Echoes of the Battle of Savo Island

The US Marines remember how the US Navy abandoned the Guadalcanal beachhead following the disastrous night engagement at the Battle of Savo Island.

It's one reason that the USMC has been insistent on maintaining its own air force, and it is one of the reasons that they have been so Gung-Ho on STO/VL aircraft as soon as they became available.

In a pinch, such aircraft can be deployed from flat deck landing craft which are largely under the control of the Corps, as evidenced by test operation of 20 F-35Bs on the USS Tripoli, in a concept rather similar to the escort carriers used in World War II:

Early this coming April, United States Marine Corps F-35Bs from three squadrons will converge aboard the USS Tripoli (LHA-7) to fully test the 'Lightning Carrier' concept. The idea to basically turn big-deck “Gator Navy” amphibious assault ships into light aircraft carriers packed with F-35Bs first emerged five years ago, but it has its roots in AV-8 Harrier operations going back decades. A whopping 20 F-35Bs will be conducting sustained operations followed by surge operations from the USS Tripoli. The event will test the ability of the Marines to operate two full F-35B squadrons from one ship at one time and could have major impacts on what the stealthy jets, and the ships they deploy on, can bring to the fight in the future.

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In October 2019, more than a dozen F-35B Lightning II aircraft with VMFA-122 landed on the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6) in the Pacific ocean. A photo published the same month that showed the packed flight deck of USS America with 13 F-35Bs sprawled across it and one MH-60S tucked in forward of the bridge drew a lot of attention. So to see the F-35 number rise by seven airframes will be something to behold.

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The relatively new USS America, and now its sister ship, the USS Tripoli, do not feature a floodable well deck like their counterparts. Instead, they were designed with more space to accommodate aircraft like the F-35B and everything that comes with operating them, like fuel, maintenance personnel, spaces and equipment, and munitions.

Even 80 years later, the Marines still bear the scars/remember the lessons from the Battle of Savo Island.