In the early morning hours of August 9, 1942, the waters off Guadalcanal erupted in chaos and fire. The Battle of Savo Island would become one of the worst defeats in the history of the United States Navy, a brutal reminder that the Pacific War was far from won.

Only two days earlier, the Marines had landed on Guadalcanal and nearby islands, seizing a nearly finished Japanese airfield. Their foothold was fragile, and the sea around them was their lifeline. Into that darkness steamed Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa and his cruisers, trained for night battle and armed with the deadly Long Lance torpedo.

What followed was a swift and punishing strike that sank four Allied heavy cruisers and left more than a thousand sailors dead. Yet even in defeat, the sacrifices of that night bought the time needed to hold Guadalcanal, setting the stage for an eventual turning point in the Pacific.