- Author
- Book reviewer
- Subjects
- Ship histories and stories, WWII operations, History - WW2, Book reviews, Naval Engagements, Operations and Capabilities
- Tags
-
- RAN Ships
- HMAS Canberra I
- Publication
- September 1994 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
THE LOST SHIPS OF GUADALCANAL By Robert D. Ballard, Published by Warner/Madison Press
This is another book by one of the world’s foremost oceanographers and undersea explorers. Robert Ballard is already well known for his discovery of the wrecks of the TITANIC and the BISMARCK and this, his latest work, details his two expeditions to the infamous Ironbottom Sound off Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
“The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal” recounts the whole story of the 1942 campaign that changed the course of the Pacific war. The air, land and sea battles are vividly described in both words and pictures. The memories of survivors of the battles, from both sides, help tell a powerful, poignant story of men and ships and war. In conjunction with the well presented history of the battles Ballard takes the reader beneath the waters surrounding Savo Island, Guadalcanal and Tulagi in his quest to locate the resting places of the nearly fifty ships to be lost between August and November 1942. Haunting pictures of the many Allied and Japanese wrecks found, are paired with photographs of the ships in their prime.
Spectacular full-page foldouts show HMAS CANBERRA and QUINCY painted in accurate detail in the resting positions. CANBERRA is clearly shown resting upright in fairly good condition with her guns trained to port. The Bridge has collapsed to starboard and the funnels have gone.
A quality production with over 300 illustrations in its 227 easy readable pages this book should be of valuable use to all those interested in this sphere of history and especially so to those interested in CANBERRA and Savo Island.
N B Hinton