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Battle of Rennell Island: Setback in the SolomonsWorld War II | 4 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post
As for the two groups of ships that steamed ahead of the rest, the four transports and four destroyers of Task Group 62.8 conveyed the replacements for the 2nd Marine Division. Giffen’s potent Task Force 18 consisted of three heavy cruisers–Wichita, Chicago and Louisville–steaming in conjunction with three light cruisers–Montpelier, Cleveland and Columbia. Two escort carriers–Chenango and Suwannee–provided air cover, while eight destroyers–La Vallette, Waller, Conway, Frazier, Chevalier, Edwards, Mead and Taylor–circled the larger ships as a screen. Subscribe Today
Ike Giffen was not new to command. He had battled German U-boats in the Atlantic Ocean and led forces in North African waters, but he had never served in the Pacific, where air assaults on ships at sea were far more common. Giffen came from the old school of naval leadership and was a favorite of Admiral Ernest J. King, commander in chief of the U.S. Fleet and chief of naval operations. Giffen commanded by the book, and he even refused to step aboard Halsey’s flagship because he detested Halsey’s open-necked shirts and ruffled caps.
Giffen guided Task Force 18 out of Efate on January 27, the same day the transport group departed Noumea. His orders were to rendezvous 15 miles off Cape Hunter, on Guadalcanal’s southwest coast, late on January 30 with the four destroyers that escorted the transports. The combined force would then steam north through Solomon waters in search of Japanese ships while the transports dropped off Marine reinforcements at Lunga Point.
A string of mistakes and poor judgment by Giffen plagued the operation from the start. Because of his experience in the Atlantic, he focused on a possible submarine threat while downplaying the danger from the skies. His decision to keep the slower escort carriers with his faster cruisers and destroyers slowed the entire group to 18 knots, the maximum speed attainable by the baby flattops. The group also encountered delays each time the carriers had to turn into the southeast wind to launch or recover aircraft. Had the escorts left port before the cruisers and destroyers, they could have arrived on station and waited for Giffen to join them. As it was, an impatient Giffen, who called the escorts his ball and chain, simmered while his group inched across the Pacific toward the rendezvous point.
Giffen arrived 50 miles north of Rennell Island, which rests 120 miles southeast of Guadalcanal, late in the afternoon of January 29. His force steamed northwest toward its planned rendezvous at 24 knots, with his six cruisers split into two columns. To the starboard steamed Wichita, Chicago and Louisville, while Montpelier, Cleveland and Columbia advanced to port.
Because of his experience operating against German U-boats, Giffen stationed his six destroyers in a semicircle two miles ahead. While it was appropriate for the Atlantic, this formation left the ships open to air attack–the predominant method of Japanese assault in the Pacific. The cruisers’ afterbeams and quarters were exposed to an attack because Giffen’s destroyers steamed in front.
During the afternoon of the 29th, radar screens aboard the ships registered unidentified aircraft northwest of Task Force 18. Fighters leaped from the two escort carriers to search the skies, but they had to find the quarry on their own since Giffen had issued strict orders maintaining radio silence. As a result, the planes received no assistance in pinpointing the radar sightings from the fighter-director team aboard Chicago.
At 1850 the American aircraft returned to their carriers, having failed to spot anything. Never expecting the Japanese to mount an attack after dark, Giffen declined to send up another combat air patrol, despite the remaining daylight.
At about that same time, Lt. Cmdr. Higai approached the American task force with his 32 Betty torpedo bombers from Rabaul. Although radar picked up the planes, Giffen did not change course, alert his aircraft or issue orders to his ships about what they should do in case of attack. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: 20th - 21st Century, Historical Conflicts, Sea-Air Operations, World War II
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4 Comments to “Battle of Rennell Island: Setback in the Solomons”
Gentlemen,
I enjoyed your articles on History.Net very much and in particular the article on Rennell Island 1943 Battle inasmuch that I was a sailor on the USS La Vallette DD448. I have often wondered where did Admiral Giffen run off to after the Chicago was torpeoded and sunk and we ourselves were badly damaged.
Did he rendezvous with Captain Briscoe’s Catus Striking Force?`
Frank Suffridge
USS La Vallette DD448
12 Aug 1942 – 1 Feb 1946
By Frank Suffridge on Aug 25, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I appreciate your telling of the Battle of Rennell Island and impact on Guadalcanal. From my point of view, if Admiral Griffen had not rendezvous with the supply task force TG (62.8), four fully loaded transports “President Hays, President Adams, President Jackson and Cresent City” and four destroyers of the Catus Striking Force, my fathers Rober Burns, Jr. S/Sgt with the 214th CA(AA) regiment may not have completed their task relieving the 2nd marines and protecting Henderson Field and off course meeting my mother a “WAC” driving an ambulance when my father had a bought of maleria in the states. My father finished OCS went to the ETO and left service as a 1st LT. December 3 1945 and lived to a ripe old age of 89, leaving my mother and myself.
My job now is to relate to my family with the help of your writtings their grandfathers part in WWII.
Bob Burns
By Robert Burns on Jul 20, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I would like to correct an error I made in my earliar comments; I see now that the TF67 under rear admiral Griffen did in fact retreat from the seen after the chicago was dive bombed and sunk, leaving the four destroyers and four transports on their own.
What I would like to know, is what were the names of these four destroyers under TF62.8?
Also looking for conformation which units were on these transports and destroyers that landed on Guadalcanal January 30, 1943?
Great Coverage of the Battle of Rennell Island.
Bob Burns
By Robert A. Burns on Jul 22, 2009 at 8:44 am
On January 30, 1943 the balance of the 214th CA (AA) arrived on Guadalcanal aboard the President Jackson and the President Adams transports two of the four transports screended by the four destroyers already posted under TASK FORCE 62.8 and part of the fleet involved in the Battle of Rennell.
The mission of the 214th CA (AA) was to relieve the 3rd Marines defending Henderson Field on Guadalcanal since initial landing on August 7, 1942. Captain Harry B. Jennings was sent to Guadalcanal on November 26, 1942 to check Marine equipment and to expedite and effect an exchange of information in preparation of sending the rest of the 214th CA (AA).
The first 214th CA (AA) unit consisting of Battery “F”, Captain Wessberg, a small detachment of Medical Corps under the command of Captain Stevenson arrived on January 5, 1943 and took over positions on Flighter Strip #1 on January 9, 1943. Father J.F. O’Connell was attached to this advance unit as Chaplain.
On January 18th the following units and additional officers and enlisted men arrived at Guadalcanal: Battery “E” under the command of Captain Rasbury, Provisional Gun Gaattery #1 under the command of Captain Collins and Major R.A. Alford as Gun Group commander, 1st Lt. William E. Norris as Communications officer, Captain Schmidt with Automatic Weapons, Captains Camp and Ferrell with cadres from Batteries “C”, “D”, “K” and Headquarters.
Colonel John E. Stoddard and Jajor Jack G. Johnson arrived January 19, 1943 to have th plans changed for the entire regiment to come to Guadalcanal. Colonel stoddard returned to New Calendonia to bring remainder of the regiment, arriving January 30, 1943 already mentioned.
The 214th CA (AA) regiment as of January 30, 1943 consisted of 92 Officers, 9 Warrant Officers and 1982 enlisted men; making up three Battallions:
Hq. Hq. Battery, 1st BN, 214th CA(AA) Regiment with Batteries A, B,C,D and First and Second Provisional Batteries, making a total of six Gun Batteries;
Hq. Hq. Battery, 2nd BN, 214th CA (AA) Regiment with Batteries E, F, G and H;
Hq. Hq. Battery, , 3rd BN, 214th CA (AA) Regiment with Batteries I and K.
My father was part of the 2nd BN and may have arrived on January 5, 1943 or January 18, 1943 as an advance unit of NCO’s before assuming the duties of the 3rd marines defending Henderson airfield.
If you have any further information or would like to know more about this period please drop me an e-mail: farne230@yahoo.com.
By ROBERT A. BURNS on Aug 20, 2009 at 8:54 am