10/01 Thu. Advanced Group, Amphibious Forces, Atlantic Fleet, becomes
Amphibious Forces, Europe, under the Commander United States
Naval Forces Europe (Adm. H. R. Stark).
10/02 Fri. Marines occupy Funafuti, Ellice Islands.
German submarine sunk:
U-512, by Army aircraft, off French Guiana,
06 d. 50' N., 52 d. 25' W.
10/05 Mon. Carrier-based aircraft (Rear Adm. G. D. Murrary) bomb Buin-
Tonolei area and Faisi, Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
10/11 Sun. Battle of Cape Esperance commences at night and continues on
12 October. Surface forces (Rear Adm. N. Scott) attack enemy
cruisers and destroyers headed for Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands, on the "Tokyo Express." Two United States cruisers
and two destroyers are damaged. One Japanese destroyer is
sunk; two cruisers and one destroyer are damaged.
United States naval vessels damaged:
Heavy cruiser SALT LAKE CITY (CA-25), light cruiser BOISE
(CL-47), and destroyers DUNCAN (DD-485), and FARENHOLT
(DD-491), by naval gunfire, Battle of Cape Esperance.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer FUBUKI, by surface craft, off Savo Island.
10/12 Mon. United State vessel sunk:
Destroyer DUNCAN (DD-485), by naval gunfire, off Savo
Island.
Japanese naval vessels sunk:
Cruiser FURUTAKA, by surface craft, off Savo Island.
Destroyer NATSUGUMO, by Naval and Marine aircraft, off Savo
Island.
Destroyer MURAKUMO, by Naval and Marine aircraft, off Savo
Island.
10/13 Tue. 1st Marine Division is reinforced by 164th Infantry Regiment
of Americal Division, United States Army; this is the first
major unit to reach Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
10/14 Wed. Motor torpedo boats engage Japanese destroyers screening
battleships and cruisers bombarding Henderson Field,
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
10/15 Thu. United States Submarine Base, Fremantle-Perth, Australia, is
established.
Patrol Wing 14 is commissioned at San Diego, Calif., for
operations in Western Sea Frontier.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer MEREDITH (DD-434), by aircraft torpedo, off San
Cristobal, Solomon Islands.
10/16 Fri. Carrier task force (Rear Adm. G. D. Murray) strikes Japanese
troops on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, and enemy seaplanes
at Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands.
Submarine THRESHER (SS-200) lays mines in northern Gulf of
Siam.
United States naval vessel damaged:
Seaplane tender MCFARLAND (AVD-14), by dive bombers,
Solomon Islands area,
09 d. 24' S., 160 d. 02' E.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer OBORO, by Army aircraft, Aleutian Islands area.
10/18 Sun. Vice Adm. W. F. Halsey relieves Vice Adm. R. L. Ghormley as
Commander South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force.
10/19 Mon. Submarine GAR (SS-206) lays mines in northern Gulf of Siam.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer O'BRIEN (DD-415), en route to United States for
battle repairs, by breaking in two, off Samoa,
13 d. 30' S., 171 d. 18' E.
10/20 Tue. United States naval vessel damaged:
Heavy cruiser CHESTER (CA-27), by submarine torpedo,
between San Cristobal, Solomon Islands and Espiritu Santo,
New Hebrides,
13 d. 31 S., 163 d. 17' E.
10/21 Wed. United States naval vessel damaged:
Destroyer GRAYSON (DD-435), by collision,
Solomon Islands area,
12 d. 08' S., 161 d. 04' E.
10/22 Thu. Naval Air Facility, Otter Point, Alaska, is established.
10/25 Sun. Submarine WHALE (SS-239) lays mines of Honshu, Japan, at
entrance to Inland Sea.
Submarine AMBERJACK (SS-219), lands Army personnel and
supplies at Tulagi, Solomon Islands.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Tug SEMINOLE (AT-65), by naval gunfire, off Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands.
United States naval vessels damaged:
Destroyer HUGHES (DD-410), accidentally by United States
naval gunfire, Solomon Islands area,
08 d. 38' S., 166 d. 41' E.
High speed minesweeper ZANE (DMS-14), by naval gunfire,
Sealark Channel off Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Light cruiser YURA, damaged by Naval, Marine, and Army
aircraft, off Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands, and sunk by
own forces.
10/26 Mon. Battle of Santa Cruz Islands is joined as carrier task forces
(Rear Adm. T. C. Kinkaid and Rear Adm. G. D. Murray) close a
numerically superior Japanese force; heavy damage is
inflicted on United States forces but immediate Japanese
movement toward Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, is checked.
Battle of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, ends
as Marines repulse Japanese land and air attacks.
United States naval vessels damaged, Battle of Santa Cruz
Islands:
Carrier ENTERPRISE (CV-6), by dive bomber.
Carrier HORNET (CV-8), by air attack.
Battleship SOUTH DAKOTA (BB-57), by dive bomber.
Light cruiser SAN JUAN (CL-54), by dive bomber.
Destroyer PORTER (DD-356), by submarine torpedo, and sunk
by United States forces.
Destroyer SMITH (DD-378), by suicide bomber.
Destroyer HUGHES (dd-410), by collision.
10/27 Tue. United States naval vessel sunk:
Carrier HORNET (CV-8), by dive bombers, torpedo bombers,
and destroyer torpedoes,
08 d. 38' S., 166 d. 43' E.
United States naval vessels damaged:
Battleship SOUTH DAKOTA (BB-57) and destroyer MAHAN (DD-
364), by collision in Solomon Islands area.
10/29 Thu. Submarine GRENADIER (SS-210) lays mines in Tonkin Gulf, off
French Indochina.
10/30 Fri. Cruiser and destroyer force bombards Japanese positions at
Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Japanese land second invasion force at Attu, Aleutian
Islands. (See 16 September 1942.)