Originally Posted by
Asturias56
Yes - it was the main Japanese base before the Battle of the Coral Sea. Used to be the Capital of the Solomon Islands until 1942
Sleepy hollow since WW2
^^ Those who fail to learn the lessons of history, etc.
Among other reasons, the US Marines landed on Guadalcanal to take over/preempt use of the Japanese airfield being built there. (FWIW, Tulagi was the more direct objective of Operation Watchtower, but once the airfield's construction became evident the scope of the operation expanded).
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) had occupied Tulagi in May and had constructed a seaplane base nearby. Allied concern grew when, in early July, the IJN began constructing a large airfield at Lunga Point on nearby Guadalcanal – from such a base Japanese long-range bombers would threaten the sea lines of communication from the West Coast of the Americas to the populous East Coast of Australia.