July 24, 1942 - Friday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS O'Brien:

O'Brien had joined Task Force 17 at  Pearl Harbor.  Although Task Force 17 was not supporting the Solomons invasion, it was still on high alert.  Admiral Nimitz was concerned about another attack on Hawaii while most of the fleet was in the South Pacific.  A single carrier task force was stretched very thin to protect the North Pacific

The Task Force 17 complement was:

• Carrier: Hornet
• Heavy Cruisers: Northampton, Salt Lake City, and Pensacola
• Light Cruiser: San Diego
• Destroyers: Destroyer Division 2

Nearly all of the remaining Sims-class destroyers in the Pacific were in the Hornet's destroyer screen, including Hughes, Anderson, Russell, O'Brien. and Mustin.  The lead ship of the class, Sims, had been lost at the Battle of the Coral Sea when attacked by most of the Japanese fleet, and Hammann was torpedoed after the Battle of Midway while escorting Yorktown; both Hammann and Yorktown were sunk.  Walke and Morris were in port for repairs.

With the plan for regular relief for carriers in the South Pacific, and Saratoga already having had engine repairs enroute, action in the South Pacific would soon be a reality for Task Force 17.

Operation Watchtower  .

Several task forces are moving toward the meeting point south of Fiji, and will then proceed for landing practice in the Fiji Islands.

U. S. Navy Task Forces:

• Task Force 17 (Hornet) was at Pearl Harbor.  Extensive training was being done during this time.
  
• Task Force 16 (Enterprise) was continuing toward the South Pacific meeting point.
  
• Task Force 11 (Saratoga) was enroute to rendezvous with Task Force 18.
  
• Task Force 18 (Wasp) with Wasp temporary repairs done, continued towards the meeting point.
  

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 234-235.
  
•  The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign,  John B. Lundstrom, pp 19-27.
• Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 261-277.
• Neptune's Inferno, The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal, James D. Hornfischer, pp. 25-32.
  

 

NEXT POST: JULY 28TH