Circa 1945: An American floating crane dumping pontoon boxes into Iron Bottom Sound. Guadalcanal Island in the background. Holes have been cut in the pontoons to ensure they sink. [Courtesy of Professor Judith A Bennett; NARA RG-112, 390/18/17/7]

25 July 1994: The same floating crane is located beached on the East bank of the Poha River mouth, on Guadalcanal’s Northwest coast. Guadalcanal Island in the background. The floating crane with crane tower has been an icon on this shoreline for decades. The history of how it came to be wrecked here is obscure. It appears to have been wrecked just after the war possibly due to a tropical storm. GPS: 9º 24.687’S, 159º 53.878’E.