Battle of Savo Island. The Battle of Savo Island was the first major naval battle in the Guadalcanal campaign and took place on August 9, 1942. U.S. Marines landed on Guadalcanal in the two days prior, and were occupying Henderson Field, while imperial Japanese forces conducted a surprise attack on the Allied naval forces in the area. The Imperial Japanese Navy undertook a night surface attack on the ships screening the Allied landing force. The battle has come to be identified as the worst defe

The Battle of Savo Island, a crushing blow to the allied forces, happened #OTD in 1942. In this video, Robert Cressman sets the scene and takes you through the night the allies lost four ships - and the historic decision to name one of the U.S. Navy's future ships after the one of the ships which was lost: the Australian ship, HMAS Canberra. | Naval History & Heritage Command