Iron Bottom Sound in Guadalcanal, The Solomons

The USS Aaron Ward was sunk on the 7th April 1943. She was called in to provide coverage for LST449 (Landing Ship Tank 449) from an in-coming Japanese air raid. The “Ward” was hit and suffered severe damage to the forward and aft boiler rooms and engine room spaces, just off Lunga Point near Henderson Field.

At first it was thought the “Ward” could be saved and she was taken under tow for the Seabees yard at Tulagi. The closer they got the more obvious it was that she was not going to make it and she slipped below the water off Tinete Point in the Florida islands at 21:35 hours.

The USS Aaron Ward can now be found in 60 to 70 metres of water sitting upright on the bottom, still largely intact. The “Ward" was located in 1995 by Ewan Stephenson, long after the era of the fleet salvagers of the 1960-70s, so she is mostly untouched. The 4 x 5” Mounts, 2 x 40mm Bofors, 7 x 20mm cannons and 5 torpedoes are all still easily visible, along with the screws (not seen on many ships). She is 348 metres long, so even with the depth of water, a couple of dives will allow you to see the entire wreck comfortably. The "Ward" is one of the world\'s great wreck sites and very large on the wow factor - visibility on average is 20 to 30 metres.

Would you like to see more? Go to the page Sardinia Wreck and Cave.