"North Carolina" then joined the carrier s screen, and protected her while support was rendered to American troops fighting on Guadalcanal. Although she dodged one torpedo on 6 September, she was not able to avoid another on the 15th. Out of a six-torpedo salvo from the , three hit the carrier , one hit , one missed, and one struck "North Carolina". A warhead hit on the port side below the waterline at a point that was just behind the number one turret. It created a hole, allowed about of water into the ship—which had to be offset with counter-flooding, meaning that another entered—killed five men, and wounded twenty. Although "North Carolina" could steam at soon after the explosion, she was later forced to slow to to ensure that temporary shoring did not fail. Structural damage beneath the first turret rendered her unable to fire unless in absolute need, and the main search radar failed. As this was the first torpedo to strike a modern American battleship, there was a large amount of interest from various officers and bureaus within the navy in learning more about it. The conclusions were seen as a vindication by some who believed that too much had been sacrificed in the design of the "North Carolina"s—the torpedo defense system had come close to breaking near one of the most important areas of the ship (a magazine), after all—and the General Board called for the fifth and sixth s, and , to have a torpedo bulge added outside their magazines. However, the new Bureau of Ships opposed this on the basis that the system performed as it was supposed to; in any case, no modifications were made.