At 23:45, Farenholt and Laffey—still unaware of Gotō's approaching warships—increased speed to resume their stations at the front of the U.S. column.
Klokken 23:45 øgede Farenholt og Laffey, som stadig ikke var klar over at Gotō skibe nærmede sig, farten for at genindtage deres placering forrest i den amerikanske kolonne.