The Saber and Scroll
reinforcements . When the battle commenced , Callaghan made no effort to maneuver for advantage but struck the enemy head-on . The clash was sudden and incredibly violent , one that Commander-in-Chief of the US Fleet Admiral Ernest J . King called , “ One of the most furious sea battles ever fought .” 27
The thirteen American ships assumed disposition B-1 , a long snakelike column resembling the line-ofbattle from the age of sail . Cruisers Atlanta , San Francisco , Portland , Helena , and Juneau followed the lead division of four destroyers , with another four destroyers in the rear . Several of Callaghan ’ s ships had the newest radar , which spotted the Japanese at a range of 32,000 yards ( 18.1 mi ), but San Francisco was not one of them . Blind for want of an adequate radar picture , Callaghan made frequent and urgent requests for the enemy ’ s course and distance from his seeing-eye dog Helena , until the radio circuits became hopelessly overloaded . The Americans lost their radar advantage as Callaghan dithered for ten minutes while the two fleets closed at 40 knots or 46 mi / hr .
Like Helena , Juneau possessed the newest “ Sugar George ” centimeter-wave surface-search radar . Merely possessing the technology , however , did not guarantee accurate interpretation of the images on the repeater scope . Further examination of Juneau ’ s first contact proved it to be the volcanic cone of Savo Island , imposing but quite harmless . Dr . O ’ Neil remembered , “ We first thought [ the contact ] was the enemy , but later found it to be land .” 28
As the last ship in the cruiser column , her radar became masked , and Juneau made few other contacts . Captain Swenson was therefore surprised when at 0130 hours the message was passed by blinker to “ Stand-by for enemy contact momentarily .” 29
Those ships with the less capable SC meter-wave radar , or no radar at all , were virtually blind . Partially overcast , the weather was punctuated by sheet lighting from friction storms over Guadalcanal , which reduced visibility to almost nothing . Juneau survivor , Seaman 1st Class Joseph Hartney , recalls the darkness as “ a blackness so thick , so heavy , so velvety , you felt you could take the night in your hands and wring it like a rag .” 30
At 0141 , the destroyer Cushing , first in the column , nearly collided with an enemy destroyer . Turning quickly to avoid Yudachi , Cushing caused a four-ship pile-up in the vanguard . Commander Thomas M . Stokes , leading Destroyer Division Ten in Cushing , asked Callaghan for permission to fire torpedoes , but the admiral hesitated . At 0145 , Callaghan gave the order to “ Stand By to Open Fire !” 31
The Japanese were startled but not asleep . Cruiser Atlanta , next in line behind Cushing , longer and heavier than the smaller ships swung wide . Its high superstructure presented Japanese gunners with a juicy target . At 0150 , Japanese searchlights snapped on and illuminated the lead cruiser . This kind of light , the kind sailors fear , startled Callaghan to action , He ordered , “ Commence Firing ! Counter Illumi-
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