Battle off Horaniu

The battle against Horaniu was a naval battle between the United States of America and the Japanese during the Pacific War. It took place in the night of 17 to 18 August 1943 in the vicinity of Horaniu, a Japanese based on Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands, instead.

Prehistory

After the lost battle in Vella Gulf, the Japanese decided all the troops that lay south of Bougainville to withdraw. In Horaniu, at the northernmost point of Vella Lavella, you had set up a loading dock for their landing craft. A convoy of 20 landing boats and other support vessels protected by four destroyers ( Sazanami, Hamakaze, Isokaze, Shigure ) under the command of Rear Admiral Matsuji Ijuin ran on 17 August of Horaniu to the eastern island Kolombangara to take the troops stationed on board.

The Battle

By air reconnaissance Rear Admiral Wilkinson was informed by the Japanese movements. Then he gave Captain Thomas J. Ryan with his destroyer group ( Nicholas, O'Bannon, Taylor, Chevalier ) the order to trap the Japanese convoy.

At 23:30 clock the convoy of American Grumman TBF torpedo planes was attacked. He was therefore not in formation, when he was discovered at 0:29 clock on the American destroyer group. Ryan thought that the Japanese had it not been discovered yet and wanted to carry out a surprise attack with torpedoes, as his ships were discovered by a Japanese reconnaissance plane and illuminated with flares. After a torpedo duel, which had no effect, and artillery fire over long distance, except the one at the Nahtreffer Hamakaze, which caused only minor damage, also had no effect, the Japanese withdrew.

Result

The battle was a strategic victory for the Japanese, as they save most of their landing craft and thus later 9,000 men were able to pull it off.