1942-05-08
Battle of the Coral Sea
Coral Sea, south of the Louisiade Islands
On 7 and 8 May 1942 Fletcher, in Yorktown, and Fitch, in Lexington, fought the carriers covering the Port Moresby landing. On the 7th, aircraft from both American carriers sank the light carrier Shoho. That same morning, aircraft from Shokaku and Zuikaku sank the destroyer Sims and wrecked the oiler Neosho. They had taken that pair for a carrier. On the 8th the fleet carriers found each other. Japanese aircraft wrecked Lexington. Phelps scuttled the abandoned hulk. Yorktown took one bomb and was not sunk. American aircraft wrecked Shokaku's flight deck. Zuikaku was not hit, but her air group was used up, so neither Japanese fleet carrier made Midway. Crace had been sent toward the invasion passage in Australia, with Chicago and Hobart. Land-based aircraft attacked that group and did not sink it.
U.S. Army map, Plate 14 in Reports of General MacArthur, Volume I, prepared by MacArthur's general staff. Public domain.
