Samuel Eliot Morison taught at Harvard from 1915 to 1955, except for active duty service in the Navy and attained the rank of rear admiral. The author of many books, he is the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes and two Bancroft Prizes. He died in 1976.

Volume 5 covers the six major engagements in waters surrounding Guadalcanal. From the Solomon Islands campaign to the courageous actions of Edson's Raiders at the Battle of the Bloody Ridge and the Battle of Tassafaronga, the author describes events from the shipdecks, cockpits, and ridgetops where the fate of thousands was decided.