A squadron consisting of 30 SBD Dauntless dive bombers and eight TBF Avenger torpedo bombers launched from the Saratoga approached Force C. At this point, both the Shōhō and Zuihō had 24 Zero fighters, and they were already in interception positions.

Force C had detected what appeared to be American flying boats in the early stages of the morning, and everyone in the fleet believed that an enemy air raid was imminent. In response, Rear Admiral Yamaguchi ordered the fighter escort to transition from three ready formations to two. Half of the Zeros were assigned to patrol the airspace, while the remaining half remained on the flight deck in a state of immediate readiness. As soon as the enemy aircraft were spotted, the Zeros in the air initiated interception, and those on standby also launched one after another to engage the incoming threat.

Twelve Zeros in the air engaged the SBDs approaching from medium altitude, while twelve others, launched urgently from standby, focused on the TBFs approaching at low altitude.

The TBFs suffered greatly. Without fighter escorts and being overwhelmed by Zeros, even the TBFs, known for their exceptional defense capabilities, couldn't withstand the onslaught. Eight TBFs carrying torpedoes were all shot down by Zeros, leaving them unable to launch the potentially devastating torpedoes they carried to the Shōhō and Zuihō.

On the other hand, the fate of the 30 SBDs intercepted by twelve Zeros was similarly grim. Despite the SBDs having good maneuverability and decent armament as dive bombers, carrying 1.000-pound bombs made them vulnerable to the Zeros. Many of the SBDs were shot down by 20 mm and 7,7 mm shells, showering Solomon's sea with flames and smoke.

However, the Zero fighters of Force C had limited reaction time due to the absence of radar-equipped ships. In other words, they had little time for interception. If they had the long-range interception capabilities enabled by radar and aviation control using radio, like the US Navy, they might have been able to repel all 30 SBDs with just twelve Zeros. But that was not the case, and nearly ten SBDs managed to penetrate the defense.

The surviving SBDs targeted the nearby Shōhō and Zuihō. Sensing the threat, the Zuihō fired her 12,7 cm high-angle guns and 25 mm autocannons, but none hit. The anti-aircraft firepower was sparse within Force C, with only Shōhō and Zuihō, along with the heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma, having high-angle guns, and each equipped with only eight. With only 32 anti-air guns in one unit, there was no hope for a proper anti-air combat.

The Zero fighters, having dealt with the TBFs, immediately climbed to intercept the SBDs. However, they were slightly too late. Still, the psychological pressure they exerted on the SBD crews seemed to have some effect. The hastily dropped nearly ten 1.000-pound bombs were poorly aimed, and all of them missed the Zuihō, causing large splashes in the sea.

Nevertheless, with nearly ten bombs dropped, hitting the target was inevitable unless there was extreme luck. In reality, the Zuihō was not spared; one bomb hit the flight deck, causing a massive explosion that tore a large hole in the deck, clearly rendering it incapable of launching aircraft.

As soon as the enemy air raid ended, Captain Iizawa hastened the recovery of the Zero fighters. They needed to resupply ammunition and fuel to prepare for the second wave of the enemy attack, and the attack squadron sent to Guadalcanal's airfield would return soon.

The number of lost aircraft in the entire interception was minimal, but many of the recovered aircraft bore brutal signs of damage. Both the SBDs and TBFs did not go down without a fight. Although more than twenty Zero fighters remained, only a few were undamaged and suitable for continued interception.