Battle of the Coral Sea

Fought from May 3 to 8, 1942, this was the first direct carrier-against-carrier battle of the Pacific War, with the two carrier forces striking at each other from around 200 miles apart. Japan wanted Port Moresby in New Guinea, a base that would threaten northern Australia. On points Japan did slightly better: it sank the US carrier Lexington and lost only the light carrier Shoho. But Admiral Inoue ordered the invasion fleet bound for Port Moresby to reverse course, and the battle ended as the first major Japanese setback of the war. Just as important, neither Shokaku nor Zuikaku took part in the fighting at Midway a month later, which is why Coral Sea earns its place as the prelude to the turning point.