Sunday, 9 August

BATTLE OF SAVO ISLAND

Japanese ships sank American heavy cruisers ASTORIA (Captain G Greenman), QUINCEY (Captain S N Moore), VINCENNES (Captain F L Riefkohl) and Australian heavy cruiser CANBERRA (Captain F E Getting RAN) off Savo Island. Casualties were:

ASTORIA, two hundred and sixteen men killed or died or wounds and 186 wounded.

QUINCEY, three hundred and seventy men killed or died of wounds and 167 wounded.

VINCENNES, three hunded and thirty two men killed or died of wounds and 258 wounded.

CANBERRA, Captain Getting and eight ratings died of wounds, Py/Paymaster Cadet K J Donovan, Py/Ty/Engineering Lt D G Hazelton RANR, Lt Cdr D M Hole RAN, Py/Ty/Engineering Lt A N Lulham RANR, Gunner (T) J MacDonald, Schoolmaster H G Warren, Act/Lt (E) B D Yonge, sixty RAN and two RN ratings missing. One RAAF airman died of wounds, Flying Officer D J Murchison RAAF and three airmen were missing, as was Ensign J Vance USN. Act/Paymaster Cdr E D Creal, Engineering Sub Lt R M Howlin RANVR, Midshipman B H Loxton, Sub Lt F R Marshall RANVR, Lt (E) B Mussared, Lt Cdr J Plunkett-Cole, Instructor Cdr F G Rednall, Paymaster Cdr A L Rose, Midshipman N L Sanderson and forty six ratings were wounded.

American heavy cruiser CHICAGO was damaged with two dead or died of wounds and 21 wounded.

Destroyers RALPH TALBOT with eleven dead and eleven wounded, and PATTERSON with eight dead and eleven wounded were damaged.

Destroyer JARVIS, had been torpedoed by aircraft earlier in the day, and fourteen men were lost at this time. As she withdrawing for repairs, JARVIS (Lt Cdr N Graham) was sunk later in the day by air attack. All hands, two hundred and forty seven were lost.