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When the marines captured Lunga Point on Guadalcanal, they also captured quite a bit of Japanese equipment. There were three antiaircraft batteries, ammunition dumps, a radio station, a refrigerating plant, an air compressor plant as well as vehicles and tons of supplies. Not the least of the captures was a copy of the current version of the main Japanese naval code---what Intelligence called the JN-25c. The marines also captured a Japanese shore-based air search radar; both of these were quickly loaded onto the transports.

With the disaster of the Battle of Savo Island and the decision to withdraw the carriers, Admiral Turner was left with no choice built to withdraw the vulnerable transports. Unfortunately, only a faction of the supplies and virtually none of the heavy equipment had been offloaded.

For the marines, their mission had changed. They now had to hold onto the uncompleted airfield at all costs. The 1st Marine Division was also splintered with 6,075 marines left on Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo islands and 10,819 marines on Guadalcanal (Turner's transports took another 1,800 marines with them). With only five combat battalions available General Vandegrift had to shorten his perimeter and secure new landing beaches on Lunga Point. This meant that Beach Red (and the available supplies) would now be over 3 miles outside of the perimeter. To add to the problem of digging in, there was a scarcity of picks, shovels and axes, no mines and only 18 rolls of barbed wire available. Some barbed wire was recovered from cattle fences, but there was only enough wire for limited use at the key points (usually a single or double strand fence!).

Fortunately, the Japanese made no further attacks for the next four days, giving the marines the precious time they need to move their supplies to within the perimeter and then dispersed into dumps. The marines also inventoried the captured Japanese supplies, all told, the marines had four units of fire and seventeen days of rations (two meals a day).

The key to Guadalcanal was the airfield. The Japanese had completed both ends, but there was a 180 foot wide gap in the middle that would need over 6,700 cubic feet of earth to fill. The marines had landed only a single angle-bladed bulldozer, but the Japanese had provided six road rollers, four generators, six trucks, fifty handcarts about seventy-five shovels and two gas powered locomotives that pulled hopper cars for earth moving. By August 12, the runway gap had been filled in and it had been extended to 2,660 feet. By August 18, it was stretched to 3,778 feet. Henderson Field was now ready to receive aircraft.