Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands

26th October 1942: Another carrier based Naval battle is a tactical Japanese victory - but leaves them with irreplaceable losses in pilots

A Japanese Type 99 Aichi D3A1 dive bomber (Allied codename "Val") trails smoke as it dives toward the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), during the morning of 26 October 1942. A Type 97 Nakajima B5N2 torpedo plane ("Kate") is flying over Hornet after dropping its torpedo, and another "Val" is off her bow. Note anti-aircraft shell burst between Hornet and the camera, with its fragments striking the water nearby.

On Guadalcanal the Japanese misread a flare signal sent up over Henderson Field - and mistakenly believed that they had captured it. The Japanese Navy despatched a carrier force to ‘finish off’ the US Navy in the area. Meanwhile Admiral ‘Bull’ Halsey had sent a Task Force, comprised of the USS Hornet and USS Enterprise and escorts, to seek out the Japanese naval force.

The two opposing forces of carrier-based planes found their targets on the morning of 26th October, off the Santa Cruz islands in the Solomons group. The ensuing battle appeared to result in a slight victory for the Japanese - the USS Hornet was sunk, and the USS Enterprise damaged - whereas their two carriers were only damaged. But the loss of experienced Japanese aircrew during the battle was to give the US a long-term strategic advantage.

A same Japanse Aichi D3A "Val" dive-bomber crashes into the USS Hornet (CV-8) on 26 October 1942 at 09:14 hrs. This plane struck the ship's stack and then her flight deck. Note the two Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bombers on the right.

The first wave of Japanese planes attacked the USS Hornet from 0909, causing significant damage. Three bombs hit her and killed around ninety men before Warrant Officer Shigeyuki Sato, his plane already damaged by anti aircraft fire, decided to deliberately crash into the Hornet. Hornet was then hit by torpedoes from a second wave plane attack and disabled.