The Battle of Santa Cruz: The Morning Search

Credit: Courtesy | Date Taken: 10/11/2021
This is part 2 of the Battle of Santa Cruz series. After several months of dogged combat in the Pacific Theater of World War II, naval aviators understood the reality of carrier versus carrier warfare. The fleet that made the first accurate sighting report usually got in the first hit, and therefore, it had the best chance to win the battle. Everything depended on these aviators finding their quarry before the enemy found their own fleet. On the morning of October 26, 1942, the Americans and Japanese began searching for one another near the Santa Cruz Islands. Which aviators would find the enemy fleet first? Find out in part 2 of our 7-part Battle of Santa Cruz series. All videos are written, produced, and directed by staff and volunteers at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. (US Navy Video by Hampton Roads Naval Museum/Released).