The Battle of the Eastern Solomons was fought August 23–25, 1942 in the waters east and northeast of the Solomon Islands by forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet and the US Navy's Pacific Fleet. The battle resulted from a major effort by the Japanese to reinforce their troop strength on the island of Guadalcanal. The Japanese high command had realized this reinforcement was necessary following the annihilation of the Ichiki Detachment by the 1st Marines a few days earlier.
The battle can be counted both a tactical and strategic American victory: greater ship losses were inflicted on the Japanese, and the transports were turned back from their mission of landing reinforcements.
Forces deployed.
 "Japanese forces"
 Combat ships: 2 fleet carriers, 1 light carrier, 3 old battleships, 13 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, 30 destroyers, 2 1st-class submarines, 1 2nd-class submarine
 Aircraft: 69 fighters, 41 dive bombers, 57 torpedo bombers
 "American forces" 
 Combat ships: 3 fleet carriers, 1 fast battleship, 5 heavy cruisers, 2 anti-aircraft light cruisers, 18 destroyers
 Aircraft: 100 fighters, 54 dive bombers, 54 scout bombers, 45 torpedo bombers
Ship losses
 IJN : 1 light carrier, 1 destroyer, 1 1st-class submarine
 USN : none
Japanese order of battle.
Guadalcanal Supporting Forces.
Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo in heavy cruiser "Atago"
 Advanced Force
 Vice Admiral Kondo
 Main Body
 Cruiser Division 4
 3 heavy cruisers (10 × 8-in. main battery): , , 
 Cruiser Division 5 (Vice Adm. Takeo Takagi)
 2 heavy cruisers (10 × 8-in. main battery): , 
 Destroyer Squadron 4 (Rear Adm. Tamotsu Takama):
 1 light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery): 
 2 destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): , 
 3 destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): , , 
 Support Group
 1 battleship (8 × 16-in. main battery): 
 3 destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): , , 
 Striking Force
 Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo in fleet carrier "Shokaku"
 Carrier Group
 Vice Admiral Nagumo
 2 fleet carriers
 (Capt. Masafumi Arima) 
 27 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Hideki Shingo)
 27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Cdr. Mamoru Seki)
 18 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Cdr. Shigeharu Murata)
 (Capt. Tameteru Notomo)
 27 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Ayao Shirane)
 27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Sadamu Takahashi)
 18 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Shigeichirō Imajuku)
 Screen
 1 (6 × 5-in. main battery): 
 3 (6 × 5-in. main battery): , , 
 2 (6 × 5-in. main battery): , 
 Vanguard Group 
 Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe
 Battleships
 2 fast battleships (8 × 14-in. main battery): , 
 Cruiser Division 7 (Rear Adm. Shoji Nishimura)
 2 (10 × 8-in. main battery): , 
 1 (8 × 8-in. main battery): 
 Destroyer Squadron 10 (Rear Admiral Susumu Kimura)
 1 light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery): 
 1 destroyer (8 × 4-in. main battery): 
 5 destroyer (6 × 5-in. main battery): , , , , 
 Diversionary Group 
 Rear Admiral Chūichi Hara in heavy cruiser "Tone"
 1 light carrier: "Ryujo" (Capt. Tadao Katō) (sunk)
 24 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Kenjirō Nōtomi)
 9 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Binichi Murakami)
 1 heavy cruiser (8 × 8-in. main battery): "Tone"
 2 destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): , 
Southeast Area Forces.
Vice Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara
 Outer South Seas Force
 Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa
 Reinforcement Group
 Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka
 Transport Unit
 1 auxiliary cruiser: "Kinryu Maru"
 Embarking 800 men of the 5th Yokosuka SNLF
 4 patrol boats: "No. 1", "No. 2", "No. 34", "No. 35" 
 Embarking 700 men of the 2nd echelon of the IJA Ichiki Detachment
 Escort Unit
 1 light cruiser (7 × 5.5-in. main battery, 1 scout plane): 
 2 destroyers (6 × 5-in. main battery): , 
 3 destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): , , 
 3 destroyers (4 × 4.7-in. main battery): (sunk), , 
 Covering Group
 Vice Admiral Mikawa
 1 heavy cruiser: 
 Cruiser Division 6 (Rear Adm. Aritomo Gotō)
 2 heavy cruisers (6 × 8-in. main battery): , 
 1 heavy cruiser (6 × 8-in. main battery): 
 Submarine Group
 2 1st-class submarines: , (sunk)
 1 2nd-class submarine: 
American order of battle.
Task Force 61.
Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher in "Saratoga"
Task Force 11.
Vice Admiral Fletcher
 1 fleet carrier
 (Capt. DeWitt C. Ramsey)
 Air Group (Cmdr. Harry D. Felt)
 VF-5: 27 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. Leroy C. Simpler)
 VB-3: 17 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Dewitt W. Shumway)
 VS-3: 15 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Louis J. Kirn)
 VT-8: 13 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Harold H. Larsen)
 Cruisers (Rear Adm. Carleton H. Wright)
 2 heavy cruisers (9 × 8-in./55-cal. main battery)
 (Capt. Frank J. Lowry)
 (Capt. Walter S. DeLany)
 Screen (Capt. Samuel B. Brewer)
 5 destroyers
 1 (8 × 5-in./38 SP/low elevation main battery): "Phelps"
 4 (4 × 5-in./38 DP main battery): "Farragut", "MacDonough", "Worden", "Dale"
Task Force 16.
Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid in "Enterprise"
 1 fleet carrier
 (Capt. Arthur C. Davis)
 Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Maxwell F. Leslie)
 VF-6: 29 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Louis H. Bauer)
 VB-6: 17 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. Ray Davis)
 VS-5: 18 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Turner F. Caldwell)
 VT-3: 15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Charles M. Jett)
 Battleship and Cruisers (Rear Adm. Mahlon S. Tisdale)
 1 fast battleship (9 × 16-in./45-cal. main battery)
 (Capt. George H. Fort)
 1 heavy cruiser (9 × 8-in./55-cal. main battery)
 (Capt. Laurance T. DuBose)
 1 anti-aircraft light cruiser (16 × 5-in./38-cal. main battery)
 (Capt. Samuel P. Jenkins)
 Screen (Capt. Edward P. Sauer)
 6 destroyers
 1 (8 × 5-in./38 SP/low elevation main battery): "Balch"
 2 (5 × 5-in. dual purpose main battery): "Grayson", "Monssen"
 1 (4 × 5-in./38 dual purpose main battery): "Maury"
 2 (4 × 5-in./38 dual purpose main battery): "Benham", "Ellet"
Task Force 18 (deployed but did not take part in battle).
Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes in "Wasp"
 1 "Wasp"-class fleet carrier
 "Wasp" (Capt. Forrest P. Sherman)
 Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Wallace M. Beakley)
 VF-71: 28 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Shands)
 VS-71: 18 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. John Eldridge)
 VS-72: 18 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Ernest M. Snowden)
 VT-7:   15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers (Lt. Henry A. Romberg)
 Cruisers (Rear Adm. Norman Scott)
 1 heavy cruiser (10 × 8-in. main battery)
 (Capt. Charles H. McMorris)
 1 heavy cruiser (9 × 8-in. main battery)
 (Capt. Ernest G. Small)
 1 anti-aircraft light cruiser (16 × 5-in. main battery) S
 (Capt. James E. Maher)
 Screen (Capt. Robert G. Tobin)
 7 destroyers
 1 (8 × 5-in. main battery): "Selfridge" 
 2 (5 × 5-in. main battery): "Aaron Ward", "Buchanan" 
 3 (4 × 5-in. main battery): "Lang", "Stack", "Sterett"
 1 (4 × 5-in. main battery): "Farenholt"
 10 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters: 4 from "Shokaku", 6 from "Zuikaku"
 27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers: 18 from "Shokaku", 9 from "Zuikaku"
 9 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters: 3 from "Shokaku", 6 from "Zuikaku"
 27 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers: 9 from "Shokaku", 18 from "Zuikaku"
 6 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers: all from "Ryūjō"
 14 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters: all from "Ryūjō"
 TBD
 TBD
 TBD
References.
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