[FA_Cheech]

a crappy shot i took in a hurry to show one of the many SPB's (seaplane bases)

this is an anchorage used by VP-23 during the invasion of Tulagi/Guadalcanal in the Marasamike estuary operating from the seaplane tender Mackinac.

also some small stats here:
runways on the slot map - 25
SPB's on the slot map - 9

Thrud,
Check e-mail...I talked to the Textual Records Division of The National Archives today, and they confirmed they have USS Mackinac's (AVP-13) WWII deck logs on-file, and will make copies for you. According to my research, USS Mackinac set up shop with VP-23 in the Marasamike Estuary on the 8th of August, 1942, to support long-range reconnaissance ops and Anti-Submarine patrols. It also appears she anchored at several different locations within the estuary during her stay, so we may want to request deck log entries for the 8th-11th. USN ships record lat/long hourly, in the deck log, when at anchor so we should be able to nail the SPB with these records. We may also get some other tidbits, like aircraft launch times, other ships in company, etc. 8)