 On August 30, 1942 they departed San Diego for the South Pacific and arrived at Henderson Airfield, Guadalcanal on September 23, 1942 and became part of the Cactus Air Force (CAF).On the night of October 13–14, the Japanese battleships Kongō and Haruna lobbed over 900 shells at Henderson Field.During this bombardment the squadron lost 26 of its 29 aircraft and five officers, including the commanding officer and executive officer.