Ironbottom Sound

Ironbottom Sound is the stretch of water between Guadalcanal and Savo Island in the Solomon Islands. It gained its name from the many ships sunk there during World War II.

Battle of Savo Island: A 1942 night battle in which Japanese forces sank four Allied cruisers near Savo Island. Its wrecks became part of the ship graveyard that gave the sound its name.
Guadalcanal: A volcanic island in the Solomon Islands, the site of a major Pacific campaign during World War II. The sound lies off its northern coast.
World War II shipwrecks in the Solomon Islands: Wrecks of naval and merchant vessels sunk during World War II in and around the Solomon Islands. Ironbottom Sound contains a particularly dense part of this regional wreck field.
Ironbottom Sound (ship): A United States Navy ship name used for vessels associated with Ironbottom Sound. The shared name can be mistaken for the geographic body of water.
Battle of Cape Esperance: A 1942 naval battle off Guadalcanal in which American forces intercepted a Japanese bombardment group. The battle added sunken warships to the waters north of Guadalcanal.
Savo Island: A small volcanic island northwest of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. It forms the sound’s northwestern boundary and gives its best-known battle a name.
War grave: A burial place associated with people who died in armed conflict, including sites containing unrecovered remains. Some wrecks in the sound are treated as maritime war graves.
Indispensable Strait: A strait in the Solomon Islands separating Guadalcanal from the Russell Islands. It is a separate nearby passage, distinct from the waters called Ironbottom Sound.
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal: A series of naval engagements in November 1942 that helped secure Allied control of Guadalcanal. Its wrecks and losses are among the sound’s most prominent wartime associations.
Florida Islands: An island group in the Solomon Islands, also known as the Nggela Islands. The islands lie across the sound from Guadalcanal.

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HoniaraRelated: Honiara’s coastline faces this historically significant and strategically important sound.