US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

362 Avlpbibians Came To Conquer
At 1800 on 8 August, Admiral Turner received word that the Japanese Force
was approaching.14
Turner had it [the despatch] too, and he knew he was in trouble.
Later, they could not say for sure when they first knew it, but for certain the
fleet knew by midafternoon that the Japanese were coming.
Japanese surface forces were heading his way; everybody knew that.”
The Army history and the Marine monograph cite as their authority the
following entry in the 8 August 1942 War Diary of Rear Admiral Turner
as Commander Amphibious Force South Pacific Force.
About 1800 information was received that two enemy destroyers, three
cruisers, and two gun boats or seaplane tenders were sighted at 102>2 at
5049’ S, 156°07’ E course 120, speed 15 knots.
This entry, except for the first six words and the zone time of the sighting,
was almost a Chinese copy of the first part of a dispatch originated at
General MacArthur’s Combined Headquarters at Townsville, Australia, at
1817 that evening which read:
Aircraft reports at 2325Z/7Z 3 cruisers 3 destroyers 2 seaplane tenders or
gunboats. 05-49 S 15&07 E course 120 true speed 15 knots. At 0027/8Z
2 subs 07–35 S 154-o7 E course 150 true.le
This information was not in fact passed on by the aviator who made the
actual sighting for seven hours and 42 minutes after the sighting, when a
despatch was originated at his home base, after his return thereto, and time
dated in New Guinea at 1807. The despatch was then
passed over the Australian Air Force circuit from Fall River to Port Moresby
and thence to Townsville . . . [and thence to Brisbane and thence} over
the Navy land-line circuit to Canberra in COMSOWESPACFOR 081817
[only ten minutes later] for transmission over the air on the Canberra BELLS
broadcast schedule. Canberra then transmitted on the BELLS [broadcast]
schedule to the Australian Forces, and to Pearl Harbor for transmission on the
HOW FOX schedule to the U. S. Forces.lT
Canberra completed its transmission at 081837, and Pearl Harbor com-
pleted its transmission on the Fleet (or FOX) broadcast schedules at 081843.
It was received in the McCau/ey via the FOX broadcast schedule, as the
“ Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offet?jh,e (Army), p. 78.
“ Newcomb, Suto, pp. 80, 82.86.
‘0 COMSOWESPACFOR to All Task Force Commanders. Pacific Fleet, 080717 Aug. 19f2. Cited
in Hepburn Report. Annex T.
“ (a) NaIal War College SUIO J.rlumf. Vol. 1, p. 101; (b) COMSOWESPACFOR Communication
Officer to Commander D. J. Ramsey, memorandum, 19 Feb. 1943. Cited in Hepburn Report,
Annex T.