Editing Guadalcanal campaign (section)

===Naval Battle of Guadalcanal===
{{Main|Naval Battle of Guadalcanal}}
After the defeat in the Battle for Henderson Field, the IJA planned to try again to retake the airfield in November 1942, but further reinforcements were needed before the operation could proceed. The IJA requested assistance from Yamamoto to deliver the needed reinforcements to the island and to support the next offensive. Yamamoto provided 11 large transport ships to carry the remaining 7,000 troops from the 38th Infantry Division, their ammunition, food, and heavy equipment from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. He also provided a warship support force that included two battleships, {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}}, equipped with special fragmentation shells, which were to bombard Henderson Field on the night of 12–13 November. The goal of the bombardment was to destroy the airfield and the aircraft stationed there, to allow the slow transports to reach Guadalcanal and unload safely the next day.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', 41–46</ref> The warship force was commanded from ''Hiei'' by recently promoted Vice Admiral [[Hiroaki Abe]].<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', p. 93</ref>

[[File:Callaghan.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. Rear Admiral [[Daniel J. Callaghan]] (pictured here as a captain)]]
In early November, Allied intelligence learned that the Japanese were preparing again to try to retake Henderson Field.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', p. 37</ref> In response, on 11 November the U.S. sent Turner's Task Force 67 to Guadalcanal, carrying Marine replacements, two U.S. Army infantry battalions, ammunition and food. The supply ships were protected by two [[task force|task groups]], commanded by Rear Admirals [[Daniel J. Callaghan]] and [[Norman Scott (admiral)|Norman Scott]], as well as by aircraft from Henderson Field.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', pp. 38–39; Frank, pp. 429–430. The American reinforcements totaled 5,500 men and included the 1st Marine Aviation Engineer Battalion, replacements for ground and air units, the 4th Marine Replacement Battalion, two battalions of the U.S. Army's 182nd Infantry Regiment, and ammunition and supplies.</ref> The ships were attacked several times on 11 and 12 November by Japanese aircraft from Rabaul staging through an air base at [[Buin Airport|Buin]], Bougainville, but most unloaded their cargo without serious damage.<ref>Frank, p. 432; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', pp. 50–90.</ref>

U.S. [[reconnaissance]] aircraft spotted the approach of Abe's bombardment force and passed a warning to Allied commanders.<ref>Hara p. 137</ref> Thus warned, Turner detached all usable combat ships under Callaghan to protect the troops ashore from the expected Japanese naval attack and troop landing, and ordered the supply ships at Guadalcanal to depart by early evening 12 November.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', p. 92</ref> Callaghan's force comprised two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and eight destroyers.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', pp. 99–107</ref>

Around 01:30 on 13 November, Callaghan's force intercepted Abe's bombardment group between Guadalcanal and Savo Island. In addition to the two battleships, Abe's force included one light cruiser and 11 destroyers. In the pitch darkness<ref>New moon 8 November 1942 15:19 hours: [[Fred Espenak]], [http://astropixels.com/ephemeris/phasescat/phases1901.html Phases of the Moon: 1901 to 2000]</ref> the two warship forces became intermingled before opening fire at unusually close range. In the resulting mêlée, Abe's warships sank or severely damaged all but one cruiser and one destroyer in Callaghan's force; both Callaghan and Scott were killed. Two Japanese destroyers were sunk, and another destroyer and the battleship ''Hiei'' were heavily damaged. Despite his defeat of Callaghan's force, Abe ordered his warships to retire without bombarding Henderson Field. The ''Hiei'' sank later that day after repeated air attacks by aircraft from Henderson Field and the carrier ''Enterprise''. Because of Abe's failure to neutralize Henderson Field, Yamamoto ordered Tanaka's troop transport convoy, located near the Shortland Islands, to wait an additional day before heading towards Guadalcanal. Yamamoto ordered [[Nobutake Kondō]] to assemble another bombardment force using warships from Truk and Abe's force to attack Henderson Field on 15 November.<ref>Frank, pp. 428–461; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', pp. 103–401; Hara, pp. 137–156.</ref>

In the meantime, around 02:00 on 14 November, a cruiser and destroyer force under Gunichi Mikawa from Rabaul conducted an unopposed bombardment of Henderson Field. The bombardment caused some damage, but failed to put the airfield or most of its aircraft out of operation. As Mikawa's force retired towards Rabaul, Tanaka's transport convoy, trusting that Henderson Field was destroyed or heavily damaged, began its run down "the Slot" towards Guadalcanal. Throughout the day of 14 November, aircraft from Henderson Field and the ''Enterprise'' attacked Mikawa and Tanaka's ships, sinking one heavy cruiser and seven of the transports. Most of the troops were rescued from the transports by Tanaka's escorting destroyers and returned to the Shortlands. After dark, Tanaka and the remaining four transports continued towards Guadalcanal as Kondō's force approached to bombard Henderson Field.<ref>Frank, pp. 465–474; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', pp. 298–345. The American air sorties were possible due to a supply of 488 55-gallon drums of 100-octane gas that was hidden in a secluded area under the jungle canopy by [[Cub-1]] sailor, August Martello.</ref>

In order to intercept Kondō's force, Halsey, who was low on undamaged ships, detached two battleships, the {{USS|Washington|BB-56|2}} and {{USS|South Dakota|BB-57|2}}, and four destroyers from the ''Enterprise'' task force. This force, under the command of [[Willis Augustus Lee|Willis A. Lee]] aboard the ''Washington'', reached Guadalcanal and Savo Island just before midnight on 14 November, shortly before Kondō's bombardment force arrived. Kondō's force consisted of the battleship ''Kirishima'', two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and nine destroyers. After the two forces made contact, Kondō's force quickly sank three of the U.S. destroyers and heavily damaged the fourth. The Japanese warships then sighted, opened fire, and damaged the ''South Dakota''. As Kondō's warships concentrated on the ''South Dakota'', the ''Washington'' approached the Japanese ships unobserved and opened fire on the ''Kirishima'', inflicting severe damage upon the Japanese battleship. After fruitlessly chasing the ''Washington'' towards the [[Russell Islands]], Kondō ordered his warships to retire without bombarding Henderson Field. One of Kondō's destroyers was also sunk during the engagement.<ref>Hammel, ''Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea'', pp. 349–395; Frank, pp. 469–486.</ref>
[[File:Japansese transport Kinugawa Maru beached and sunk on the Guadalcanal shore, in November 1943 (80-G-K-1467-A).jpg|thumb|Transport ''Kinugawa Maru'' beached at Guadalcanal in November 1942.|alt=]]

As Kondō's ships retired, the four Japanese transports beached near Tassafaronga Point on Guadalcanal at 04:00. At 05:55, U.S. aircraft and artillery began attacking the beached transports, destroying all four, along with most of the supplies that they carried. Only 2,000–3,000 of the IJA troops reached the shore. Because of the failure to deliver most of the troops and supplies, the Japanese were forced to cancel their planned November offensive on Henderson Field, making the battle a significant strategic victory for the Allies and marking the beginning of the end of Japanese attempts to retake Henderson Field.<ref>Frank, pp. 484–488, 527; Hammel, ''Guadalcanal:  Decision at Sea'', pp. 391–395.</ref>

On 26 November, Japanese Lieutenant General [[Hitoshi Imamura]] took command of the newly formed [[Japanese Eighth Area Army|Eighth Area Army]] at Rabaul. The new command encompassed both Hyakutake's 17th Army and the [[Eighteenth Army (Japan)|18th Army]] in New Guinea. One of Imamura's first priorities upon assuming command was the continuation of the attempts to retake Henderson Field and Guadalcanal. The Allied [[Battle of Buna–Gona|offensive at Buna]] in New Guinea, however, changed Imamura's priorities. Because the Allied attempt to take Buna was considered a more severe threat to Rabaul, Imamura postponed further major reinforcement efforts to Guadalcanal, in order to concentrate on the situation in New Guinea.<ref>Dull, p. 261, Frank, pp. 497–499. On 24 December, the 8th Fleet, 11th Air Fleet, and all other Japanese naval units in the New Guinea and Solomon Islands areas were combined under one command, designated the [[Southeast Area Fleet]] with [[Jinichi Kusaka]] in command.</ref>