It is the 70th anniversary of the first of a pair of pivotal naval battles in Guadalcanal Campaign that ended Japanese night time dominance of the disputed waters around the Solomons Islands chain. This not a Coast Guard story, but it is a story that was important to me. Growing up in Atlanta, I saw the beautiful builder’s model of the USS Atlanta, and read about the desperate battle in which she was lost. It fueled my interest in ships.

In 2009 I was fortunate enough to participate in a project on the US Naval Institute Blog, organized by the “Steeljaw Scribe” to commemorate the Solomons Island Campaign and wrote the sections on the two naval battles fought 12 to 15 November.

The Solomons Campaign: The Battle of Guadalcanal, Part 1

The Solomons Campaign: The Battle of Guadalcanal, Part 2

These may not have been Coast Guard stories, but I’m sure it was the men of NOB Cactus, including many Coasties, who were pulling the survivors out of the water and helping to fight fires when the fighting ended.