Page "Battle of Cape Esperance" Paragraph 21

At 22: 00, as Scott's ships neared Cape Hunter at the northwest end of Guadalcanal, three of Scott's cruisers launched floatplanes.

One crashed on takeoff, but the other two patrolled over Savo Island, Guadalcanal, and Ironbottom Sound.

As the floatplanes were launched, Jojima's force was just passing around the mountainous northwestern shoulder of Guadalcanal, and neither force sighted each other.

At 22: 20, Jojima radioed Gotō and told him that no U. S. ships were in the vicinity.

Although Jojima's force later heard Scott's floatplanes overhead while unloading along the north shore of Guadalcanal, they failed to report this to Gotō.