The Japanese force entered in line ahead with roughly six hundred metres between destroyers, while Task Force 67 approached through Lengo Channel in its own long column. Four American destroyers led the cruisers by about 4,000 yards, and the cruisers followed at intervals of roughly 1,000 yards. The two late-attached American destroyers remained at the rear. These distances matter because they determined how quickly orders, torpedo attacks, gunfire, and course changes could propagate through formations that were difficult to see at night.
Notable Point · 52:57-54:36
Formation geometry shapes the approaching night action
The approach map shows Tanaka's tightly spaced destroyer line and the American destroyer screen operating far ahead of a widely spaced cruiser column.