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OT: The Battle of Savo Island

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Battle of Savo Island

The Battle of Savo Island was a naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II, fought on August 9, 1942, between cruiser squadrons of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Allied naval forces.

The Japanese were concentrating on supporting land operations on the Kokoda Track in New Guinea, but reacted quickly to the Allied attack on the Solomon Islands. Vice Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue dispatched planes from Rabaul in New Britain to attack the beachheads and strike the warships and transports supporting the operation. In addition a task force of seven cruisers (Chokai, Aoba, Furutaka, Kako, Kinugasa, Tenryu, and Yubari) and one destroyer, under the command of Rear Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, was sent to make a surface attack.

Mikawa's squadron slipped past the destroyer picket Ralph Talbot and at 01:00 on 9 August 1942, off Savo Island, they saw the Allied "Southern Group", comprised of the Australian and US heavy cruisers Canberra, Australia and Chicago), and two destroyers. The group was commanded by the British Rear Admiral Victor Crutchley, who was attached to the Royal Australian Navy.

Some time afterwards, crew members on Canberra spotted unidentified vessels; the commanding officer, Captain Frank Getting, was called to the bridge, and gun crews took up "action stations". Canberra sped up and turned to position itself between the intruders and unarmed troopships. At 1.44 am, as the ship's gunners were attempting to aim, the port side of the ship was hit with a massive and highly accurate burst of shell fire. Although the sending of warning message had been ordered, a Japanese shell destroyed the radio room before it could be sent. Within a few minutes the Canberra had been hit at least 27 times and was on fire amidships.

In a short space of time, the Japanese ships had also severely damaged Chicago with torpedo attacks and 8-inch gunfire. Chicago was also unable to respond or warn the two other Allied squadrons in the area of the Japanese presence.

Fifteen minutes later, the Japanese engaged a second American squadron, the "Northern Group" of three cruisers (Vincennes, Astoria and Quincy) and two destroyers, commanded by Captain Frederick L. Riefkohl. With an advantage due to an unintended enveloping manuever, Vincennes, Astoria, and Quincy were quickly sunk by heavy gunfire.

Aoba was damaged, and Chokai sustained several hits from Quincy and Astoria, blowing off one of her turrets and killing 34 men. She had to return to Rabaul for repairs.
Quincy settling by the stern, illuminated by Japanese searchlights
Enlarge
Quincy settling by the stern, illuminated by Japanese searchlights

Canberra was so badly damaged that it had to be evacuated and sunk by gunfire from Allied ships. Getting and 83 other crew members died as a result of the attack.

The Battle of Savo Island was the most complete and humiliating defeats that the US Navy ever suffered and, as a result, the Allied warships and transports were withdrawn to the New Hebrides. From 15 August all supplies sent to Guadalcanal came by high-speed transports while Allied land-based planes from the New Hebrides flew frequent covering missions.

My Grand Mothers brother was gunner on the USS Astoria and did not survive the battle. I stubbled across this page purely by accident and it sent shivers up my spine. Now I know what happened to his ship and thanks to other info from this page, I know that he died from his wounds and was barried at sea. - My Grand Mother always thought he was eaten by the sharks, but that was not true thankfully.