Battle of Tassafaronga

Preparation of a single timeline is problematic because records from different commands disagree by as much as three minutes. The following table is derived primarily from the research of Vincent P. O’Hara as published in his book The U.S. Navy Against the Axis.

TIME	US DESTROYERS	US CRUISERS	JAPANESE
2300			Break formation to commence supply operations.
2306		Minneapolis: radar contact.
2308	Fletcher: radar contact.
2310		Reform column. Course 320° T.
2312			Sight American formation.
2314		Course 300° T.
2316	Cole: request permission to fire torpedoes.		Suspend supply operations.
2320		Wright: order fire torpedoes.
2321	Fletcher, Perkins and Drayton fire torpedoes.	Commence gunfire.
2322			Takanami fires torpedoes.
2326			Takanami hit by gunfire and disabled.
2327		Minneapolis torpedoed.
2328		New Orleans torpedoed.
2322–3		Pensacola silhouetted.	Four DDs: fire torpedoes.
2338	Drayton fires torpedoes.	Pensacola torpedoed.
2348		Northampton torpedoed.

Source: O’Hara.

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