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Neosho Detail: Engagement of U.S.S. Fletcher's forces had entered the Coral Sea area before the submarines took station, and the Japanese were therefore unaware of their presence. [95], The battle marked the first time that a Japanese invasion force was turned back without achieving its objective, which greatly lifted the morale of the Allies after a series of defeats by the Japanese during the initial six months of the Pacific Theatre. In early May 1942, the Japanese despatched an invasion fleet from Rabaul to take Port Moresby, Papua. [45] The Shkaku aircraft actually sighted and misidentified the oiler Neosho and destroyer Sims, which had earlier been detailed away from the fleet to a southern rendezvous point. Fletcher elected to take TF17 northwest towards the Louisiades and ordered TF11 to meet TF 44, which was en route from Sydney and Nouma, on 4 May once refueling was complete. Heavily damaged and without power, Neosho was left drifting and slowly sinking (1609S 15803E / 16.150S 158.050E / -16.150; 158.050). The U.S. Navy's decisive victory in the air-sea battle (June 3-6, 1942) and its successful defense of the major base located at Midway Island dashed Japan's hopes of neutralizing the United. Fletcher understood that Crace would be operating without air cover since TF17's carriers would be busy trying to locate and attack the Japanese carriers. The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) rejected the recommendation, stating that it did not have the forces or shipping capacity available to conduct such an operation. In the ensuing aerial duels, three SBDs and three Wildcats for the U.S., and three torpedo bombers, one dive bomber, and one Zero for the Japanese were downed. Fletcher turned TF17 southwest. Although the withdrawal of Yorktown from the Coral Sea conceded the field, the Japanese were forced to abandon the operation that had initiated the Battle of the Coral Sea in the first place. In the words of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Combined Fleet's "Secret Order Number One", dated 1 November 1941, the goals of the initial Japanese campaigns in the impending war were to "[eject] British and American strength from the Netherlands Indies and the Philippines, [and] to establish a policy of autonomous self-sufficiency and economic independence. In order to try to keep to the MO timetable, Takagi was forced to abandon the delivery mission after the second attempt and direct his force towards the Solomon Islands to refuel. Detaching Crace reduced the anti-aircraft defenses for Fletcher's carriers. "[103], The Australians and U.S. forces in Australia were initially disappointed with the outcome of the Battle of the Coral Sea, fearing the MO operation was the precursor to an invasion of the Australian mainland and the setback to Japan was only temporary. [85], That evening, Crace detached Hobart, which was critically low on fuel, and the destroyer Walke, which was having engine trouble, to proceed to Townsville. The sighting was confirmed by a Kinugasa floatplane at 08:30. Seaplanes from Deboyne assisted Takagi in searching for TF17 on the morning of 10 May. The ships, proceeding at 8kn (9.2mph; 15km/h), planned to transit the Jomard Channel in the Louisiades to pass around the southern tip of New Guinea to arrive at Port Moresby by 10 May. Believing that the B-17's sighting was the main Japanese carrier force (which was in fact well to the east), Fletcher directed the airborne strike force towards this target. The 13 CAP Zeros on patrol at this time shot down three Wildcats. The photograph was taken from from a TBD-1 torpedo plane that has just taken off from its deck. Caption: Battle of the Coral Sea, May 1942. Instead, manned aircraft acted as the offensive artillery for the ships involved. Take port Moresby by sea. The Japanese landed at Tulagi in the Solomons on 2 May. The aircraft carrier Yorktown's Bombing Squadron Five (SBD-3 Dauntless scout bombers) spotted forward on the flight deck during operations in the Coral Sea, April 1942. [42], At 06:25 on 7 May, TF17 was 115nmi (132mi; 213km) south of Rossel Island (1320S 15421E / 13.333S 154.350E / -13.333; 154.350). In launching this war, Japanese leaders sought to neutralize the U.S. fleet, seize territory rich in natural resources, and obtain strategic military bases to defend their far-flung empire. [20], Leading the invasion of Tulagi was the Tulagi Invasion Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Kiyohide Shima, consisting of two minelayers, two older Mutsuki-class destroyers, five minesweepers, two subchasers and a transport ship carrying about 400 troops from the 3rd Kure SNLF. C. marked the major turning point of the war in the Pacific. He was informed that Allied intelligence sources believed that up to four Japanese carriers might be supporting the MO operation. The Battle of Coral Sea: A Retrospective Often overshadowed by the Battle of Midway, the hard-fought carrier naval battle in May 1942 in the waters of the Coral Sea north of Australia marked the end of the phase of Japanese triumphs in the Pacific War and proved to be of strategic significance. Neosho with Japanese Aircraft on May 7, 1942; Subsequent Loss of U.S.S. [10], Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Combined Fleet, was concurrently planning an operation for June that he hoped would lure the U.S. Navy's carriers, none of which had been damaged in the Pearl Harbor attack, into a decisive showdown in the central Pacific near Midway Atoll. for the first time, the Allies had stopped the Japanese advance.You just studied 10 terms! Dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan surrendered in August 1945 because the United States? [72], Lexington's aircraft arrived and attacked at 11:30. The Japanese suffered much higher losses to their carrier aircrews, losing ninety aircrew killed in the battle compared with thirty-five for the U.S. side. Torn apart, Shh sank at 11:35 (1029S 15255E / 10.483S 152.917E / -10.483; 152.917). Takagi and Hara, confused by the conflicting sighting reports they were receiving, decided to continue with the strike on the ships to their south, but turned their carriers towards the northwest to close the distance with Furutaka's reported contact. [64], As nightfall ended aircraft operations for the day, Fletcher ordered TF17 to head west and prepared to launch a 360 search at first light. MacArthur's headquarters radioed Fletcher with reports of the attacks and the locations of the Japanese invasion forces. Based on these reports, Takagi, who was still awaiting the return of all of his aircraft from attacking Neosho, turned his carriers due west at 13:30 and advised Inoue at 15:00 that the U.S. carriers were at least 430nmi (490mi; 800km) west of his location and that he would therefore be unable to attack them that day. At 12:10, using a prearranged message to signal TF17 on the success of the mission, Lexington SBD pilot and squadron commander Robert E. Dixon radioed "Scratch one flat top! "[7], To support these goals, during the first few months of 1942, besides Malaya, Japanese forces attacked and successfully took control of the Philippines, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, Wake Island, New Britain, the Gilbert Islands and Guam, inflicting heavy losses on opposing Allied land, naval and air forces. Fletcher noted that both his carriers were hurt and that his air groups had suffered high fighter losses. Three U.S. aircraft were lost in the attack: two SBDs from Lexington and one from Yorktown. On 19 May, TF16 which returned to the Efate area to refuel turned towards Pearl Harbor and arrived there on 26 May. [31], On 4 May, from a position 100nmi (120mi; 190km) south of Guadalcanal (1110S 15849E / 11.167S 158.817E / -11.167; 158.817), a total of 60 aircraft from TF17 launched three consecutive strikes against Shima's forces off Tulagi. Takagi turned on his warships' searchlights to help guide the 18 surviving aircraft back and all were recovered by 22:00. More significantly, the news informed Fletcher his only nearby available fuel supply was gone. [27], On the morning of 1 May, TF17 and TF11 united about 300nmi (350mi; 560km) northwest of New Caledonia (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}1616S 16220E / 16.267S 162.333E / -16.267; 162.333). Yorktown would go into battle with her own scouting squadron, but Saratoga's torpedo bomber, dive bomber, and fighter squadrons. The results of the battle confirmed the low opinion held by the Japanese of U.S. fighting capability and supported their overconfident belief that future carrier operations against the U.S. were assured of success. Crace's ships were low on fuel, and as Fletcher was maintaining radio silence (and had not informed him in advance), Crace had no idea of Fletcher's location, status, or intentions. Assisting in the search were three Kawanishi H6Ks from Tulagi and four G4M bombers from Rabaul. In H. P. Willmot's words, the commanders "had to contend with uncertain and poor communications in situations in which the area of battle had grown far beyond that prescribed by past experience but in which speeds had increased to an even greater extent, thereby compressing decision-making time. Late in the evening of 9 May, Takagi and Got headed southeast, then southwest into the Coral Sea. Six of the weary dive bomber pilots were told they would be immediately departing on another mission. Her captain, Takatsugu Jjima, requested permission from Takagi and Hara to withdraw from the battle, to which Takagi agreed. Fuel was also a concern due to the loss of Neosho. Research has examined how commanders choices affected the battles outcome. By contrast, suppose one side had located its opponent early enough to launch a first strike, so that only the opponents survivors could have struck back. Both groups found and attacked Crace's ships at 14:30 and claimed to have sunk a "California-type" battleship and damaged another battleship and cruiser. [107], Three months later, on 7 August 1942, 11,000 United States Marines landed on Guadalcanal, and 3,000 U.S. Marines landed on Tulagi and nearby islands. Following the loss of Lexington, improved methods for containing aviation fuel and better damage control procedures were implemented by the U.S.[117] Coordination between the Allied land-based air forces and the U.S. Navy was poor during this battle, but this too would improve over time. Thus, the respective commanders were participating in a new type of warfare, carrier-versus-carrier, with which neither had any experience. [24], The Carrier Strike Force, with the carriers Zuikaku and Shkaku, two heavy cruisers, and six destroyers, sortied from Truk on 1 May. Shkaku herself was unable to conduct further aircraft operations, with her flight deck heavily damaged, and she required almost three months of repair in Japan.[99]. 46: Coral Sea Battle, 78 May 1942, Battle of Eastern Solomons (Interrogations of: Commander Sekino, H., and Commander Okumiya, Masatake, IJN), Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Rape during the Soviet occupation of Poland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_the_Coral_Sea&oldid=1137296243, Naval battles of World War II involving Japan, Naval battles of World War II involving the United States, Naval battles of World War II involving Australia, World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre, Military history of Japan during World War II, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. On 13 April, the British deciphered an IJN message informing Inoue that the Fifth Carrier Division, consisting of the fleet carriers Shkaku and Zuikaku, was en route to his command from Formosa via the main IJN base at Truk. The five I-class submarines supporting the MO operation were retasked to support an attack on Sydney Harbour three weeks later as part of a campaign to disrupt Allied supply lines. 1. The experienced Japanese carrier aircrews performed better than those of the U.S., achieving greater results with an equivalent number of aircraft. [114] Two studies used mathematical models to estimate the impact of various alternatives. Operation Mo (MO, Mo Sakusen) or the Port Moresby Operation was a Japanese plan to take control of the Australian Territory of New Guinea during World War II as well as other locations in the South Pacific. in /nfs/c05/h04/mnt/113983/domains/toragrafix.com/html/wp-content . Instead, aircraft launched from carrier decks were sent out to attack the enemy with bombs and torpedoes. [109] Thus began the Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands campaigns that resulted in a series of attritional, combined-arms battles between Allied and Japanese forces over the next year which, in tandem with the New Guinea campaign, eventually neutralized Japanese defenses in the South Pacific, inflicted irreparable losses on the Japanese militaryespecially its navyand contributed significantly to the Allies' eventual victory over Japan. Nielsen, making an error in his coded message, reported the sighting as "two carriers and four heavy cruisers" at 103S 15227E / 10.050S 152.450E / -10.050; 152.450, 225nmi (259mi; 417km) northwest of TF17. E. marked the first important victory by the United States against Japan. Special Exhibit at The National WWII Museum, on view from April 18 - July 8, 2012. Although the damage was estimated to take 90 days to repair, Nimitz gave the shipyard only three days, and only the most critical repairs were made to make the ship seaworthy. [38], U.S. B-17 bombers based in Australia[39] and staging through Port Moresby attacked the approaching Port Moresby invasion forces, including Got's warships, several times during the day on 6 May without success. The sun set at 18:30. Later that evening, MacArthur informed Fletcher that eight of his B-17s had attacked the invasion convoy and that it was retiring to the northwest. Thus, both carriers would be unable to participate in Yamamoto's upcoming Midway operation. Further operations against Fiji, Samoa and New Caledonia (Operation FS) were to be planned once Mo and RY were completed. All out air attack by the Americans and Japanese clashing together - planes were fighting nearby carriers. In return, escorting Zeros shot down four Yorktown SBDs. [87], At 22:00 on 8 May, Yamamoto ordered Inoue to turn his forces around, destroy the remaining Allied warships, and complete the invasion of Port Moresby. By the end of April, the U.S. was reading up to 85% of the signals broadcast in the Ro code. The destroyer was hit by three bombs, broke in half, and sank immediately, killing all but 14 of her 192-man crew. Yorktown's aircraft surprised Shima's ships and sank the destroyer Kikuzuki (0907S 16012E / 9.117S 160.200E / -9.117; 160.200) and three of the minesweepers, damaged four other ships, and destroyed four seaplanes which were supporting the landings. On 34 May, Japanese forces successfully invaded and occupied Tulagi, although several supporting warships were sunk or damaged in a surprise attack by the U.S. carrier Yorktown. Takagi's staff assumed the aircraft was shadowing Fletcher's carriers and determined if the Allied ships held that course, they would be within striking range shortly before nightfall. Battle of the Coral Sea, 4-8 May 1942 Japanese intentions By April 1942 the Japanese had formed a defensive perimeter which stretched from the Kuriles southward through the Marshall Islands to New Britain, then westwards to Java, Sumatra, the Andaman Islands and Burma. Two dive bombers attacked Shkaku, hitting the carrier with one 1,000lb (450kg) bomb, causing further damage. The Japanese carrier was protected by four Zeros and two Mitsubishi A5M fighters flying combat air patrol (CAP), as the rest of the carrier's aircraft were being prepared below decks for a strike against the U.S. carriers. Inoue directed Takagi to make sure he destroyed the U.S. carriers the next day, and postponed the Port Moresby landings to 12May. More importantly, the damage to Shkaku and the aircraft losses of Zuikaku prevented both ships from participating in the Battle of Midway the following month. Battle of the Coral Sea Courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command Operating from this base the Japanese would threaten the shipping supply routes to Australia. [69], At 08:20, a Lexington SBD piloted by Joseph G. Smith spotted the Japanese carriers through a hole in the clouds and notified TF17. Yamamoto's decision meant Japanese naval forces were weakened just enough at both the Coral Sea and Midway battles to allow the Allies to defeat them in detail. Two other dive bombers dove on Zuikaku, missing with their bombs. Capable of carrying up to 6,000 passengers and 1,500 tons of cargo, her typical route saw her travel between Cleveland . The U.S. carriers each launched a separate strike. According to the Compensation Guide for Anti-Fraud Professionals 2017/2018, you are likely to earn 31% more as a CFE professional than your colleagues who are not CFE certified, which is clearly showed prominent increase in certified fraud examiner salary. The Battle of the Coral Sea is unique in the annals of naval history. [17], During late April, the Japanese submarines Ro-33 and Ro-34 reconnoitered the area where landings were planned. [82], As TF17 recovered its aircraft, Fletcher assessed the situation. [41], Late on 6 May or early on 7 May, Kamikawa Maru set up a seaplane base in the Deboyne Islands in order to help provide air support for the invasion forces as they approached Port Moresby. On 8 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the main carrier forces located one another and launched maximum-effort raids, which passed each other in the air. Neosho; Search for Survivors, "IJN Shokaku: Tabular Record of Movement", "IJN Zuikaku: Tabular Record of Movement", "Battle of Midway: Repairing the Yorktown After the Battle of the Coral Sea", Destroyers, Pacific Fleet: Sinking of the U.S.S. The 19 Shkaku dive bombers, under Takahashi, lined up on Lexington while the remaining 14, directed by Tamotsu Ema, targeted Yorktown. At Midway, aircraft flying from Yorktown played crucial roles in the American victory. Another Shkaku scout aircraft quickly confirmed the sighting. At 14:22, Fitch notified Fletcher that he had reports of two undamaged Japanese carriers and that this was supported by radio intercepts. quizlet praxis ii test study guide exam info teacher certification wwii study guide flashcards quizlet . [28] Fletcher immediately detached TF11 to refuel from the oiler Tippecanoe, while TF17 refueled from Neosho. At 01:00 on 10 May, hearing no further reports of Japanese ships advancing towards Port Moresby, Crace turned towards Australia and arrived at Cid Harbor, 130nmi (150mi; 240km) south of Townsville, on 11 May. On June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway, fought between American and Japanese fleets in the Pacific Ocean, began. The battle's strategic background was set by the Japanese plan formulated in early 1942 that saw the country's forces advance south and southeastward from the Bismarcks and Solomons, with the. It marked the first. B. saw the United States forced to withdraw its naval forces. "[66] Hara later told Yamamoto's chief of staff, Admiral Matome Ugaki, he was so frustrated with the "poor luck" the Japanese experienced on 7 May that he felt like quitting the navy. In 1942 submarine commander Jeff . Japan moves southerly hoping to take control of Southern nations 2. Believing that he faced overwhelming Japanese carrier superiority, Fletcher elected to withdraw TF17 from the battle. Yorktown reached Pearl the following day. Two fleet carriers and a light carrier were assigned to provide air cover for the invasion forces, under the overall command of Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue. Beginning on June 4, 1942, the U.S. fleet, under the command of Admiral Chester Nimitz, defended Midway from Imperial Japanese forces, while launching a withering attack upon the Japanese fleet -. Tulagi and Guadalcanal were four hours flying time from Rabaul, the nearest large Japanese base. What did the Japanese want, in order to install a blockade. [63], In the meantime, at 15:18 and 17:18 Neosho was able to radio TF17 she was drifting northwest in a sinking condition. [46], At 08:20, one of the Furutaka aircraft found Fletcher's carriers and immediately reported it to Inoue's headquarters at Rabaul, which passed the report on to Takagi. It was a fight . Got's cruisers surrounded the carrier in a diamond formation, 3,0005,000yd (2,7004,600m) off each of Shh's corners. The first torpedo buckled the port aviation gasoline stowage tanks. The U.S. learned of the Japanese plan through signals intelligence and sent two U.S. Navy carrier task forces and a joint Australian-American cruiser force to oppose the offensive, under the overall command of U.S. Admiral Frank J. Fletcher. "[54], The U.S. aircraft returned and landed on their carriers by 13:38. When did the battle end. TF17 then turned to head northwest towards Rossel Island in the Louisiades. Four of the Japanese torpedo planes were shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Takagi, approximately 300nmi (350mi; 560km) east of Fletcher (1312S 15805E / 13.200S 158.083E / -13.200; 158.083), launched 12 Nakajima B5Ns at 06:00 to scout for TF17. This may be the explosion reported to have taken place at 1727 hrs, which was followed by a "great explosion" aft as stowed torpedo warheads detonated on the hangar deck. codebreakers. [22] Inoue directed the MO operation from the cruiser Kashima, with which he arrived at Rabaul from Truk on 4 May. Takahashi's bombers damaged Lexington with two bomb hits and several near misses, causing fires which were contained by 12:33. [94], From a strategic perspective, however, the battle was an Allied victory as it averted the seaborne invasion of Port Moresby, lessening the threat to the supply lines between the U.S. and Australia. A Japanese invasion force succeeds. The Battle of the Coral Sea, a major engagement of the Pacific Theatre of World War II, was fought 4-8 May 1942 in the waters east of New Guinea and south of the Bismarck Islands between elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States (U.S.) and Australia.. To extend their empire in the Pacific to the conquest of Australia, the Japanese first had . The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Willmott adds, if either operation was important enough to commit fleet carriers, then all of the Japanese carriers should have been committed to each in order to ensure success. Fletcher radioed MacArthur the approximate position of the Japanese carriers and suggested that he attack with his land-based bombers. Spring 1942: Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, America was reeling under the successive Japanese victories at Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and more. [97] For the Japanese, who focused on the tactical results, the battle was seen as merely a temporary setback. After the operation's flagship, minelayer Okinoshima, was sunk by the U.S. submarine S-42 on 12 May (0506S 15348E / 5.100S 153.800E / -5.100; 153.800), the landings were postponed until 17 May. Cast Up to 12 near misses damaged Yorktown's hull below the waterline. At the same time, their invasion fleet, protected by . 8, USSBS No. War Crimes On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 was no exception. Zuikaku and her escorts turned towards Rabaul while Shkaku headed for Japan. [8], Shortly after the war began, Japan's Naval General Staff recommended an invasion of Northern Australia to prevent Australia from being used as a base to threaten Japan's perimeter defences in the South Pacific. Japan's cadre of highly skilled carrier aircrews with which it began the war were, in effect, irreplaceable because of an institutionalised limitation in its training programs and the absence of a pool of experienced reserves or advanced training programs for new airmen. By 20:00, TF17 and Takagi were about 100nmi (120mi; 190km) apart. Acting on signals intelligence, the U.S. placed eight submarines along the projected route of the carriers' return paths to Japan, but the submarines were not able to make any attacks. En route to Truk the submarine I-28 was torpedoed on 17 May by the U.S. submarine Tautog and sank with all hands. Yamamoto concurred with Takagi's decision and ordered Zuikaku to return to Japan to replenish her air groups. On June 22, 1941, the German offensive was launched by three army groups under the same commanders as in the invasion of France in 1940: on the left (north), an army group under Leeb struck from East Prussia into the Baltic states toward Leningrad; on the right (south), another army group, under Rundstedt, with an armoured group under Kleist, In just over six weeks, German armed forces overran Belgium and the Netherlands, drove the British Expeditionary Force from the Continent, captured Paris, and forced the surrender of the French government. The submarine took no damage and apparently did not realize that it had been attacked by carrier aircraft. The Yorktown torpedo planes missed with all of their ordnance. Supporting the Tulagi force was the Covering Group with the light carrier Shh, the IJN's four Furutaka /Aoba-class heavy cruisers, and one destroyer, commanded by Rear Admiral Aritomo Got. At 13:00 on 10 May, Takagi concluded that the enemy was gone and decided to turn back towards Rabaul. Unknown to Fletcher, TF11 completed refueling that morning ahead of schedule and was only 60nmi (69mi; 110km) east of TF17, but was unable to communicate its status because of Fletcher's orders to maintain radio silence. By committing crucial assets to MO, Yamamoto made the more important Midway operation dependent on the secondary operation's success. In 1942 submarine commander Jeff Conway secretly photographs Japanese aircraft carriers in the Coral Sea but his submarine is damaged and he's forced to surrender. The Carrier Strike Force was to proceed down the eastern side of the Solomon Islands and enter the Coral Sea south of Guadalcanal. Escorting the transports was the Port Moresby Attack Force with one light cruiser and six relatively old Kamikaze and Mutsuki-class destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka. The four torpedo planes which attacked Yorktown all missed. The two carriers rejoined the Combined Fleet on 14 July and were key participants in subsequent carrier battles against U.S. forces. Aircraft from Shh covered the landings until early afternoon, when Got's force turned towards Bougainville to refuel in preparation to support the landings at Port Moresby. 4-5 June 1942; Japanese plan to capture Midway and Aleutians, last 2 locations US could operate against Japan from and gain sea control by luring US carriers out to sea and destroying them; tactically, US victory, US lost 1/3 carriers, Japan lost 4/4; operationally, Japanese failed to achieve sea control in decisive sea battle; strategically, Japanese lost all large carriers, US industry . At about the same time, four Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters from Yorktown intercepted a Kawanishi H6K reconnaissance flying boat from the Yokohama Air Group of the 25th Air Flotilla based at the Shortland Islands and shot it down 11nmi (13mi; 20km) from TF11. Battle of the Coral Sea, (May 4-8, 1942) World War II naval and air engagement in which a U.S. fleet turned back a Japanese invasion force that had been heading for strategic Port Moresby in New Guinea. An explosion amidships on USS Lexington (CV-2), while she was being abandoned during the afternoon of 8 May 1942. Thus, Fletcher decided to hold off on another strike this day and remain concealed under the thick overcast with fighters ready in defense. The battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 was the first naval battle in history fought?