In 7 Minutes at Midnight, an American Battleship Broke Japan's Kirishima

USS Washington broke Japan's Kirishima in 7 minutes at midnight on 15 November 1942, firing 75 sixteen-inch shells from 8,400 yards at a battleship that never saw her coming. About nine hit. The Imperial Japanese Navy would never again send a battleship against Guadalcanal. This documentary covers the second night action of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal near Savo Island and Ironbottom Sound: the American battleships USS Washington (BB-56) and USS South Dakota (BB-57) under Rear Admiral Willis Lee, Admiral Kondo's bombardment force, the Kongo-class battleship Kirishima, the SG radar and the 16-inch/45 guns, South Dakota's electrical failure, the loss of the destroyers Walke, Preston, and Benham, the scuttling of Ayanami, and the transports beached at Tassafaronga. It begins with the 13 and 14 October bombardment of Henderson Field by Kongo and Haruna, and traces the earlier night battles at Savo Island and Cape Esperance. Built from after-action reports, the Navy's ship histories, and loss tables, with every date, time, and count checked against the record. Where sources disagree, the range is given. Subscribe for the definitive history of the United States in the Second World War - new documentaries every few days. #WW2 #WorldWarII #PacificWar #USNavy #WWIIHistory #USSWashington #Kirishima #Guadalcanal #MilitaryHistory #USAInWW2