Guadalcanal Day 2 – Tulagi

Today we are visiting the island of Tulagi. The first armed invasion of the Pacific War took place on the islands of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tambogo. The islands of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tambogo are located approximately 33 miles north of Guadalcanal across the Savo Sound. These islands contained the headquarters for the Japanese Army in the Solomon Islands. There were approximately 900 Japanese troops located on Tulagi and Gavutu-Tambogo when approximately 6,000 marines invaded.

After a short drive from our hotel we arrived at the port and boarded the ferry to Tulagi. We took a short detour to the location where the Australian Cruiser Canberra was sunk in the Battle of Savo Island. A group of Australians had made arrangements with the captain to stop at the site so that they could lay a wreath of remembrance at the site. After a short prayer and a moment of silence, we proceeded to Tulagi.

We were sitting on the upper deck of the boat where we had an excellent view of Guadalcanal, Savo Island, Tulagi, and Florida Island. The sea roughened and our guide suggested we move to a potentially dryer location. After struggling across the deck we settled into our seats and a gentleman took our old location only to be totally drenched by the next several waves. Thank you very much mister guide!

Upon our arrival on Tulagi we were greeted by a group of islanders dressed in traditional clothing and carrying spears. Their threatening gestures distracted us just enough to allow them to capture Miss Tourism, a contestant for the Miss Solomon Island pageant, who was traveling with us.

There are very few vehicles on Tulagi so our guide arranged a flatbed truck to transport us. Unfortunately very few of us could climb up into the truck. Not to be defeated our guide took the stairs used to get on the boat so we could get on to the truck. Getting us seated and then unseated resulted in less than satisfactory results so walking and pickup trucks replaced the flatbed truck.

We visited several battle locations including Tulagi Pass, Tulagi Cricket Pitch, Japanese “U” Cave, and The British Resident Commissioner’s Official Residence.

Our morning concluded with a remembrance ceremony for those who lost their lives on Tulagi. All of the children from school on Tulagi attended the ceremony. We enjoyed lunch on the island before returning to Guadalcanal.