In the night of November 14-15, 1942, the USS Washington (BB-56) played head-swellingly big in the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, which wrote the momentous history of a Pacific war. Under the command of Admiral Willis “Ching” Lee, the Washington joined with USS South Dakota (BB-57) and a contingent of destroyers to battle a powerful Japanese force off Ironbottom Sound.
But by then, with the knowledge that radar was an emergent technology, Admiral Lee had firmly relied on the state-of-the-art radar systems on Washington to scan for enemy contacts. At 2230 hours, contacts began to trail into Washington’s SG radar screens at a speed of 21 knots, and the battle was about to begin. Admiral Lee confidently remarked to Captain Glenn Davis, who captained Washington, “Well, stand by Glenn here they come.” The crew of Washington loaded the gigantic shells into its 16-inch guns with utmost efficiency in a record 15 seconds.
At 2313 hours, the battle finally opened. Washington’s main battery fired a broadside of nine 2,700-pound armor-piercing shells at the Japanese heavy cruiser Sendai. The South Dakota followed without a moment’s hesitation. The Japanese were entirely unprepared for American battleships; they panicked as huge geysers of water began to erupt around their ships. The Sendai and her escorts fled in disorder.
They found their match in the Japanese destroyers, but it wasn’t long before the Washington and South Dakota were left in the enemy’s way, on their own. South Dakota was torn up badly due to electrical failures and severe Japanese fire and had to break off. So it was only the Washington and Admiral Lee now.
Soon the large target was pinpointed by Washington’s radar—the Japanese battleship Kirishima. At 8,400 yards the main battery of Washington roared out for a second time, laying waste to Kirishima. The infernal barrage raged on, causing massive damage to Kirishima above the neckline and under the waterline. The superstructure and below the waterline of the Japanese battleship received several hits. However, the unceasing Washington continued to fire, and Kirishima, try as she might, had no replies. The final salvo from Washington’s 16-inch guns crippled Kirishima. Her engine spaces flooded out, she settled slowly and at last capsized.
Setting the main battleship of the Japanese task force as being crippled, a final torpedo attack was made by the Japanese before their retirement. Admiral Lee, considering pursuit to be a fruitless gesture, ordered the Task Force to retire because he had successfully cut off the Japanese counterattack.
“The victory on Guadalcanal proved to be quite a turning point in the Pacific War. The Japanese transports were now under a great air assault from Henderson Field. Remaining island-hopping enemy troops on the island were gradually subdued by the U.S. Marines and soldiers. Never again would the Imperial Japanese Navy challenge American control over Guadalcanal.”.
The campaign for Guadalcanal officially ended on February 9, 1943, and the United States finally cemented a stronghold throughout the Pacific. The USS Washington continued to serve during most of World War II, participating in multiple operations throughout the South and Central Pacific. She was finally out of service in 1960 and scrapped. The legend of Washington and her crew stands to the present day, reminding generations to come of the crucial contribution they made toward securing victory at Guadalcanal.