7-8 May 1942
The Battle of the Coral Sea
The Japanese plan to stage landings at Port Moresby, Papua, had been scheduled for March. However, raids by U.S. carrier-based aircraft led to the postponement of the operation until May, when the Fourth Fleet under Admiral Inouye Shigeyoshi could be present to provide protection for the invasion force. Task Force 17, consisting of the carriers Yorktown and Lexington as well as eight cruisers and eleven destroyers, was dispatched to intercept the enemy fleet before it could reach Port Moresby. The resulting battle was the first naval engagement in history in which the opposing surface vessels never directly saw one another—the only combat was conducted by carrier-based aircraft. The result was essentially a draw, as each side lost an aircraft carrier (the Lexington, on the American side). However, the failure to deal a decisive blow to the Americans led the Japanese once again to postpone the Port Moresby operation, this time indefinitely.

Histories:
Drawing the Battle Line in the Pacific
The Battle of the Coral Sea

Campaign Maps:
Battle of the Coral Sea, 1942
Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, 1942

Documents:
Task Force 11 Report
Task Force 17.2.2 Action Report