Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Savo Island

Battle of Savo Island was a battle fought in 1942 at Savo Island, in what is now Solomon Islands. It was part of World War II, which ran from 1939 to 1945. The recorded result: Japanese victory. Recorded strength: 5 heavy cruisers; 2 light cruisers; 1 destroyer against 6 heavy cruisers; 2 light cruisers; 15 destroyers.

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The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Quincy (CA-39) photographed from the Japanese heavy cruiser Chōkai during the Battle of Savo Island, off Guadalcanal, 9 August 1942. Quincy, seen here burning and illum
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Quincy (CA-39) photographed from the Japanese heavy cruiser Chōkai during the Battle of Savo Island, off Guadalcanal, 9 August 1942. Quincy, seen here burning and illum. Imperial Japanese Navy, copied from the Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison World War II history illustrations file. Origi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1942
WhereSavo Island, Solomon Islands9.133S, 159.817E
OutcomeJapanese victory
BelligerentsEmpire of JapanagainstUnited States; Australia
Part ofWorld War II1939 to 1945

Where it sits in World War II

Battle of Lwów, 1939Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski, 1939Battle of Durrës, 1939Battle of the Atlantic, 1939Battle of Jarosław, 1939Battle of Brześć Litewski, 1939Skirmish near Kalety, 1939Sinking of HMS Royal Oak, 1939Battle of the River Forth, 1939Battle of Britain, 1940Siege of Calais, 1940Altmark Incident, 1940Åndalsnes landings, 1940Kampene i Lunner, Oppland, 1940Battle of Hallingdal, 1940Battles of Narvik, 1940Battle of Drøbak Sound, 1940Battle of Horten Harbour, 1940Capture of Arendal, 1940Capture of Egersund, 1940Battle of Midtskogen, 1940Battle of Dombås, 1940Battle of Hegra Fortress, 1940the battle of Bjørnefjell 1940, 1940Battle of Gratangen, 1940Battle of Høljarast Bridge, 1940Battle for Kvam, 1940Battle of Eiunna Bridge, 1940Battle of Vinjesvingen, 1940Battle for The Hague, 1940Battle of Hannut, 1940Battle of the Afsluitdijk, 1940German invasion of the Netherlands, 1940Battle of Gembloux, 1940Battle of La Horgne, 1940Battle of Leuven, 1940Battle of Montcornet, 1940Battle of Arras, 1940Battle of Stonne, 1940Actions in Nordland, 1940Battle of Abbeville, 1940Battle of Amiens, 1940Siege of Malta, 1940Psilander Affair, 1940Battle of Pont Saint-Louis, 1940Action off Calabria, 1940Battle of Dakar, 1940Battle of Graveney Marsh, 1940Attack on Convoy BN 7, 1940Battle of Taranto, 1940Battle of the Strait of Otranto, 1940Battle of Cape Spartivento, 1940Battle of Rostov, 1941Battle of Vevi, 1941Battle of Minsk, 1941Battle of Bardia, 1941Battle of Ko Chang, 1941British capture of Tobruk, 1941Clydebank Blitz, 1941Action of 4 April 1941, 1941Bombing of Belgrade in 1941, 1941Second Battle of Amba Alagi, 1941Battle of Heraklion, 1941Battle of the Denmark Strait, 1941Battle of 42nd Street, 1941Battle of Brody, 1941Battle of Białystok–Minsk, 1941Battle of Uman, 1941Action in Tarafal Bay, 1941Battle between HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, 1941Battle of Gurun, 1941Battle of Savo Island, 1942Battle of Voronezh, 1942Battle of Tarakan, 1942Battle of Dražgoše, 1942Battle of Bowmanville, 1942Battle of Muar, 1942Battle of Gemas, 1942Battle of Ambon, 1942Battle for Australia, 1942Battle of Makassar Strait, 1942Channel Dash, 1942Battle of Timor, 1942Battle of Los Angeles, 1942Battle of Sunda Strait, 1942Second Battle of the Java Sea, 1942Action of 27 March 1942, 1942Battle of Nanos, 1942Battle of the St. Lawrence, 1942Battle of Madagascar, 1942Action of 13 May 1942, 1942Battle at Bir el Harmat, 1942Battle of Dutch Harbor, 1942Fight at the Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral, 1942Battle of Rostov, 1942Attack on the Dureenbee, 1942Dieppe Raid, 1942Battle of the Eastern Solomons, 1942Battle of Isurava, 1942Battle of Mission Ridge – Brigade Hill, 1942Night operation, 1942Battle of SS Stephen Hopkins, 1942Battle of Cape Esperance, 1942Battle of Goodenough Island, 1942Battle of El Agheila, 1942Second Defensive Battle at the Don, 1942Battle of the Barents Sea, 1942Battle of Smolensk, 1943Battle of Nikolayevka, 1943Battle of Krasny Bor, 1943Battle of Jelenov Žleb, 1943Air Battle of Kuban, 1943Battle of Mubo, 1943Battle of Bobdubi, 1943Battle of Lampedusa, 1943Battle of Porta, 1943New Georgia Campaign, 1943Battle of Sarantaporos, 1943Battle of Lababia Ridge, 1943Battle of Gela, 1943Operation Chestnut, 1943Battle of Mount Tambu, 1943Battle of Troina, 1943Battle of Centuripe, 1943Battle of Vella Gulf, 1943Battle of Roosevelt Ridge, 1943Battle of Trahili, 1943Battle of Arachov, 1943Battle of Turjak Castle, 1943Operation Garlic, 1943Allied invasion of Italy, 1943Battle of Kaiapit, 1943Battle of Finschhafen, 1943Battle of Dumpu, 1943Melitopol Offensive, 1943Land Battle of Vella Lavella, 1943Battle of John's Knoll–Trevor's Ridge, 1943Battle of Sept-Îles, 1943Kerch–Eltigen Operation, 1943Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, 1943Action of 13 November 1943, 1943Battle of Livno, 1943Battle of Monte la Difensa, 1943Battle of Sio, 1943battle of Montelungo, 1943Battle of San Pietro Infine, 1943Battle of Kočevje, 1943Operation Dexterity, 1943Battle of Ortona, 1943Battle of the North Cape, 1943Battle of Cape Gloucester, 1943Battle of The Pimple, 1943Battle of the Bay of Biscay, 1943Battle of Murowana Oszmianka, 1944Battle of Ceber, 1944Action of 26 April 1944, 1944Valibona, 1944Battle of Monte Cassino, 1944Battle of Crater Hill, 1944Battle of Anzio, 1944Battle of Rapido River, 1944Battle of Cisterna, 1944Action of 14 February 1944, 1944Battle of Karavia Bay, 1944Battle of Talasea, 1944Skirmish near Sadkówka, 1944Biarritz Bombing, 1944Battle of Ternopil, 1944Battle of Madang, 1944Battle of 25 April 1944, 1944Battle of Wakde, 1944Operation Diadem, 1944Battle of Mont Mouchet, 1944Battle of Le Mesnil-Patry, 1944Battle of Villers-Bocage, 1944Battle of la Truyère, 1944Battle of Cecina, 1944Battle of Ancona, 1944Battle of Filottrano, 1944Battle of Noemfoor, 1944Battle of Pierres Noires, 1944Battle of Roquefixade, 1944Operation Ostra Brama, 1944Battle of Foret de Mont Castre, 1944Battle of Amfilochia, 1944Action of 17 July 1944, 1944Battle of Mount Gargan, 1944Battle of Verrières Ridge, 1944Lwów Uprising, 1944Battle of Saint-Lô, 1944Battle of Montecarotto, 1944Battle of Daugavpils, 1944Battle of Młodzawy, 1944Lorient pocket, 1944Battle of Skalbmierz, 1944Battle of Jaksicami, 1944Battle for Hill 140, 1944Battle of Guam, 1944Skirmish near Baranów, 1944Battle of Chambois, 1944Liberation of Martigues, 1944Battle of Marseille, 1944Battle of Montélimar, 1944Battle of Audierne Bay, 1944Battle of Nice, 1944Battle of Sansapor, 1944Battle of Meximieux, 1944Allied Siege of La Rochelle, 1944Liberation of Lyon, 1944Battle of Gemmano, 1944Battle of Merksem, 1944Battle of Nancy, 1944Air battle over the Ore Mountains, 1944Royan pocket, 1944Battle of Gravellona Toce, 1944Battle of Rimini, 1944Battle of Hürtgen Forest, 1944Battle of Arracourt, 1944Battle of San Marino, 1944Battle of Porkuni, 1944Battle of Overloon, 1944Battle of Aachen, 1944Battle of the Scheldt, 1944Battle of Übach – Palenberg, 1944Battle of Tehumardi, 1944Battle of Crucifix Hill, 1944Courland Pocket, 1944Battle of Purocielo, 1944Battle of Vukov Klanac, 1944Battle of Carei, 1944Lost Battalion, 1944Bataille de Bruyères, 1944Battle of Walcheren Causeway, 1944Niš incident, 1944Battle of Porta Lame, 1944Action of 10 November 1944, 1944Liberation of Strasbourg, 1944Battle of Monte Castello, 1944Battle of Wide Bay, 1944Dekemvriana, 1944Battle of Haalderen, 1944Battle of Kesternich, 1944Bloody Sunday, 1944Siege of Budapest, 1944Elsenborn Ridge, 1944Battle of Garfagnana, 1944Battle of Heartbreak Crossroads, 1944Battle of Okinawa, 1945Battle of Manila, 1945Final operations in Slovenia, 1945Battle of Groningen, 1945Battle of Aschaffenburg, 1945Action of 28 January 1945, 1945Battle of Mortirolo, 1945Liberation of Łódź, 1945Battle of Koło, 1945Battle of Opole, 1945Battle of Jebsheim, 1945Battle of Poznań, 1945Battle of Żory (1945), 1945Battle of Bataan, 1945Colmar Pocket, 1945Black Friday, 1945Siege of Glogau, 1945Battle of Riva Ridge, 1945Battle of Corregidor, 1945Battle of Schoenfeld, 1945Battle of the Transdanubian Hills, 1945Battle of Prudnik, 1945The Long Fight, 1945Operation Teardrop, 1945Battle of the Argenta Gap, 1945Battle of Königshofen, 1945Battle of Heilbronn, 1945Cactus Ridge, 1945The Pinnacle, Battle of Okinawa, 1945Battle of Königsberg, 1945Battle of Kakazu, 1945Battle of Bologna, 1945Battaglia del Senio, 1945Battle of Mołomotkami, 1945Battle of Montese, 1945Battle of Gaiana, 1945Battle for Merkendorf, 1945Battle of Odžak, 1945Battle of Halbe, 1945Battle of Collecchio, 1945Battle of Haglebu, 1945Operation Cowboy, 1945Battle of Opicina, 1945Battle of Castle Itter, 1945Battle of Kuryłówka, 1945Battle of Břest, 1945Battle of Slivice, 1945Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill, 1945Battle of Ipo Dam, 1945Battle in the Hills of Kuniyoshi, 1945Battle of Sagami Bay, 1945Action of 24 July 1945, 1945Seishin Operation, 194519391945Battle of Savo Island, 1942
313 placed engagements of World War II in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1942 (year precision)
to 9 August 1942
PlaceSavo Island, Solomon Islands
9.133S, 159.817E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Strength5 heavy cruisers; 2 light cruisers; 1 destroyer6 heavy cruisers; 2 light cruisers; 15 destroyers
Casualties and losses58 killed; 2 heavy cruisers damaged; 1 light cruiser damaged1,077 killed; 4 heavy cruisers sunk; 1 heavy cruiser damaged; 2 destroyers damaged
Commanders
Battle of Savo IslandBattle of Savo IslandBattle of TassafarongaNaval Battle of GuadalcanalBattle of Cape EsperanceBattle of Tulagi and Gavutu–TanambogoBattle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea HorseNaval Battle of GuadalcanalBattle of Cape Esperance100 km9.133S, 159.817E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Savo Island
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Savo Island today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-10-06. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 357 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 484 m, 484 m of relief, steep country and today it is 81% tree cover, 19% water.

tree cover: 81%water: 19%tree cover 81%water 19%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 421 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 449 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1942

Battle of Savo Island is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 27 in present-day Solomon Islands.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q700032, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Savo Island, revision 1384747955, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.