The Battle Off Cape Esperance 1942

Tactically and strategically the Battle of Cape Esperance is interesting. The USN gave a great deal of thought to improving their tactical combat performance, and to an extent succeeded by overcoming the Japanese Bombardment Group. Operationally, however, the ability of the Japanese Reinforcement group to land troops unhindered had greater potential impact on the campaign.

Honestly however, my motive in organising this game was to play out a medium sized battle using ridiculously large 1/700th scale models, because: the bigger the toy, the bigger the joy!

CA Atago and CL Nagara in 1/700th scale glory!

CL USS Cleveland: 12 x 6 inch guns, 12 x 5 inch guns!

At our local Returned Servicemen's League club we were able to set up a large table 16 feet long by 6 feet wide. This end represents Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, onto which the Japanese must beach their three transports with vital troops and supplies:

The USN gained the initiative and raced a surface action group of DDs across the slot to seal off the western flank...

Whilst the CA USS Portland and escorts covered the eastern flank. The plan was to trap the Japanese in a cross fire.

But the IJN obviously had the same thought! Interestingly they left the all important, and relatively slow, transports off the table for these early moves - cunning...

Then the lead Japanese DDs turned inwards to set up torpedo solutions - gulp!

Presenting hard high speed targets, the USN escaped these first torpedo launches, but it wasn't to last...

The Japanese destroyers were obviously targeting our heavy cruiser:

Whilst we were more focused on getting at the transports, which had now appeared in the far left distance:

The Japanese were throwing everything at the USS Portland!

And eventually a mix of gunnery and torpedo strikes sent her down to Davy Jones!

As the USN had also lost a handful of DDs by this stage, it was time to commit our reserve - USS Cleveland and escorts...

This rebalanced the melee somewhat...

Allowing the US to sink a Japanese light cruiser...

But more crucially, bag one of the crucial transports and heavily damage another. But just as we were relaxing, the Japanese then torpedoed and sank the Cleveland!

Whilst the IJN had sunk two of our Cruisers for one of their own, and left us with only four DDs afloat, they could only now run in one transport before dawn to bolster their dwindling troops ashore. This operational defeat, balanced against their stellar tactical performance, represented a draw - We'll have to play this scenario again!