Preparation of a single timeline is problematic because records from different commands disagree by as much as three minutes. The following table is derived primarily from the research of Vincent P. O’Hara as published in his book The U.S. Navy Against the Axis.

TIME US DESTROYERS US CRUISERS JAPANESE 2300     Break formation to commence supply operations 2306   Minneapolis: radar contact   2308 Fletcher: radar contact     2310   Reform column; course 320° T.   2312     Sight American formation 2314   Course 300° T.   2316 Cole: request permission to fire torpedoes   Suspend supply operations 2320   Wright: order fire torpedoes   2321 Fletcher, Perkins and Drayton fire torpedoes Commence gunfire   2322     Takanami fires torpedoes 2326     Takanami hit by gunfire and disabled 2327   Minneapolis torpedoed   2328   New Orleans torpedoed   2332-3   Pensacola silhouetted Four DDs: fire torpedoes 2338 Drayton fires torpedoes Pensacola torpedoed   2348   Northampton torpedoed

Source: O’Hara.