#12 Kolombangara 0110.scn - WDS Guadalcanal

0110 13 July 1943. After the fall of Guadalcanal, the battle in the Pacific began a long series of fights up the Solomon Islands. During this time, the Japanese were continually challenged to reinforce their forces using the technique of the Tokyo Express, a formation of fast ships travelling at night. On the night of July 12-13, Admiral Ainsworth and his mixed force of light cruisers and destroyers set out to intercept one such Tokyo Express. But in this instance, unknown to the Americans, the Japanese had deployed their first operational use of radar detection. This made it easier for the Japanese to detect the radar-equipped American ships than it was for the Americans to see them. In the first part of the battle, the outcome was fairly balanced.