On 7 August 1942, US and Australian naval forces undertook the invasion of the Japanese-held islands of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the lower Solomon Islands chain, the first Allied offensive in the Pacific Theatre. The landing of the US 1st Marine Division on the beaches of Savo Sound began the unexpectedly long and extremely arduous Guadalcanal Campaign, lasting officially until 9 February 1943.
The naval forces dedicated to Operation Watchtower were minuscule compared to those deployed for later Allied offensives such as the invasion of the Gilberts and the capture of Okinawa. This is owing to the commitment the United States had made to Great Britain to undertake the invasion of North Africa in the fall of 1942, a commitment which essentially left the Guadalcanal operation with the naval leftovers. For this reason, American sailors and Marines referred to the invasion as "Operation Shoestring".[1]
US Navy combat ships:
3 fleet carriers, 1 fast battleship, 9 heavy cruisers, 2 anti-aircraft light cruisers, 31 destroyers
On 7 August 1942, US and Australian naval forces undertook the invasion of the Japanese-held islands ofGuadalcanal and Tulagi in the lower Solomon Islands...
is the orderofbattle for the Guadalcanal Campaign, called Operation Watchtower, the first major Allied offensive in the Pacific Theater of Operations...
The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the BattleofGuadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought...
ground offensive on Guadalcanal for 20–25 October 1942. In support of this offensive, and with the hope of engaging Allied naval forces, Japanese carriers...
Allied Guadalcanal veterans as the Battleof the Five Sitting Ducks, was a navalbattleof the Solomon Islands campaign of the Pacific War of World War...
the northernmost point on Guadalcanal, and the battle took its name from this point. On the night of 11 October, Japanese naval forces in the Solomon Islands...
from Guadalcanal and Tulagi was defeated during the decisive NavalBattleofGuadalcanal in early November 1942. Thereafter, the Japanese Navy was able...
The Battle for Henderson Field, also known as the BattleofGuadalcanal or Battleof Lunga Point by the Japanese, took place from 23 to 26 October 1942...
during the Guadalcanal campaign. The battle took place in Ironbottom Sound near Tassafaronga Point on Guadalcanal. In the battle, a US force of five cruisers...
Pacific Fleet. The battle resulted from a major effort by the Japanese to reinforce their troop strength on the island ofGuadalcanal. The Japanese high...
The Battleof Midway was a major navalbattle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place 4–7 June 1942, six months after the Empire of Japan's...
commanders The Battleof Savo Island was part ofGuadalcanal Campaign and was fought on 9 August 1942 in the waters around Savo Island by forces of the Imperial...
the BattleofGuadalcanal. US Navy Seabees built a new base at Guadalcanal, Naval Base Guadalcanal and then on other islands in the Solomons. One of the...
to be used in this role, Atlanta and Juneau, were lost at the NavalBattleofGuadalcanal, this mission was rejected and the anti-aircraft mission adopted...
and cruisers, such as the Battleof Savo Island and the NavalBattleofGuadalcanal, were limited to night-time actions in order to avoid exposure to air...
admiral of the United States Navy during World War II. Lee commanded the American ships during the second night of the NavalBattleofGuadalcanal (November...
The Battleof the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major navalbattle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United...
list ofnavalbattles is a chronological list delineating important navalbattles that have occurred throughout history, from the beginning ofnaval warfare...
rest of the IJA 38th Infantry Division and its heavy equipment failed during the NavalBattleofGuadalcanal from 12 to 15 November. Because of this failure...
Pacific Fleet. The battle resulted from a major Japanese offensive with the goal to drive the US forces from Guadalcanal. The battle can be viewed as a...
gunnery sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle for Henderson Field in the Guadalcanal campaign, and the Navy Cross posthumously...
Global Information
US Navy combat ships:
Australian Navy combat ships: