Ironbottom Sound

Ironbottom Sound, Savo Island (center), and Guadalcanal (left) on 7 August 1942, the day Allied forces landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

File:Wrecks in the Ironbottom Sound.jpg

Shipwrecks in the Ironbottom Sound

File:Task Force Forager wreath laying in Guadalcanal 150721-N-MK341-019.jpg

Wreath-laying ceremony at Guadalcanal in 2015

"Ironbottom Sound" (alternatively Iron Bottom Sound or Ironbottomed Sound or Iron Bottom Bay) is the name given by Allied sailors to the stretch of water at the southern end of The Slot between Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Florida Island of the Solomon Islands, because of the dozens of ships and planes that sank there during the naval actions comprising the Battle of Guadalcanal 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.Template:Citation needed 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.Template:Citation needed

Naval actions comprising the Battle of GuadalcanalEdit

Battle of Savo Island, 9 August 1942
Battle of Cape Esperance, 11–12 October 1942
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13–15 November 1942
Battle of Tassafaronga, 30 November 1942
Operation I-Go, 1–16 April 1943

Sunken shipsEdit

JapaneseEdit

Cape Esperance, 11–12 October 1942Edit

Template:Ship – Template:Sclass
Template:Ship – Template:Sclass heavy cruiser; wreck located Template:Cvt northwest of Savo Island

First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942Edit

Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 15 November 1942Edit

Template:Ship – Kongō-class battlecruiser
Template:Ship – Fubuki-class destroyer
Template:Ship – troop transport beached and then attacked by US bombers. These attacks set the transports afire and destroyed most equipment not unloaded before dawn. In September and October 1944, the wreck was 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.
Template:Ship – troop transport beached in Doma Cove

Tassafaronga, 30 November 1942Edit

Template:Ship – Template:Sclass

Other surface battles and aerial actions, 1942–1943Edit

Template:Ship – Template:Sclass; lost to U.S. Navy air attack 4 May 1942
Template:Ship – minesweeper; lost to U.S. Navy aerial torpedo attack 4 May 1942
Template:Ship – military transport; ran aground and lost to air attack 15 October 1942
Template:Ship – military transport; grounded and lost to air attack 15 November 1942
File:Japanese transport Kinugawa Maru beached and sunk on the Guadalcanal shore, in November 1943 (80-G-K-1467-A).jpg
Kinugawa Maru
Template:Ship – military transport; grounded and lost to air attack 15 November 1942
Template:Jsub – Type J1 submarine; torpedoed by USN PT Boat 9 December 1942
Template:Ship – Template:Sclass; torpedoed by USN PT Boat 12 December 1942
Template:Jsub – Type J1 submarine; rammed by RNZN ASW Corvettes, ran aground 29 January 1943
Template:Ship – Yūgumo-class destroyer; hit Mine while under attack by PT Boat 1 February 1943
Template:Ship (Kyūsyū Maru<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>) – military transport; attacked by the “Cactus Air Force” (later Air Sols) from Henderson Field 14 October 1942

Template:Ship – 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.

AlliedEdit

Savo Island, 9 August 1942Edit

Template:USS – US Template:Sclass heavy cruiser
Template:USS – US New Orleans-class heavy cruiser
Template:USS – US New Orleans-class heavy cruiser
Template:HMAS – Australian Template:Sclass heavy cruiser

Other surface battles and aerial actions, 1942–1945Edit

Template:USS – US Template:Sclass; lost to air attack 8 August 1942
Template:USS – US Template:Sclass; sunk in aerial torpedo attack 9 August 1942Template:Efn
Template:USS – US Bagley-class destroyer; torpedoed by IJN destroyer 22 August 1942
Template:USS – US Template:Sclass; sunk in dive-bombing attack 30 August 1942
Template:USS – US Wickes-class destroyer; lost with Little in surface combat vs. IJN destroyers 5 September 1942
Template:USS – US Wickes-class destroyer; lost with Gregory in unnamed action vs. IJN destroyers 5 September 1942
Template:USS – US Template:Sclass 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
PT-44 – US PT boat; 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
Template:USS – US Template:Sclass; 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
Template:USS – US attack transport; torpedoed in air attack 13 August 1943
Template:USS – United States Coast Guard–manned Liberty ship; exploded while loading depth charges 29 January 1945