[Milsurplus] Guadalcanal japanese transmitter

[Nick England]

FYI - Just came across this interesting 2003 posting from a guy who was there -
Nick
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U. S. NAVAL RADIO STATION NGK, Radio Guadalcanal 1942. THE FIRST NAVAL
RADIO STATION ON FOREIGN SOIL in WWII.

When the First Marine Divison landed on Guadalcanal 7 August 1942. The Navy
pulled out shortly thereafter without landing all personnel, food,
munitions and equipment.

They left the First Marine Division with NO long range communications.
Marine Divisions did not have long range radio capability in 1942

On Guadalcanal August 8th 1942, The Fifth Marines uncovered a Japanese
Communication and Control Center fully operational. Two miles away a
remotely operated transmitter station was also discovered.

General Alexander Archer Vandegrift gave 2nd Lt Sanford B. Hunt
USMCR-Asst. Div . Signal Officer, the mission of getting messages off
the island and receive incoming messages. (This is an Off-Island
system as compared to internal Division communications). With the help
of the Divison Signal Company (Tech Sgt. Felix Feranto) the Japanese
Radio station was put on the air. The Divison started copying the
Fleet Broadcast from which the Divison received all incoming radio
traffic. (in cipher).

Using the new facility Cincpacflt was asked for a land based radio
call sign Naval Radio Call "NGK" was assigned by Navy Headquarters in
Washington DC. It has never been determined to whom the call sign was
assigned such as the First Marine Divison etc. But the Divison now had
off-island communications and a low grade cipher system.

Naval Radio Station NGK operated by Marines took over radio guard for
all Military units on the island for message traffic coming from
outside the island. (except for Coastwatcher messages and internal
divisional traffic).

The station was operated as an unsinkable ship at sea in the Naval
Communication System. Marine Divison signal units had been trained to
do so..

Not only were handled the Divison's official messages but all the
PRESS traffic from MILLER, TREGASKIS and the rest. However, message
traffic could not be sent in the clear because there was too much
current battle information included. Gen. Vandegrift had directed
PRESS be sent uncensored.

Where were the security and intelligence brains?? Well it would have
been a no brainer to do this. The station, under control of 2nd Lt.
Hunt took it upon themselves to encipher every word of every press
release. This was an unforseen burden to say the least.

However 2nd Lts. don't argue with Generals-- but all messages were
sent uncensored but enciphered every day to CincPacFlt staff who
deciphered them, CENSORED THEM, and passed the info to the appropriate
commercial media offices in Pearl.

The enemy was thus denied this useful information.

Radio Guadcanal continued operating until 12 September 1942 when the
Japaness put a bomb down the station chimney. Operations were moved to
the Transmitter station in minutes, and held forth
there until the NAVY took over what was rightfully theirs, Naval
Radio Staion NGK, finally dug under a mountain and secure.

The First Marine Divison continued to do their own CIPHER work but messages
were transmitted by the Naval Advanced Base group in their new mountain
hide-away...

2nd Lt. Hunt's citation fails to say who it was that didn't show in
early August. It should have been a NAVY Advance Base Radio
station--the citation says SOMEONE didn't show--all signed neatly by
SecNav with Bronze Star attached.

For techically inclined--no teletypes, computers, voice
transmissions or satellites--all messages were sent and received by
CW--Radio Morse hand keyed transmissions.

The Marine Divison communication staff--Major Ed Snedeker, Div. Signal
Officer(later LTGEN), Capt. Bob Hall, internal Divison communications;
2nd Lt Sandy Hunt,
external communications and crytography..

Col. Sanford B. Hunt USMC (Ret)
6506 Oxford Avenue
Lubbock Texas
sbh3 at prodigy.net

See " Guadcanal Revisited" by Merillat; "In Many a Strife" by Millett
for later First Marine Divison communications handling of ULTRA Top
Secret messages containing information from Japanese transmissions.
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