The Battle of the Coral Sea, 1942: the first carrier battle

At a glance

Allies (United States and Australia)Rear Adm. Frank J. Fletcher

Empire of JapanVice Adm. Shigeyoshi Inoue

Date

4 to 8 May 1942

Location

Coral Sea, off northeastern Australia and New Guinea

Period

Second World War, Pacific theatre

Outcome

Tactical Japanese edge; strategic Allied victory

By the numbers
Side	Strength	Losses
Allies	2 fleet carriers	Carrier Lexington and other ships lost; ~650 killed
Japan	2 fleet carriers plus a light carrier	Light carrier sunk, a fleet carrier damaged; ~900 killed

By the numbers

Side

Strength

Losses

Allies

2 fleet carriers

Carrier Lexington and other ships lost; ~650 killed

Japan

2 fleet carriers plus a light carrier

Light carrier sunk, a fleet carrier damaged; ~900 killed

Quick answer

The Battle of the Coral Sea, 4 to 8 May 1942, was the first carrier-versus-carrier battle in history¹, fought entirely by aircraft while the fleets stayed out of sight² of each other. Japan sank more tonnage, including the US carrier Lexington, so the day was a tactical draw or slight Japanese edge. But the battle stopped Japan's seaborne advance on Port Moresby and knocked two of its carriers out of the coming Battle of Midway, making it a strategic Allied victory³.

In May 1942 two fleets hunted each other across the Coral Sea without ever coming within sight. For the first time in history, a naval battle was fought entirely by carrier aircraft, and warfare at sea was changed forever.

Part of The greatest battles of the Pacific War · Before: The Doolittle Raid · Next: The Battle of Midway

Japan reaches south

After months of victories, Japan moved to seize Port Moresby in New Guinea, which would threaten Australia. Allied codebreakers gave warning⁴, and an American carrier force under Frank J. Fletcher, with Australian ships, moved to intercept the invasion.

Black and white photograph of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher in dark naval uniform and white cap — Frank Jack Fletcher, the American admiral who commanded the carrier force at the Coral Sea, photographed in September 1942. Public domain

A battle of carriers

The two sides groped for each other across hundreds of miles of ocean, launching scout planes and strikes without the fleets ever meeting. It was the first time battle was decided purely by aircraft flying from carriers, the pattern that would define the Pacific war.

Military map of the Coral Sea with dashed and solid lines showing the tracks of the rival fleets — Map of the Battle of the Coral Sea from the reports of General MacArthur's staff, tracing the American and Japanese carrier forces and the Port Moresby invasion force in May 1942. Public domain

The clash

Over several days of confused searching, each side found and struck the other's carriers⁵. The Japanese light carrier Shoho was sunk quickly², and then the fleet carriers traded heavy blows, with the large carriers Shokaku damaged and Zuikaku's air group badly cut up.

Aerial photograph of a Japanese carrier pouring black smoke after a torpedo hit — The Japanese light carrier Shoho is torpedoed by American carrier aircraft in the late morning of 7 May 1942, photographed by a plane crew from USS Lexington. Public domain

Two fleets fought to the death and never once saw each other.

The loss of Lexington

The Americans lost the carrier Lexington, crippled by bombs and torpedoes and then destroyed by internal explosions², along with other ships. In tonnage sunk the Japanese came out ahead¹, and they claimed a victory.

Why the Coral Sea mattered

Despite the losses, the Allies had turned back the invasion of Port Moresby⁴ for the first time, halting Japan's advance toward Australia. And the damage to Shokaku and Zuikaku kept both carriers out of the¹ Battle of Midway a month later, where their absence helped decide the war in the Pacific.

Photograph of the Japanese carrier Shokaku at sea with smoke and fire at the bow — The Japanese carrier Shokaku under attack by dive bombers from USS Yorktown on the morning of 8 May 1942, with flames from a bomb hit on her forecastle. Public domain

Frequently asked questions

When and where was the Battle of the Coral Sea?

It was fought from 4 to 8 May 1942 in the Coral Sea, off northeastern Australia and New Guinea.

Why is the Coral Sea famous?

It was the first naval battle in history in which the opposing fleets never sighted each other and the fighting was done entirely by carrier aircraft.

Who won the Battle of the Coral Sea?

Japan sank more tonnage, so it was a tactical draw or slight Japanese edge, but the Allies won strategically by stopping the advance on Port Moresby.

How did it affect Midway?

Damage to the carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku kept both out of the Battle of Midway a month later, where their absence helped the Americans win.

What ship did the US lose?

The fleet carrier USS Lexington, crippled in the battle and then lost to internal explosions.

Sources and notes

Numbered notes in the text point to the works below.

World History Encyclopedia (Mark Cartwright), “Battle of the Coral Sea: First Aircraft Carrier Battle in History” ↩ a b c

Naval History and Heritage Command (Navy Department Library), “Battle of the Coral Sea: Combat Narrative” ↩ a b c

Samuel Eliot Morison, Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, May 1942 - August 1942 (History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, vol. IV) (Little, Brown and Company, 1949). ↩

Australian War Memorial, “Battle of the Coral Sea, 4-8 May 1942: Summary” ↩ a b

John B. Lundstrom, Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal (Naval Institute Press, 2006). ↩

Wikipedia, “Battle of the Coral Sea”