The force arrived in Darwin on 22nd January 1942, and then prepared to escort troop convoys to Port Moresby on 23rd, since Papau New Guinnea had just been invaded by Japanese forces. Force Z sailed into the Solomon Sea and on 26th January was spotted in good conditions by Rear Admiral Gunji Kogure aboard the battleship Mutsu, which was leading a flotilla based around her and a fleet carrier.
Realising the Japanese battleship had greater range, the British advanced with the Renown and Newcastle racing to get in range, the Illustrious dropping back escorted by her anti-aircraft cruiser Bonaventure, and launching an immediate strike with her Swordfish torpedo bombers. The Japanese also prepared an air strike, but Kogure turned his force leisurely to port, bringing the Mutsu's guns to bear on the British force. As the destroyers closed with each other between the two fleets, the Japanese opened fire a little after 3pm local time.
The first salvoes were a disaster for the British. Plunging shot from the Mutsu found its target, a shell passing through the Renown's relatively thin deck armour into the engineering section. The resulting explosion killed many engineers and stopped the engines dead. The screws stopped turning and for the next vital half an hour Renown was dead in the water.
Newcastle at first didn't notice the catastrophe and continued her charge towards the enemy fleet, now unaided. Renown managed to get a few shots off and inflict some damage on her enemy, but like a sitting duck the British battlecruiser took a pounding from the Mutsu's 15 inch guns, with more shells raining down on her, several adding to the carnage in the engine rooms. Eventually the crew managed to get the Renown slowly moving again, but by that time it was too late, the Renown had taken too much damage, and at 4:30pm, she rolled over and sank.
While the Japanese fleet concentrated on the Renown, to buy her time the Newcastle charged at the Japanese fleet, along with four destroyers. The destroyers were able to make a torpedo run before being sunk in turn by Japanese Long Lance warheads, and the Mutsu suffered significant damage. Her firing was put off for several minutes and she developed a list from internal flooding, but overall the Japanese vessel was still battleworthy. The combined fire of her secondary armarment and fire from the Japanese heavy cruiser eventually crippled the Newcastle. She was finished off by Japanese divebombers launched from the escorting carrier.
The Illustrious contributed to the battle by launching fighters and three flights of Fairey Swordfish. These slow biplanes managed to reach the Japanese battle line, but only because of the sacrifice of many a Fairey Fulmar pilot. Dogfighting above the ocean, the Fulmars were outclassed by the zeros, but they ensured the bombers got to their target. The Swordfish pilots braved anti-aircraft fire and managed to hit the Mutsu several times, causing further damage and internal flooding. Her speed was greatly reduced and X turret was put out of action, but her fires and flooding were controlled to allow her to limp home to port after the battle.
None of the swordfish returnded to the Illustrious, who by now had reversed course under a smokescreen, accompanied by the Bonaventure. Before the Japanese broke off to escort their battleship back to port, long range fire from her and the heavy cruiser slammed into the light British cruiser, causing her to heel over and sink in dramatic fashion. Only the Illustrious was able to get away.
The battle of the Solomon Sea was an unmitigated disaster for the British. They had badly damaged a second rate Japanese battleship and sunk one destroyer. In return the Japanese had all but sunk the British force Z and paved the way for the invasion of Papau New Guinnea. Port Moresby fell only a few weks later. Winston Churchill described the affair as "the Nadir of Empire".
Order of Battle:
Japan
- Battleship Mutsu - CRIPPLED
- Carrier
- Cruiser Takao
- 4 Destroyers - 1 SUNK
Great Britain
- Battlecruiser Renown - SUNK
- Carrier Illustrious
- Cruiser Newcastle - SUNK
- Cruiser Bonaventure - SUNK
- 4 Destroyers - 4 SUNK
DECISIVE JAPANESE VICTORY
**Historical note: In late 1941 Winston Churchill did send a force to represent Britain in the pacific, but it was the Repulse and Prince of Wales. The two capital ships lacked air cover and were sunk by the Japanese air force with no naval loss to the Japanese. Just like in our campaign, the humiliating British defeat was a terrible start to the far east campaign!**
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