Being concerned over the loss of 21 of his carrier fighters, he assessed that his carriers were threatened by torpedo-bomber strikes, and, wanting to refuel before Japanese naval forces arrived, withdrew as he had previously forewarned Turner and Vandegrift.
Men bekymret over tabet af 21 af hans jagerfly, vurderede han, at hans hangarskibe var truet af angreb fra torpedobombefly og han ønskede at få fyldt brændstofreserverne op inden japanernes flådestyrker ankom, og derfor trak han sig tilbage, som han tidligere havde advaret Turner og Vandegrift om.