US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

Success, Then Ciiff Hanging 333
Amphibious Force South Pacific, Captain Reifsnider, in the Hunter Liggett
(AP-27) were assigned to the Guadalcanal task. They were to initially
anchor in two lines, 1,500 yards apart, with the inshore line just outside
the hundred fathom curve, four and a half miles north of the mouth of
the Tenaru River. As soon as the fast minesweepers could sweep the area
between the initial transport area and the 10 fathom line the transports and
cargo ships were to move closer to the beach.
The main assault beach on Tulagi was 500 yards of the 600-yard wide
Blue Beach. It lay in the west central sector of the south coast of Tulagi.
An additional landing was to be made on the east coast of Gavutu Island,
and two small landings at areas five miles apart on Florida Island—Haleta
Harbor to the west and Halavo Peninsula to the east of Tulagi.
Three transports, four destroyer-type transports and one cargo ship,
Transport Group YOKE, under the command of Captain Gecrge B. Ashe,
the third senior officer regularly detailed in the Amphibious Force South
Pacific and in the Neville (AP-16), were assigned to this more complicated
task. They were to initially anchor southwest of Blue Beach, with the
inshore line just outside the hundred fathom curve which in this case again
was about five miles from the beach.
Groups XRAY and YOKE were initially anchored about 11 miles apart.
The Lines of Departure from where the assault landing craft were to
initiate their run for the shore in formal formation were two and a half miles
from the designated beaches, both Red and Blue. About two-thirds of the
Marines were embarked in the 36-foot Higgins boat, the LCP(L)
(Landing Craft, Personnel without ramp) and about one-third in the
newer LCV or LCPR with the highly desirable ramp. Tanks and trucks
were to be ferried ashore in medium-sized landing craft, the 45-foot LCMS.
After the first two days of rehearsal at Koro Island, and its accompanying
routine landing mishaps and engine failures, the large transports and cargo
ships of Task Force 62 had been told to signal the number of landing
craft each would have available and ready for the WATCHTOWER landing.
To this was added the number anticipated to be available from the Zeilin
and Beteigerise and the four LCP (L)s in each of the four destroyer trans-
ports, The grand total listed was 475 consisting of:
(a) 8 “X” Type (30-foot personnel craft without ramp).
(b) 303 LCP(L) (36-foot Landing Craft, Personnel, without ramp).
(c) 116 LCV or LCPR (36-foot Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel, with
ramp).