[keltos01]

The Navy was shocked with the news of the american landing on 7 August 1942.Admiral Mikawa soon launched counter-attacks ,
the battle for Savo Island , 9 August 1942.

Yamamoto ordered all available forces, including submarines, to concentrate around Guadalcanal, Yamamoto himself moved to Truk in the Battleship Yamato.

Six submarines of the third submarine group and five of the seventh group had been operating in the south pacific in July but
not all of them could respond straight away : some were in need of repairs or resupply. There were also nine submarines of the First group under his command.

With the exception of ten submarines of the Eight submarine group based at Penang and in the Indian Ocean, the majority of operational ocean-cruising and fleet type submarines were concentrated in the Pacific in the final months of 1942 in waters of the eastern Solomon for the struggle for Guadalcanal.


Surprisingly, the first submarines deployed failed to interfere with the allied landings.
The battle for the eastern Solomon took place 24 August 1942. The submarines in ppicket line A, southeast of San Cristobal, failed to detect
the american carriers.
A new line was established later between Santa Cruz Island in the east and San Cristobal Island in the west. This picket line held promises.