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The Battle of Savo Island, 9 Aug 42

On 8 Aug, the 1st Marine Division landed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo and smashed the Japanese garrisions or sent them fleeing into the jungle.

The Japanese responded by launching furious air attacks from Rabaul and gathering a naval landing force and sending it south. The USS S-38 spotted the convoy and sank the Meiyo Maru (carrying a large portion of the landing force). This led to the withdraw of the first Japanese attempt to land reinforcements.

Vice Admiral Mikawa Gunichi sorted from Rabaul with a surface-action group consisting of the heavy cruisers Chokai, Aoba, Kinugasa, Furutaka and Kao, the light cruiser Tenryu and the destroyer Yunagi. Enroute down the Slot (the body of water running down the center of the Solomon Islands), Mikawa's ships were spotted by a RAAF Hudson at 1101 hours, but communications problems prevented this spotting report from reaching the US Commander, Admiral Turner.

Shortly after being spotted by the Hudson, Mikawa launched a scout floatplane from each of his heavy cruisers. These plans proceeded south and operated freely over the American transport anchorage off Tulagi as well as the cruiser groups operating north and south of Savo Island. They were spotted by several ships, but no alarm was given, due in part, to the mistaken belief that they were friendly aircraft.

At 2100 hours, Mikawa received a report from Rabaul indicating that the air attacks had sunk three cruisers, two destroyers and nine transports and that a cruiser and two transports were left burning. With the odds now in favor of the Japanese, at midnight, speed was increased to 28 knots and Mikawa headed for the enemy.

The Allied forces were deployed in three units to cover the approaches to the transport anchorage.

The US destroyers Blue and Ralph Talbot (carrying SC search radar) were deployed as radar pickets north and south of Savo Island.

The Southern Group, under Rear Admiral V.A.C. Crutchley, RN; consisted of the heavy cruisers HMAS Australia, HMAS Canberra, USS Chicago and the destroyers USS Bagley and USS Patterson. Prior to the Japanese entering the area, the Australia was detached to carry Admiral Crutchley to a meeting with Admiral Turner, after the meeting, Australia off Lunga point, screening the transports anchored there.

The Northern Group, under Captain F.L. Riefkohi, USN; consisted of the hravy cruisers USS Vincennes, USS Quincy and USS Astoria and the destroyers USS Helm and USS Wilson.

The Eastern Group, under Rear Admiral Norman Scott, USN; consisted of the light cruisers USS San Juan, HMAS Hobart and the destroyers USS Monssen, USS Buchanan and USS Jarvis. Jarvis had been damaged in the air attacks and was floating in between Florida and Guadalcanal. The remainder of the Eastern Group were covering a passage south west of Florida Island.

Surprisingly enough, the Northern and Southern Groups were not at battle stations or, indeed, at any sort of hightened readiness status at all.

The Japanese spotted USS Blue just before midnight, using their superior night optics and specially chosen observers, the IJN often saw Allied ships at night well out of radar range. Blue never detected the incoming warships on radar due to the scattered returns from Guadalcanal and Salvo Islands (the early SC radar did not give reliable info when close to land masses).

Steaming at reduced speed to conceal their wakes the IJN cruisers spotted the Southern Group at 0125 hours. Upon spotting the enemy, speed was increased to 30 knots and the cruisers launched their deadly Long Lance torpedoes. It was not until 0143 hours that a lookout on USS Patterson shouted "Ships ahead!'

The warning "Strange ships entering harbor" was broadcast on the short-range TBS system just as Chokai opened fire on HMAS Canberra, destroying her bridge and damaging her engine rooms. Two torpedoes struck her bow, setting her on fire. Canberra would later be scuttled at 0800 hours. USS Chicago was struck by a torpedo that blew off part of her bow. Surprisingly, no contact report was made to alert the other ships of what had just happenened.

The Japanese force had seperated into two groups, seperated by about 4nm after making a turn to port: Chokai, Aoba, Kako and Kinugasa in the eastern group and Furutaka, Tenrtu and Yubari in the western group. Yunagi was dispatched to deal with USS Jarvis which had just appeared from a rain squall.

The two groups spotted the Northern Group at 0150 hours and launched spreads of torpedoes and then illuminated the sleeping cruisers of the Northern Group with searchlights. USS Astoria was quickly knocked out of action. USS Quincy was caught with her guns still trained in when she was illuminated by the searchlights. A hit in her well deck set her floatplanes on fire and marked her for the Japanese gunners. She was hit by a torpedo in her engine room as well. She sank at 0235 hours.

HIJMS Kako pinned USS Vincennes in her searchlights quickly raked the cruiser. Vincennes was able to return fire damaging Kako. Vincennes was then hit by 2-3 torpedoes from Chokai at about 0155 and then one more from Yubari at 0203 hours. When illuminated by search lights from the east, thinking that they were friendly ships, the Vincennes raised a large American flag. Spotting the large flag, and thinking that this was the flagship, the IJN cruisers from both groups pounded the Vincennes. Caught in this brutal crossfire, Vincennes received over 60 shell hits and 3-4 torpedoes before she capsized and sank at 0250 hours.

The USS Jarvis and HIJMS Yunagi had a brief gun duel before the Yunago broke off to follow the Furutaka group. Yunagi reported that she had engaged a light cruiser of the Achilles class, this later lead to a Japanese air strike the following morning that sank Jarvis.

Admiral Mikawa assassed the situation and determined that it would take 2-3 hours to reform and attack the transport area. Unsure of the location of any US carriers, he decided to withdraw in order to be out of range by morning. During the withdraw, the radar picket USS Ralph Talbot was severly damaged by the Furutaka group, but managed to duck into a rain squall.

For minor damage to three cruisers and a destroyer, the Allies paid with four cruisers sunk and a cruiser and two destroyers damaged.

Iron Bottom Sound had claimed its first victims.