Learn Our History Today: On May 3, 1942, during World War II, one of the first major naval engagements of the war, the Battle of the Coral Sea, began when the Japanese invaded the island of Tulagi located in the Solomon Islands. This was part of aggressive defensive positioning to protect their recently acquired south Pacific empire. Little did the Japanese know, the U.S. Navy was just off the horizon, having been forewarned of the attack after decoding several Japanese secret messages. U.S. planes deployed from the carrier Yorktown, and the nearly five day battle began in earnest. In a whirlwind of fighter planes, torpedo bombers and aircraft carriers the two sides struck each other day after day, with the United States losing the carrier Lexington after it was too heavily damaged to carry on and the Japanese losing one carrier and one destroyer after they were heavily damaged by American planes. As the battle went on the Americans lost even more ships, including a destroyer and a fleet oiler, which had to be scuttled because it was too badly damaged. The days of heavy fighting took their toll on both sides and on May 8th both left the Coral Sea, after they had each suffered more than 600 men killed and 60 planes destroyed. Neither side could truly claim victory, because although the Japanese had destroyed more American ships, the Americans had turned back the Japanese. In the end, it was more a victory for the Americans who for the first time had really turned back the seemingly unstoppable Japanese.
Posted on: Sat, 03 May 2014 22:34:59 +0000
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