback in the Solomons
format =
work = TheHistoryNet.com
accessdate = 2006-07-13 — Article originally printed in "World War II" magazine.

Further reading

*cite book
last = Roscoe
first = Theodore
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1953 (Ninth printing, 1986)
chapter =
title = United States Destroyer Operations in World War II
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location = Annapolis, Maryland
id = ISBN 0-87021-726-7
*cite book
last = Stafford
first = Edward P.
authorlink =
coauthors = Paul Stillwell (Introduction)
year = 2002 reissue
chapter =
title = The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-998-0