By January 1943, the Battle of Guadalcanal was coming to an end, and the American forces knew it. Nonetheless, the 2nd Marine Division was exhausted and needed to be replaced to keep the momentum going against the Empire of Japan. A naval operation to bring reinforcements was put into place, and USS Chicago, a Northampton-class cruiser of 9,300 tons that had already survived an enemy midget submarine attack before, was to spearhead the US Navy’s relief effort and repel any Japanese forces in the area.
On the 29th, as Chicago traversed the waters of Rennell Island, all hell broke loose when a Japanese aircraft task force launched one of the war's first nighttime torpedo attacks.
As night engulfed the sea, the Japanese pilots zeroed in on their target and launched parachute flares to pierce the darkness. Chicago’s imposing silhouette led the enemy to believe she was a battleship, turning her into their main objective.
The American ship then opened fire with defiance, her anti-aircraft guns smoking hot with the uninterrupted barrages. Undeterred, the Japanese kept coming. A torpedo suddenly hit Chicago, and as the crew raced to assess the damage, a second one struck the ship, causing extensive flooding. Yet, despite the dire circumstances, the wounded ship would not go down without a fight…