How the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal escalated into an all-out slugfest

How the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal escalated into an all-out slugfest

The American landing on Guadalcanal on Aug. 7, 1942 and subsequent seizure of the airbase they would name Henderson Field marked the first American offensive in the wake of the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. What followed was six months of savage fighting on land and a succession of naval engagements that cost 48 total warships between U.S. and Japanese forces. Among numerous naval heroes who emerged from both sides, Rear Adm. Nor…