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"Ironbottom Sound" (alternatively Iron Bottom Sound or Ironbottomed Sound or Iron Bottom Bay) is the name given by
* – military transport; grounded and lost to air attack 15 November 1942
* –
Casualties: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, Sunk or Damaged Beyond Repair during World War II, 7 December 1941 – 1 October 1945
* National Geographic: The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal, Par
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* {{coord, 9, 15, S, 160, 0, E , region:SB_type:waterbody_scale:300000 , display=title Bodies of water of the Solomon Islands Sounds of Oceania Ship graveyards
"Ironbottom Sound" (alternatively Iron Bottom Sound or Ironbottomed Sound or Iron Bottom Bay) is the name given by Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
sailors to the stretch of water at the southern end of The Slot between Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
, Savo Island
Savo Island is an island in Solomon Islands in the southwest South Pacific ocean. Administratively, Savo Island is a part of the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. It is about from the capital Honiara. The principal village is Alialia, i ...
, and Florida Island
The Nggela Islands, also known as the Florida Islands, are a small island group in the Central Province of Solomon Islands, a sovereign state (since 1978) in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
The chain is composed of four larger islands and about ...
of the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...
, because of the dozens of ships and planes that sank there during the naval actions comprising the Battle of Guadalcanal
The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...
during 1942–1943. Before the war, it was called Savo Sound. Every year on the battle's anniversary, a US ship cruises into the waters and drops a wreath to commemorate the men who lost their lives. For many Navy sailors, and those who served in the area during that time, the waters in this area are considered sacred, and strict silence is observed as ships cruise through.
Naval actions comprising the Battle of Guadalcanal
*Battle of Savo Island
The Battle of Savo Island, also known as the First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , and colloquially among Allied Guadalcanal veterans as the Battle of the Five Sitting Ducks, was a naval battle of the Solomon Islands ca ...
, 9 August 1942
* Battle of Cape Esperance
The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , took place on 11–12 October 1942, in the Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Na ...
, 11–12 October 1942
* Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was t ...
, 13–15 November 1942
* Battle of Tassafaronga
The Battle of Tassafaronga, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Battle of Savo Island or, in Japanese sources, as the , was a nighttime naval battle that took place on November 30, 1942, between United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy warsh ...
, 30 November 1942
* Operation I-Go
was an aerial counter-offensive launched by Imperial Japanese forces against Allied forces during the Solomon Islands and New Guinea Campaign
The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in A ...
, 1–16 April 1943
Sunken ships
Japanese
Cape Esperance, 11–12 October 1942
* – * –heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Tr ...
; wreck located northwest of Savo IslandFirst Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942
* – * – * –Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 15 November 1942
* – ''Kongō''-class battlecruiser * – ''Fubuki''-class destroyer * – troop transport beached and then attacked by US bombers. These attacks set the transports afire and destroy most equipment not unloaded before dawn. In September and October 1944, the wreck is used as a target for tests of the TDR-1 Drone by STAG-1 based at North Field on Banika, Russell Islands as part of the top secret project testing of America's first guided missile. * – troop transport beached in Doma CoveTassafaronga, 30 November 1942
* –Other surface battles and aerial actions, 1942–1943
* – ; lost to U.S. Navy air attack 4 May 1942 * – minesweeper; lost to U.S. Navy aerial torpedo attack 4 May 1942 * – military transport; ran aground and lost to air attack 15 October 1942 * – military transport; grounded and lost to air attack 15 November 1942
* – military transport; grounded and lost to air attack 15 November 1942
* – Type J1 submarine
The , also called were large cruiser submarines (Junsen type submarines) of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Four boats were built between 1926 and 1929.
These boats, based on the KD2 and U-139 designs, were of a junsen, or cruiser, type with an i ...
; torpedoed by USN PT Boat 9 December 1942
* – ; torpedoed by USN PT Boat 12 December 1942
* – Type J1 submarine; rammed by RNZN ASW Corvettes, ran aground 29 January 1943
* – ''Yūgumo''-class destroyer; hit Mine while under attack by PT Boat 1 February 1943
* – military transport; attacked by the “Cactus Air Force” (later Air Sols) from Henderson Field 14 October 1942
* – military transport; attacked by the “Cactus Air Force” (later Air Sols) from Henderson Field 14 October 1942
* – military transport; attacked by the “Cactus Air Force” (later Air Sols) from Henderson Field 14 October 1942. Beached and becomes a total loss. She is also known as the Sasago Maru
Allied
Savo Island, 9 August 1942
* – USheavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Tr ...
* – US ''New Orleans''-class heavy cruiser
* – US ''New Orleans''-class heavy cruiser
* – Australian heavy cruiserCape Esperance, 12 October 1942
* – USFirst Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942
* – USlight cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
/anti-aircraft cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several h ...
* – US
* – US
* – US ''Benson''-class destroyer
* – US ''Gleaves''-class destroyerSecond Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 15 November 1942
* – US ''Mahan''-class destroyer * – US * – USTassafaronga, 30 November 1942
* – USheavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Tr ...
Operation I-Go (Air Raid on Tulagi), 7 April 1943
* – US * – US ''Gleaves''-class destroyer * – New Zealandcorvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
Other surface battles and aerial actions, 1942–1945
* – US ; lost to air attack 8 August 1942 * – US ; sunk in aerial torpedo attack 9 August 1942 * – US ''Bagley''-class destroyer; torpedoed by IJN destroyer 22 August 1942 * – US ; sunk in dive-bombing attack 30 August 1942 * – US ''Wickes''-class destroyer; lost with ''Little'' in surface combat vs. IJN destroyers 5 September 1942 * – US ''Wickes''-class destroyer; lost with ''Gregory'' in unnamed action vs. IJN destroyers 5 September 1942 * – US oceangoing tug; lost with ''YP-284'' to gunfire of IJN destroyers 25 October 1942 * '' YP-284'' – US Yard Patrol craft; lost with ''Seminole'' to gunfire of IJN destroyers 25 October 1942 * – US ''Atlanta''-class light cruiser/anti-aircraft cruiser; torpedoed by IJN submarine 13 November 1942 * '' PT-44'' – USPT boat
A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...
; lost in unnamed surface action vs. IJN destroyers 12 December 1942
* '' PT-112'' – US PT boat; lost in surface combat vs. IJN destroyers 11 January 1943
* – US ; lost to dive-bombing attack 1 February 1943
* '' PT-37'' – US PT boat; sunk with ''PT-111'' by IJN destroyer 1 February 1943
* '' PT-111'' – US PT boat; sunk with ''PT-37'' by IJN destroyer 1 February 1943
* '' PT-123'' – US PT boat; lost to air attack 1 February 1943
* – US attack transport; torpedoed in air attack 13 August 1943
* – United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
–manned Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...
; exploded while loading depth charges 29 January 1945
See also
*List of shipwrecks of Oceania
This is a list of shipwrecks located in the region of Oceania.
Australia
Federated States of Micronesia
Chuuk
During World War II, Chuuk Lagoon (then known as Truk) was the logistical hub of Japan's operations in the South Pacific theatre. ...
Notes
References
*External links
Casualties: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, Sunk or Damaged Beyond Repair during World War II, 7 December 1941 – 1 October 1945
* National Geographic: The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal, Par
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* {{coord, 9, 15, S, 160, 0, E , region:SB_type:waterbody_scale:300000 , display=title Bodies of water of the Solomon Islands Sounds of Oceania Ship graveyards