Vice Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson, Commander, TF 79, sent a "Flash Red" at 1806 that evening as additional bogeys approached from a range of 20 miles. The ship's fighters pounced on the attackers and claimed to splash four to six planes. The enemy determinedly pressed home their attack nevertheless, and cruisers and destroyers closed "Kitkun Bay" and blasted away at the attackers to protect her. The carriers headed into the wind to conduct flight operations in order to recover aircraft from Kadashan Bay, and two of the latter's FM-2s from VC-20 landed on board "Kitkun Bay". Lt. (j.g.) William F. Jordan, USNR, of VC-91 went down in a Wildcat (BuNo 73617) but a destroyer rescued Jordan.