By 23 August , Kawaguchi 's unit had reached Truk and was loaded onto slow transport ships for the rest of the trip to Guadalcanal . Because of the damage caused by Allied air attack to a separate troop convoy during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons , the Japanese decided not to deliver Kawaguchi 's troops to Guadalcanal by slow transport ship ; instead , the ships carrying Kawaguchi 's soldiers were sent to Rabaul . From there , the Japanese planned to deliver Kawaguchi 's men to Guadalcanal by destroyers , staging through a Japanese naval base in the Shortland Islands . The Japanese destroyers were usually able to make the round trip down " The Slot " to Guadalcanal and back in a single night , minimizing their exposure to Allied air attack . However , most of the soldiers ' heavy equipment and supplies , such as heavy artillery , vehicles , and much food and ammunition , could not be taken to Guadalcanal with them . These high @-@ speed destroyer runs to Guadalcanal , which occurred throughout the campaign , were later called the " Tokyo Express " by Allied forces and " Rat Transportation " by the Japanese . The Japanese controlled the seas around the Solomon Islands during the nighttime and were not challenged by the Allies . However , any Japanese ship remaining within the 200 mi ( 320 km ) range of the aircraft at Henderson Field in daylight was in great danger from air attacks . This " curious tactical situation " held for several months .