This Day in WWII: Saturday, May 8, at 3 pm ET in Special Events II arena. All are welcome.
Join us to commemorate the Battle of the Coral Sea, which ended on May 8, 1942.
Coral Sea was one of the most-important naval battles between the allies and Japan. It was the first major naval battle following the attack on Pearl Harbor, was the world's first carrier-vs-carrier battle, and was the first battle between Japan and the US where the US was not routed.
The carriers in the battle were the USS Lexington and Yorktown, both fleet carriers, and on the IJN side, the fleet carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku and the light carrier Shoho. Lexington and Shoho were sunk, and Yorktown and Shokaku were heavily damaged.
As a result of the battle, Japan cancelled its invasion of Port Moresby, which it desired as a staging point for an invasion of Australia.
