the battle of the coral sea in 1942 quizlet the battle of the coral sea in 1942 quizlet

Two other dive bombers dove on Zuikaku, missing with their bombs. A Wildcat shot down one and patrolling SBDs (eight from Yorktown, 15 from Lexington) destroyed three more as the Japanese torpedo planes descended to take attack position. The U.S. sank the Japanese light carrier Shh, and the Japanese sank a U.S. destroyer and damaged the fleet oiler Neosho. [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. No effort appears to have been made to combine the surviving Shkaku aircrews with Zuikaku's air groups or to quickly provide Zuikaku with replacement aircraft. [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. The Japanese found the American fleet at 1118. [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). Two of the dive bombers were shot down by a CAP Wildcat during the attack. At 11:27, Yorktown was hit in the centre of her flight deck by a single 250kg (550lb), semi-armour-piercing bomb which penetrated four decks before exploding, causing severe structural damage to an aviation storage room and killing or seriously wounding 66 men, as well as damaging the superheater boilers which rendered them inoperable. By 10:13, the U.S. strike of 93 aircraft18 Grumman F4F Wildcats, 53 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers, and 22 Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bomberswas on its way. General MacArthur provided Australian Prime Minister John Curtin with his assessment of the battle, stating that "all the elements that have produced disaster in the Western Pacific since the beginning of the war" were still present as Japanese forces could strike anywhere if supported by major elements of the IJN. Another Shkaku scout aircraft quickly confirmed the sighting. Turning Point: The Doolittle Raid, Battle of the Coral Sea, and Battle of Midway focuses on the pivotal Battle of Midway and the events that led up to it, told through oral histories, artifacts and archival photographs and footage. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the battle is historically significant as the first naval action in which the opposing fleets neither sighted nor fired upon one another, attacking over the horizon with aircraft carriers instead. Although Zuikaku was undamaged, she had lost a large number of aircraft in the battle, and the Japanese apparently did not even consider trying to include Zuikaku in the forthcoming operation. The experienced Japanese carrier aircrews performed better than those of the U.S., achieving greater results with an equivalent number of aircraft. Takagi turned on his warships' searchlights to help guide the 18 surviving aircraft back and all were recovered by 22:00. As the invasion convoy reversed course, it was bombed by eight U.S. Army B-17s, but was not damaged. After recovering its aircraft late in the evening of 4 May, TF17 retired towards the south. At the same time, Vice Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue, commander of the IJN's Fourth Fleet (also called the South Seas Force) which consisted of most of the naval units in the South Pacific area, advocated the occupation of Tulagi in the southeastern Solomon Islands and Port Moresby in New Guinea, which would put Northern Australia within range of Japanese land-based aircraft. [52], The U.S. strike aircraft sighted Shh a short distance northeast of Misima Island at 10:40 and deployed to attack. A total of 78 aircraft18 Zero fighters, 36 Aichi D3A dive bombers, and 24 torpedo aircraftbegan launching from Shkaku and Zuikaku at 08:00 and were on their way by 08:15 towards the reported sighting. Take port Moresby by sea. Fletcher turned TF17 southwest. Takagi detached his two carriers with two destroyers under Hara's command to head towards TF17 at 20kn (23mph; 37km/h) in order to be in position to attack at first light the next day while the rest of his ships completed refueling. 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. The eight scout aircraft reached the end of their 200nmi (230mi; 370km) search leg and turned back without seeing Fletcher's ships. 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. Around the same time, Got's cruisers Kinugasa and Furutaka launched four Kawanishi E7K2 Type 94 floatplanes to search southeast of the Louisiades. The U.S. aircraft carriers had slightly larger aircraft complements than the Japanese carriers, which, when combined with the land-based aircraft at Midway, the availability of Yorktown, and the loss of two Japanese carriers, meant that the Japanese Navy and the U.S. Navy would have near parity in aircraft for the impending battle. 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. At 07:00, the carrier striking force turned to the southwest and was joined by two of Got's cruisers, Kinugasa and Furutaka, for additional screening support. [73], With her flight deck heavily damaged and 223 of her crew killed or wounded, having also suffered explosions in her gasoline storage tanks and an engine repair workshop destroyed, Shkaku was unable to conduct further aircraft operations. Yorktown's group consisted of six fighters, 24 dive bombers, and nine torpedo planes and was on its way by 09:15. During the day, U.S. Army bombers attacked Deboyne and Kamikawa Maru, inflicting unknown damage. 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. About that same time, the dive bombers that had attacked Neosho returned and landed. The rest of Lexington's dive bombers were unable to find the Japanese carriers in the heavy clouds. [104], Because of the severe losses in carriers at Midway, the Japanese were unable to support another attempt to invade Port Moresby from the sea, forcing Japan to try to take Port Moresby by land. Japan planned to use these conquered territories to establish a perimeter defense for its empire from which it expected to employ attritional tactics to defeat or exhaust any Allied counterattacks. Torn apart, Shh sank at 11:35 (1029S 15255E / 10.483S 152.917E / -10.483; 152.917). The resulting explosion killed 25 men and started a large fire. Yorktown, Air Operations of Yorktown Air Group against Japanese Forces in the vicinity of the Louisiade Archipelago on May 8, 1942 (Preliminary), Action Report: USS Yorktown (CV-5), Report of Action of Yorktown and Yorktown Air Group on May 8, 1942, Personal observations of SIMS No.409 disaster, "Report on Historical Sources on Australia and Japan at war in Papua and New Guinea, 194245", United States Pacific Fleet: Task Unit Seventeen Two Two, Action Report, Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 19411942, Interrogation Nav No. 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. The Japanese believed that they sank two carriers in the Coral Sea, but this still left at least two more U.S. Navy carriers, Enterprise and Hornet, to help defend Midway. [68], At 06:35, TF17 operating under Fitch's tactical control and positioned 180nmi (210mi; 330km) southeast of the Louisiades, launched 18 SBDs to conduct a 360 search out to 200nmi (230mi; 370km). During the battle, the U.S. Navy would achieve a decisive victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy resulting in irreparable damage to the Japanese Navy. . 10, USSBS No. World War Two 1931-1942 Pacific PPTX (71 SLIDES) & 10 Question Assessment W/Key. The U.S. lost one torpedo bomber and two fighters in the strikes, but all of the aircrew were eventually rescued. [102], Moreover, Yamamoto apparently missed the other implications of the Coral Sea battle: the unexpected appearance of U.S. carriers in exactly the right place and time (due to cryptanalysis) to effectively contest the Japanese, and U.S. Navy carrier aircrews demonstrating sufficient skill and determination to do significant damage to the Japanese carrier forces. The returning aviators reported they heavily damaged one carrier, but that another had escaped damage. 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. 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. The four torpedo planes which attacked Yorktown all missed. The Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942 A. saw the Americans take the offensive for the first time. To prevent this from occurring, the U.S. chose Tulagi and nearby Guadalcanal as the target of their first offensive. The strike force was commanded by Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi (flag on cruiser Myk), with Rear Admiral Chichi Hara, on Zuikaku, in tactical command of the carrier air forces. Both sides having suffered heavy aircraft losses and carriers sunk or damaged, the two forces disengaged and retired from the area. 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. (Photo Credit: U.S. Navy / NavSource / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain) Launched in November 1912 as the Seeandbee, the USS Wolverine was a luxury side-wheel paddle steamer that operated in the Great Lakes region. TF44 was a joint AustraliaU.S. At 11:00, Yorktown's air group attacked the burning and now almost stationary carrier, scoring with up to 11 more 1,000lb (450kg) bombs and at least two torpedoes. 8 May 1942. TF17 completed refueling the next day, but TF11 reported that they would not be finished fueling until 4 May. 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. Radar gave the U.S. a limited advantage in this battle, but its value to the U.S. Navy increased over time as the technology improved and the Allies learned how to employ it more effectively. 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. All of Shh's aircraft complement of 18 was lost, but three of the CAP fighter pilots were able to ditch at Deboyne and survived. [92], Both sides publicly claimed victory after the battle. [55], Apprised of the loss of Shh, Inoue ordered the invasion convoy to temporarily withdraw to the north and ordered Takagi, at this time located 225nmi (259mi; 417km) east of TF17, to destroy the U.S. carrier forces. [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. Yorktown left Pearl Harbor with three of her boilers inoperative and a maximum speed of 27 knots. Yorktown also absorbed both Japanese aerial counterattacks at Midway which otherwise would have been directed at Enterprise and Hornet. En route to Truk the submarine I-28 was torpedoed on 17 May by the U.S. submarine Tautog and sank with all hands. Takagi received the report at 10:50. He was informed that Allied intelligence sources believed that up to four Japanese carriers might be supporting the MO operation. 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. At the same time, their invasion fleet, protected by . Marumo's support group sortied from New Ireland on 29 April headed for Thousand Ships Bay, Santa Isabel Island, to establish a seaplane base on 2 May to support the Tulagi assault. The battle of the Coral Sea (3-8 May 1942) ended as the first major Japanese setback of the Second World War, and marked the end of the period of rapid Japanese expansion across the Pacific that began after the attack on Pearl Harbor. [65], Both sides expected to find each other early the next day, and spent the night preparing their strike aircraft for the anticipated battle as their exhausted aircrews attempted to get a few hours' sleep. Since Yamamoto had decided the decisive battle with the U.S. was to take place at Midway, he should not have diverted any of his important assets, especially fleet carriers, to a secondary operation like MO. [28] Fletcher immediately detached TF11 to refuel from the oiler Tippecanoe, while TF17 refueled from Neosho. Abe's ships departed Rabaul for the 840nmi (970mi; 1,560km) trip to Port Moresby on 4 May and were joined by Kajioka's force the next day. 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 . It was the first pure carrier-versus-carrier battle in history as neither surface fleet sighted the other. [74], At 10:55, Lexington's CXAM-1 radar detected the inbound Japanese aircraft at a range of 68nmi (78mi; 126km) and vectored nine Wildcats to intercept. Two U.S. dive bombers and two CAP Zeros were shot down during the attack. [51], Four dive bombers attacked Sims and the rest dived on Neosho. USS Wolverine (IX-64) USS Wolverine (IX-64), August 1943. Meanwhile aerial conflicts in South-West Pacific area have been continuing, and yesterday further damage . [14], On 29 April, Nimitz issued orders that sent his four carriers and their supporting warships towards the Coral Sea. [81], The strike forces, with many damaged aircraft, reached and landed on their respective carriers between 12:50 and 14:30. Two minutes later, a Shkaku search plane commanded by Kenz Kanno sighted TF17 and notified Hara. Research has examined how commanders choices affected the battles outcome. In spite of damage, Yorktown and Lexington were both able to recover aircraft from their returning air groups. Heavily damaged and without power, Neosho was left drifting and slowly sinking (1609S 15803E / 16.150S 158.050E / -16.150; 158.050). C. marked the major turning point of the war in the Pacific. Along with the battles at Milne Bay and Buna-Gona, the Guadalcanal campaign marked the Allies' transition from . 8 April 1942 5 may 1956 8 may 1956 Question 2 30 seconds Q. Each side readied the rest of its carrier attack aircraft to launch immediately once the enemy was located. The two carriers were protected by 16 CAP Zero fighters. The film ends with footage of the Battle of the Coral Sea (1942), which according to the film was made possible through the information brought back by the submariners. A third explosion occurred at 15:25 and at 15:38 the ship's crew reported the fires as uncontrollable. By then, the Allies had reinforced New Guinea with additional troops (primarily Australian) starting with the Australian 14th Brigade which embarked at Townsville on 15 May. [24], The Carrier Strike Force, with the carriers Zuikaku and Shkaku, two heavy cruisers, and six destroyers, sortied from Truk on 1 May. Lexington represented, at that time, 25% of U.S. carrier strength in the Pacific. [76] One of the survivors, Swede Vejtasa, claimed three Zeros during the onslaught (though none were lost). [115] For example, suppose the U.S. carriers had chosen to sail separately (though still nearby), rather than together. for the first time, the Allies had stopped the Japanese advance.You just studied 10 terms! [96], The results of the battle had a substantial effect on the strategic planning of both sides. The submarine took no damage and apparently did not realize that it had been attacked by carrier aircraft. Several of the Japanese dive bombers encountered the U.S. carriers in the darkness, around 19:00, and briefly confused as to their identity, circled in preparation for landing before anti-aircraft fire from TF17's destroyers drove them away. codebreakers. warship force under MacArthur's command, led by Australian Rear Admiral John Crace and made up of the cruisers HMASAustralia, Hobart, and USSChicago, along with three destroyers. [84], Aboard Lexington, damage control parties put out the fires and restored her to operational condition, but at 12:47, sparks from unattended electric motors ignited gasoline fumes near the ship's central control station. Takagi elected to take his carriers 120nmi (140mi; 220km) north during the night so he could concentrate his morning search to the west and south and ensure that his carriers could provide better protection for the invasion convoy. Allied carriers were diverted to the Coral Sea, where the Japanese fleet was attempting to capture Port Moresby on New Guinea's southeastern coast. Augmenting their search were several floatplanes from Deboyne, four Kawanishi H6Ks from Tulagi, and three Mitsubishi G4M bombers from Rabaul. In 1972, U.S. Vice Admiral H. S. Duckworth, after reading Japanese records of the battle, commented, "Without a doubt, May7, 1942, vicinity of Coral Sea, was the most confused battle area in world history. [16], Based on un-encrypted intercepted radio traffic from TF16 as it returned to Pearl Harbor, the Japanese assumed that all but one of the U.S. Navy's carriers were in the central Pacific. The U.S. carriers each launched a separate strike. Crace overheard radio reports saying the enemy invasion convoy had turned back, but, unaware Fletcher had withdrawn, he remained on patrol with the rest of TG17.3 in the Coral Sea in case the Japanese invasion force resumed its advance towards Port Moresby. War Crimes [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. although only the aircrafts made attacks American Casualties 543 wounded or dead Japanese Casualties 1074 wounded or dead What happened? Shima's invasion force departed Rabaul on 30 April. Lasted 4 days The battle Marked the first air-sea battle in history Japanese seeked Control of the coral see with an invasion of Port Moresby in New Guinea Admiral Frank J Fletcher In early May 1942, the Japanese despatched an invasion fleet from Rabaul to take Port Moresby, Papua. Ro-33 and Ro-34 were also deployed in an attempt to blockade Port Moresby, arriving off the town on 5 May. Battle of France, (May 10-June 25, 1940), during World War II, the German invasion of the Low Countries and France. Inoue did not cancel the recall of the invasion convoy, but ordered Takagi and Got to pursue the remaining Allied warship forces in the Coral Sea. Fletcher radioed MacArthur the approximate position of the Japanese carriers and suggested that he attack with his land-based bombers. Unlike the Japanese, the U.S. Navy put forth a maximum effort to make Yorktown available for the coming battle. Escorting Zeros shielded Takahashi's aircraft from four Lexington CAP Wildcats which attempted to intervene, but two Wildcats circling above Yorktown were able to disrupt Ema's formation. At 10:19, Nielsen landed and discovered his coding error. Zuikaku and her escorts turned towards Rabaul while Shkaku headed for Japan. 1 smaller warship damaged, 1 transport damaged, 69 - 97 aircraft destroyed . [44], At 07:22 one of Takagi's carrier scouts, from Shkaku, reported U.S. ships bearing 182 (just west of due south), 163nmi (188mi; 302km) from Takagi. 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. [59], Shortly after 15:00, Zuikaku monitored a message from a Deboyne-based reconnaissance aircraft reporting (incorrectly) Crace's force altered course to 120 true (southeast). (Bibliography of Japanese-language sources), South West Pacific theatre of World War II, Pacific Theater aircraft carrier operations during World War II, U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific) 1946, "A Stochastic Salvo Model Analysis of the Battle of the Coral Sea", "Chapter 16: To the Central Pacific and Tarawa, August 1943Background to Galvanic", History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, The Campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific, Japanese Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area, United States Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific), "Alternative Endings to the First Aircraft Carrier Battle", "HIJMS Furutaka: Tabular Record of Movement", "HIJMS Submarine I-28: Tabular Record of Movement", "HIJMS Submarine RO-33: Tabular Record of Movement", "HIJMS Submarine RO-34: Tabular Record of Movement", "IJN Seaplane Tender Kiyokawa Maru: Tabular Record of Movement", "IJN Kikuzuki: Tabular Record of Movement", U.S.S. Once in the Coral Sea, the carriers were to provide air cover for the invasion forces, eliminate Allied air power at Port Moresby, and intercept and destroy any Allied naval forces which entered the Coral Sea in response. It marked the first.