Task force 67 or Cactus Strike force was based at Guadalcanal during World War II and consisted of several destroyers: Fletcher, Nicholas, O'Bannon, Strong and De Haven. They defended the waters off Guadalcanal from the Tokyo Express. These were some of the most contested waters in the early days of World War II. The ships were in constant action and suffered heavy losses. Two surviving destroyers became the most decorated ships in the U.S. Navy; Nicholas won 30 battle stars in three wars, and O'Bannon with 17 battle stars in just World War II. It became Task Force 18 in April 1943.