Photos of Guadalcanal battle fields

Hi there, greetings from Guadalcanal, I thought forum members might appreciate some photos of what battle sites on Guadalcanal look like now in 2014.
If you have any particular sites you'd like photographed, let me know and I'll see if I can help.

View attachment 20952 - Mataniko (Matanikau) River, from east side looking west, US positions would have been on this side and Japanese on west side during actions around Matanikau in September 1942.
View attachment 20953 Bonegi, area where Japanese transports Kinugawa Maru and Hirokawa Maru were attacked and sunk in November 15 1942 and land actions leading up to the Japanese withdrawal from Guadalcanal.

View attachment 20954 'Hill 84' area looking from the ridge down towards the landing point west of Point Cruz (now a childrens park) where fighting took place on 27 September 1942. Savo Island and Iron bottom sound in background.

View attachment 20955 Lunga river near Mount Austen

View attachment 20956 View attachment 20957 View attachment 20958 View attachment 20959 Cape Esperance, site of the Naval battle for the strait to Savo Island 11-12 October 1942 and site of final actions and Japanese withdrawal from Guadalcanal in January/February 1943.

 

Thanks- worth seeing for the scenery, never mind the history!
Is that a tank/amphib wreck in the second pic?

 

Yes, I believe its part of a US barge, the Kinugawa Maru lies just offshore, now mostly the submerged parts are all that remains, but you can see in these shots from 1942, that the site was used for landing US gear, some of these barges must've been abandoned. http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/npswapa/extContent/wapa/coast_guard/cg2.htm

I took the photo from approximately where the tractor can be seen on the beach in the first old photo.

 

Yes, the channel between Ngella (Florida) islands, Guadalcanal and Savo island, is commonly known as Iron Bottom Sound, there is even a seaside bar with the same name that is a great place to sit and have a Solbrew beer and watch the sunset over Iron Bottom Sound.
There are also other WW2 terms still used, the Hospital is commonly called " Number 9" stemming from its origins in ww2 field hospital number 9 I believe, and of course the airport and area around it are still called 'Henderson'.

 

Thanks for sharing. Guadalcanal has always been at the top of my wish list for WWII sites to visit.

 

Great photos, Bilikiki. It's always interesting to do the Then/Now comparison.

 

How about Henderson Airfield?...What's there now?