One of the major activities of the Naval Base Guadalcanal was the support of the building of the airbase Henderson Field. The first aircraft landed on Henderson Field on August 12, 1942. Naval Base Guadalcanal also supported the many troops on Guadalcanal and staging for coming actions. The seas off Naval Base Guadalcanal, Savo Sound, were nicknamed Ironbottom Sound due to the many ships and planes sunk off Guadalcanal, in the battle, codenamedOperation Watchtower. On 28 July 1942, the US Navy and US Marine did a practice amphibious landing at Naval Base Fiji's Koro Island. This landing was to prepare the troops for the upcoming landings at Guadalcanal, the Troop's first major offensive of the War. From the rehearsal, lessons were learned that helped at Guadalcanal. On 31 July 1942, the Troops departed Fiji for the invasion of Guadalcanal. The invasion of Guadalcanal being the first did not have the later advancements in amphibious warfare like the landing ships: Landing Ship, Tanks or Landing craft tanks. Supplies were taken from cargo holds of ships and loaded onto small landing craft, then taken to the landing beaches and hand unloaded. Empire of Japan had built a base at Tulagi, a smaller island just to the north of Guadalcanal. The US Naval repaired and improved the base after it was captured. The Guadalcanal base were given the code names Bevy and Cactus, later renamed Mainyard. The codename Ringbolt was used for the attacks that took Florida Islands, Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo Islands. One of the reasons Guadalcanal was selected for amphibious landing, was on 20 June 1942 the US found Japan had begun building an airbase near Lungga Point. An airbase on Guadalcanal could attack the sea route from the United States to the US Naval Bases in Australia. The US putting an airbase on Guadalcanal could both protect the shipping lanes and put a check-attacks on Japan's large base at Rabaul in the northern Solomon Islands. Both the US troops and Japan's troops suffered from a lack of supplies during the Guadalcanal campaign. The US Naval would learn from the operation and improved the supply train to the fighting troops in the island hoping campaign.[4] The 6th Naval Construction Battalion arrived on August 10 from Naval Station Norfolk by way of Naval Base Espiritu Santo, 13 days after the first United States Marine Corps had landed. The Seabee found an incomplete 3,800-foot runway Japan's troops had started. The Seabees added 1,300-feet to the runway and paved it in Marston mat, due to the poor soil and rain. Work was stopped a few time due to bombing raids, sniping fire and shelling. When these had slowed down the Seabees were able to move out of foxholes and built a camp for the airfield and the Seabees. Seabees also built, a power station, a freshwater system for the camp and mess hall. For supplies, cargo ships unloaded into Higgins boats, tank lighters and pontoon barges, these were unloaded at the beach. Later, three timber piers were built at the beach for unloading.[5] A pier was also built at Lung Lagoon and was named Jennings landing in honor of Chief Ship fitter Jennings. Roads, bridges, and later fuel tank farms were built. The 6th Naval Construction Battalion was relieved by Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 26 on 5 January 1943. The 6th departed on the USS Hunter Liggett for R&R at Auckland in New Zealand. At Auckland the 6th did work on the camp at Victoria Park and at a US Navy Mobile Hospital there. The 6th departed Auckland to work at Naval Base Noumea 12 March 1943.[6] The Construction Battalion 26 continued improving the base at Guadalcanal and built: gun mounts and emplacements, tunnels, 6,000 feet of railroad, multiple docks, over 35 miles of primary roadway, 10 bridges and two radio stations with 150-foot transmitter towers. Construction Battalion 26 departed 2 March 1944.[7] The 58th Naval Construction Battalion arrived on 12 December 1944. The 58th Naval Construction Battalion worked on the Solomons' Vella Lavella Island and Russell Island, and departed 11 March 1945.[8] THe 14th Naval Construction Battalion worked at Guadalcanal from 4 November 1942 to 9 November 1943.[9] Naval Base at Guadalcanal Fleet Post Office (FPO#) was 145.[10][11]
History
After the Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo in August 1942 Naval Bases were built by the 6th and 26th Seabees in the Solomons. At Tanambogo an airfield was built, Torokina Airfield. Landings at Cape Torokina called Operation Cherry Blossom took place on November 1, 1943. At Tulagi the Navy built a PT boat base and at the Florida Islands a seaplane base. The US bases built at the Solomon Islands worked to stop the Tokyo Express, the name given to Japan's supply line and reinforces from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. The US Navy Seabee built Naval Base, and airfields and help in the beach landing. At the end of World War II, with Victory over Japan Day the bases were closed. Some of the airfields became civilian airports.[12][13]
Except for some troops left to build, garrison, operate, and defend the base at Tulagi, however, the majority of the U.S. Marines who had assaulted Tulagi and the nearby islets were soon relocated to Guadalcanal to help defend the airfield, later called Henderson Field by Allied forces, located at Lunga Point.[14]
Aerial view of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, late August 1942. The view looks northwest with the Lunga River and Lunga Point at the top of the image
The Solomon Islands. "The Slot" (New Georgia Sound) runs down the center of the islands, from Bougainville and the Shortlands (center) to Guadalcanal (lower right)
A U.S. Marine patrol crosses a pontoon bridge built by US Navy Seabees on the Lunga River in 1942