Hello and welcome to episode 115 of the unauthorized history of the Pacific War podcast. My name is Seth Peridon, historian and deputy director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum here at Camp Shelby. And with me as always is my esteemed co-host, retired Navy Captain Bill Toaddy. Former skipper of the Fast Attack Submarine in Indianapolis, Commodore of Submarine Squadron 3 in Pearl Harbor, and many other postings. How are you this morning, Bill? I'm doing great, Seth. Ready to go feet wet, as you say, when you're

flying out from the land of Guadal Canal back out over the ocean. So feet wet. And we are definitely

going to be discussing that today. The month of August, 1942, has had its ups and down so far as the campaign for Guadalcanal is

concerned. The invasion of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Tanibou, and other

outlying islands in the area initially went very well. Marines

occupied the islands rather quickly and eliminated Japanese resistance to

a man in most places. On August 21st, Marines from the First Marine

Regiment utterly destroyed the first major Japanese counterstrike on land at the Teneru River.

On land, the campaign was succeeding. At sea, however, it was not. The debacle at Savo Island,

the worst defeat in the United States Navy's history, left a bitter taste in the miles of every person in and around the seas of Guadalcanal that wore an American or allied uniform.

Because of the defeat, because of the defeat at Savo Island, among other reasons, Admiral Fletcher pulled his precious carriers away from the immediate vicinity of Guadalcanal to preserve their ever so valuable flight

decks. However, because of the Teneru battle, Fletcher was compelled to reverse course and send his

flat tops back to the waters of Guadalcanau to protect and support the Marines against any further

Japanese efforts ashore. And believe me, there were more Japanese efforts ashore there were

certainly in the planning.

Unbeknownst to Fletcher, the Japanese had deployed a strong naval force under the command of Chuiji Nagumo of Midway fame

to support Japanese land efforts and destroy any U.S. ships in the area.

Over the next few days, that being August 24, 1942 specifically, the U.S. fleet and the

Japanese fleet groped for each other and eventually became entangled in the third carrier

battle of 1942, what history would call the Battle of the Eastern Salamans. So this is going to be

something that kind of repeats itself for almost every single major

Japanese counter strike that happens on Guadalcanal. It's a combined arms. And I mean,

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