The Battle of Cape Esperance: Encounter at Guadalcanal (Hardcover)

by Charles Orson Cook (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (December 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557501262
• ISBN-13: 978-1557501264
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,044,206 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent account of an overlooked battle., May 22, 2000

By A Customer

Popular mythology of the Solomons Campaign holds that the Japanese Navy was invincible at night and hopelessly outclassed the United States Navy. Read the average account of the battles in the Slot and you come away with the impression that the Japanese won them all, or at least all up until Second Guadalcanal.

Cook's book provides a fine, straightforward narrative of one of the early engagements which the US Navy, in fact, won. It's a readable, exciting book which also contains information useful to serious students of the war and campaign.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A battle won by the U. S. Navy in the Solomons., July 19, 2003

By	Kevin M Quigg (Carol Stream, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

A nice little book about a battle between U.S. and Imperial Japanese Navy ships in Iron Bottom Sound. During this brief encounter the U.S. Navy sunk a Japanese cruiser and destroyer at a cost of a destroyer. Subsequent action by airplanes out of Henderson sunk an additional two Japanese destroyers.
Cook was a participant in this battle and goes into great detail about what happened. The U.S. Navy which had been rather lackluster up to this point, showed they were brave and ready to confront equal or superior forces. The result was the Japanese were bested in this battle, with moderate losses. They withdrew after completing their mission.
Since the book is short at only 150 pages, the reader can easily read this in a few hours and understand a little on the Guadalcanal campaign, especially the naval side.