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8 April 1942 5 may 1956 8 may 1956 Question 2 30 seconds Q. Believing that he faced overwhelming Japanese carrier superiority, Fletcher elected to withdraw TF17 from the battle. Detaching Crace reduced the anti-aircraft defenses for Fletcher's carriers. In May of 1942, the Japanese fleet moved on Port Moresby, the last . It marked the first. Both the U.S. and Japanese carrier warship forces turned to head directly for each other's location at high speed in order to shorten the distance their aircraft would have to fly on their return legs. Augmenting their search were several floatplanes from Deboyne, four Kawanishi H6Ks from Tulagi, and three Mitsubishi G4M bombers from Rabaul. The resulting explosion killed 25 men and started a large fire. Lieutenant Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki, commanding the Japanese torpedo planes, sent 14 to attack Lexington and four to attack Yorktown. Forty-six of the original 69 aircraft from the Japanese strike force returned from the mission and landed on Zuikaku. At 10:15 on 15 May, a Kawanishi reconnaissance aircraft from Tulagi sighted TF16 445nmi (512mi; 824km) east of the Solomons. In reality, Crace's ships were undamaged and shot down four G4Ms. [73], With her flight deck heavily damaged and 223 of her crew killed or wounded, having also suffered explosions in her gasoline storage tanks and an engine repair workshop destroyed, Shkaku was unable to conduct further aircraft operations. [15] Although the Coral Sea area was under MacArthur's command, Fletcher and Halsey were directed to continue to report to Nimitz while in the Coral Sea area, not to MacArthur. US Navy Japanese was on the offensive in spring 1942, sweeping across the Pacific after attacking. Got and Kajioka were unable to position and coordinate their ships in time to attempt a night attack on the Allied warships. At 11:00, Yorktown's air group attacked the burning and now almost stationary carrier, scoring with up to 11 more 1,000lb (450kg) bombs and at least two torpedoes. in /nfs/c05/h04/mnt/113983/domains/toragrafix.com/html/wp-content . In just over six weeks, German armed forces overran Belgium and the Netherlands, drove the British Expeditionary Force from the Continent, captured Paris, and forced the surrender of the French government. The strike force was under overall command of Lieutenant Commander Kakuichi Takahashi, while Lieutenant Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki led its torpedo bombers. In terms of ships lost, the Japanese won a tactical victory by sinking the U.S. fleet carrier Lexington, an oiler, and a destroyer 41,826 long tons (42,497t) versus a light carrier, a destroyer, and several smaller warships 19,000 long tons (19,000t) sunk by the U.S. side. The plan called for Port Moresby to be invaded from the sea and secured by 10 May. Two dive bombers attacked Shkaku, hitting the carrier with one 1,000lb (450kg) bomb, causing further damage. Expecting the Japanese torpedo bombers to be at a much lower altitude than they actually were, six of the Wildcats were stationed too low, and thus missed the Japanese aircraft as they passed by overhead. Although the withdrawal of Yorktown from the Coral Sea conceded the field, the Japanese were forced to abandon the operation that had initiated the Battle of the Coral Sea in the first place. [20], Leading the invasion of Tulagi was the Tulagi Invasion Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Kiyohide Shima, consisting of two minelayers, two older Mutsuki-class destroyers, five minesweepers, two subchasers and a transport ship carrying about 400 troops from the 3rd Kure SNLF. Crace's ships were low on fuel, and as Fletcher was maintaining radio silence (and had not informed him in advance), Crace had no idea of Fletcher's location, status, or intentions. [55], Apprised of the loss of Shh, Inoue ordered the invasion convoy to temporarily withdraw to the north and ordered Takagi, at this time located 225nmi (259mi; 417km) east of TF17, to destroy the U.S. carrier forces. Neosho; Search for Survivors, "IJN Shokaku: Tabular Record of Movement", "IJN Zuikaku: Tabular Record of Movement", "Battle of Midway: Repairing the Yorktown After the Battle of the Coral Sea", Destroyers, Pacific Fleet: Sinking of the U.S.S. TF17 completed refueling the next day, but TF11 reported that they would not be finished fueling until 4 May. Japan's Naval General Staff estimated that it would take two to three months to repair Shkaku and replenish the carriers' air groups. In the meantime, Halsey's TF16 reached the South Pacific near Efate and, on 13 May, headed north to contest the Japanese approach to Nauru and Ocean Island. All of Shh's aircraft complement of 18 was lost, but three of the CAP fighter pilots were able to ditch at Deboyne and survived. The Japanese admirals involved were often slow to communicate important information to one another.[113]. A short time later, three U.S. Army B-17s mistakenly bombed Crace, but caused no damage. Members of the Submarine Base at Pearl Harbor, T.H. [69], At 08:20, a Lexington SBD piloted by Joseph G. Smith spotted the Japanese carriers through a hole in the clouds and notified TF17. U.S. carrier aircraft numbers by ship the morning of 7 May: The smaller warships included 5 minesweepers, 2 minelayers, 2 subchasers, and 3 gunboats. A Wildcat shot down one and patrolling SBDs (eight from Yorktown, 15 from Lexington) destroyed three more as the Japanese torpedo planes descended to take attack position. E. marked the first important victory by the United States against Japan. While not originally part of the game, it was later added to each platform when their community reached a collective count of . The Japanese believed that they sank two carriers in the Coral Sea, but this still left at least two more U.S. Navy carriers, Enterprise and Hornet, to help defend Midway. [70], At 09:15, the Japanese carriers launched a combined strike of 18 fighters, 33 dive bombers, and 18 torpedo planes, commanded by Takahashi, with Shimazaki again leading the torpedo bombers. The ships, proceeding at 8kn (9.2mph; 15km/h), planned to transit the Jomard Channel in the Louisiades to pass around the southern tip of New Guinea to arrive at Port Moresby by 10 May. Taking the Japanese formation by surprise, the Wildcats shot down seven torpedo bombers and one dive bomber, and heavily damaged another torpedo bomber (which later crashed), at a cost of three Wildcats lost. They did not sight any Allied ships in the area and returned to Rabaul on 23 and 24 April respectively. What was destroyed during the Battle of Coral Sea? Battle of the Coral Sea In the Coral Sea Courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command The USS Yorktown is shown operating in the vicinity of the Coral Sea, April 1942. answer choices Australia and Japan America and Japanese Imperial forces Japan and Germany Question 3 30 seconds Q. what was Americas Carrier dive - bomber answer choices SBD 4WD D32 Jeep Question 4 [51], Four dive bombers attacked Sims and the rest dived on Neosho. USS Lexington during the Battle of the Coral Sea, seen from USS Yorktown, May 8, 1942. Yorktown's group consisted of six fighters, 24 dive bombers, and nine torpedo planes and was on its way by 09:15. TF17 changed course and proceeded at 27kn (31mph; 50km/h) towards Guadalcanal to launch airstrikes against the Japanese forces at Tulagi the next morning. "[54], The U.S. aircraft returned and landed on their carriers by 13:38. Japan's cadre of highly skilled carrier aircrews with which it began the war were, in effect, irreplaceable because of an institutionalised limitation in its training programs and the absence of a pool of experienced reserves or advanced training programs for new airmen. The rest of Lexington's dive bombers were unable to find the Japanese carriers in the heavy clouds. Takagi was worried about his ships' fuel levels; his cruisers were at 50% and some of his destroyers were as low as 20%. He was informed that Allied intelligence sources believed that up to four Japanese carriers might be supporting the MO operation. After the carrier's survivors were rescued, including Admiral Fitch and the ship's captain, Frederick C. Sherman, at 19:15 the destroyer Phelps fired five torpedoes into the burning ship, which sank in 2,400fathoms at 19:52 (1515S 15535E / 15.250S 155.583E / -15.250; 155.583). [11], Unknown to the Japanese, the U.S. Navy, led by the Communication Security Section of the Office of Naval Communications, had for several years enjoyed increasing success with penetrating Japanese communication ciphers and codes. Two of the dive bombers were shot down by a CAP Wildcat during the attack. [22] Inoue directed the MO operation from the cruiser Kashima, with which he arrived at Rabaul from Truk on 4 May. The U.S. sank the Japanese light carrier Shh, and the Japanese sank a U.S. destroyer and damaged the fleet oiler Neosho. [95], The battle marked the first time that a Japanese invasion force was turned back without achieving its objective, which greatly lifted the morale of the Allies after a series of defeats by the Japanese during the initial six months of the Pacific Theatre. Crace also turned west to stay within striking range of the Louisiades. Escorting the transports was the Port Moresby Attack Force with one light cruiser and six relatively old Kamikaze and Mutsuki-class destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka. Fletcher and Crace were already well on their way out of the area. The U.S. learned of the Japanese plan through signals intelligence and sent two U.S. Navy carrier task forces and a joint Australian-American cruiser force to oppose the offensive, under the overall command of U.S. Admiral Frank J. Fletcher. Midway Island is a fairly isolated atoll, so named because it is midway between North America and Asia in the North . Believing that he had located the U.S. carriers, Hara, with Takagi's concurrence, immediately launched all of his available aircraft. warship force under MacArthur's command, led by Australian Rear Admiral John Crace and made up of the cruisers HMASAustralia, Hobart, and USSChicago, along with three destroyers. Although Zuikaku was undamaged, she had lost a large number of aircraft in the battle, and the Japanese apparently did not even consider trying to include Zuikaku in the forthcoming operation. Takagi received the report at 10:50. Acting on signals intelligence, the U.S. placed eight submarines along the projected route of the carriers' return paths to Japan, but the submarines were not able to make any attacks. [106], In the meantime, the Allies learned in July that the Japanese had begun building an airfield on Guadalcanal. The battle would prove significant as the first aircraft carrier . Two hundred and sixteen of the carrier's 2,951-man crew went down with the ship, along with 36 aircraft. [52], The U.S. strike aircraft sighted Shh a short distance northeast of Misima Island at 10:40 and deployed to attack. As the invasion convoy reversed course, it was bombed by eight U.S. Army B-17s, but was not damaged. [13], Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the new commander of U.S. forces in the Central Pacific, and his staff discussed the deciphered messages and agreed that the Japanese were likely initiating a major operation in the Southwest Pacific in early May with Port Moresby as the probable target. Why did the Japanese want to take Port Morseby. Two other dive bombers dove on Zuikaku, missing with their bombs. At this time, Fletcher sent Crace's cruiser force, now designated Task Group 17.3 (TG17.3), to block the Jomard Passage. Bad weather during two attempts to make the delivery on 23 May compelled the aircraft to return to the carriers, stationed 240nmi (280mi; 440km) from Rabaul, and one of the Zeros was forced to ditch in the sea. [65], Both sides expected to find each other early the next day, and spent the night preparing their strike aircraft for the anticipated battle as their exhausted aircrews attempted to get a few hours' sleep. Inoue directed Takagi to make sure he destroyed the U.S. carriers the next day, and postponed the Port Moresby landings to 12May. Neosho was hit by seven bombs. Three U.S. aircraft were lost in the attack: two SBDs from Lexington and one from Yorktown. Heavily damaged and without power, Neosho was left drifting and slowly sinking (1609S 15803E / 16.150S 158.050E / -16.150; 158.050). (Shh was to have been employed at Midway in a tactical role supporting the Japanese invasion ground forces.) A Japanese invasion force succeeds. By 27 April, further signals intelligence confirmed most of the details and targets of the MO and RY plans. quizlet praxis ii test study guide exam info teacher certification wwii study guide flashcards quizlet . Furthermore, Fletcher's ships were under a large, low-hanging overcast which Takagi and Hara felt would make it difficult for their aircraft to find the U.S. carriers. [83], Around 14:30, Hara informed Takagi that only 24 Zeros, eight dive bombers, and four torpedo planes from the carriers were currently operational. Takagi, approximately 300nmi (350mi; 560km) east of Fletcher (1312S 15805E / 13.200S 158.083E / -13.200; 158.083), launched 12 Nakajima B5Ns at 06:00 to scout for TF17. Before losing power, Neosho was able to notify Fletcher by radio that she was under attack and in trouble, but garbled any further details as to just who or what was attacking her and gave wrong coordinates (1625S 15731E / 16.417S 157.517E / -16.417; 157.517) for its position. Major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II, This article is about the battle. By then, the Allies had reinforced New Guinea with additional troops (primarily Australian) starting with the Australian 14th Brigade which embarked at Townsville on 15 May. A mushroom cloud rises after a heavy explosion on board USS Lexington, 8 May 1942.US Navy. Shima's invasion force departed Rabaul on 30 April. TF44 was a joint AustraliaU.S. [32], Takagi's Carrier Striking Force was refueling 350nmi (400mi; 650km) north of Tulagi when it received word of Fletcher's strike on 4 May. Based on these reports, Takagi, who was still awaiting the return of all of his aircraft from attacking Neosho, turned his carriers due west at 13:30 and advised Inoue at 15:00 that the U.S. carriers were at least 430nmi (490mi; 800km) west of his location and that he would therefore be unable to attack them that day. The U.S. carriers each launched a separate strike. The battle's strategic background was set by the Japanese plan formulated in early 1942 that saw the country's forces advance south and southeastward from the Bismarcks and Solomons, with the. By March 1942, the U.S. was able to decipher up to 15% of the IJN's Ro or Naval Codebook D code (called "JN-25B" by the U.S.), which was used by the IJN for approximately half of its communications. Takagi terminated refueling, headed southeast, and sent scout planes to search east of the Solomons, believing that the U.S. carriers were in that area. In 1972, U.S. Vice Admiral H. S. Duckworth, after reading Japanese records of the battle, commented, "Without a doubt, May7, 1942, vicinity of Coral Sea, was the most confused battle area in world history. Both groups found and attacked Crace's ships at 14:30 and claimed to have sunk a "California-type" battleship and damaged another battleship and cruiser. Dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan surrendered in August 1945 because the United States? [80], As the Japanese aircraft completed their attacks and began to withdraw, believing that they inflicted fatal damage to both carriers, they ran a gauntlet of CAP Wildcats and SBDs. Once Tulagi was secured on 3 or 4 May, the Covering Group and Cover Force were to reposition to help screen the Port Moresby invasion. At 20:00 (1320S 15740E / 13.333S 157.667E / -13.333; 157.667), Hara reversed course to meet Takagi who completed refueling and was now heading in Hara's direction. During the day, U.S. Army bombers attacked Deboyne and Kamikawa Maru, inflicting unknown damage. Her captain, Takatsugu Jjima, requested permission from Takagi and Hara to withdraw from the battle, to which Takagi agreed. In 1942 submarine commander Jeff . Since no Allied ships were in that area, the search planes found nothing. [63], In the meantime, at 15:18 and 17:18 Neosho was able to radio TF17 she was drifting northwest in a sinking condition. The U.S. lost one torpedo bomber and two fighters in the strikes, but all of the aircrew were eventually rescued. In launching this war, Japanese leaders sought to neutralize the U.S. fleet, seize territory rich in natural resources, and obtain strategic military bases to defend their far-flung empire. (Bibliography of Japanese-language sources), South West Pacific theatre of World War II, Pacific Theater aircraft carrier operations during World War II, U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific) 1946, "A Stochastic Salvo Model Analysis of the Battle of the Coral Sea", "Chapter 16: To the Central Pacific and Tarawa, August 1943Background to Galvanic", History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, The Campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific, Japanese Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area, United States Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific), "Alternative Endings to the First Aircraft Carrier Battle", "HIJMS Furutaka: Tabular Record of Movement", "HIJMS Submarine I-28: Tabular Record of Movement", "HIJMS Submarine RO-33: Tabular Record of Movement", "HIJMS Submarine RO-34: Tabular Record of Movement", "IJN Seaplane Tender Kiyokawa Maru: Tabular Record of Movement", "IJN Kikuzuki: Tabular Record of Movement", U.S.S. At 13:15, an aircraft from Rabaul sighted Crace's force but submitted an erroneous report, stating the force contained two carriers and was located, bearing 205, 115nmi (213km) from Deboyne. Yorktown, Air Operations of Yorktown Air Group against Japanese Forces in the vicinity of the Louisiade Archipelago on May 8, 1942 (Preliminary), Action Report: USS Yorktown (CV-5), Report of Action of Yorktown and Yorktown Air Group on May 8, 1942, Personal observations of SIMS No.409 disaster, "Report on Historical Sources on Australia and Japan at war in Papua and New Guinea, 194245", United States Pacific Fleet: Task Unit Seventeen Two Two, Action Report, Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 19411942, Interrogation Nav No. The Battle of the Coral Sea, a major engagement of the Pacific Theatre of World War II, was fought 4-8 May 1942 in the waters east of New Guinea and south of the Bismarck Islands between elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States (U.S.) and Australia.. To extend their empire in the Pacific to the conquest of Australia, the Japanese first had . Seaplanes from Deboyne assisted Takagi in searching for TF17 on the morning of 10 May. During the battle, the U.S. Navy would achieve a decisive victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy resulting in irreparable damage to the Japanese Navy. [93] The Japanese public was informed of the victory with overstatement of the U.S. losses and understatement of their own. Neosho Detail: Engagement of U.S.S. Port Moresby was vital to Allied strategy and its garrison could well have been overwhelmed by the experienced Japanese invasion troops. Fletcher noted that both his carriers were hurt and that his air groups had suffered high fighter losses. Takagi and Hara, confused by the conflicting sighting reports they were receiving, decided to continue with the strike on the ships to their south, but turned their carriers towards the northwest to close the distance with Furutaka's reported contact. The skies over the U.S. carriers were mostly clear, with 17nmi (20mi; 31km) visibility. Although the damage was estimated to take 90 days to repair, Nimitz gave the shipyard only three days, and only the most critical repairs were made to make the ship seaworthy. Takahashi's bombers damaged Lexington with two bomb hits and several near misses, causing fires which were contained by 12:33. It is the first battle in which enemy fleets never came within sight of one another. For the first time ever opposing fleets used carrier-launched aircraft to fight each other. Inoue did not cancel the recall of the invasion convoy, but ordered Takagi and Got to pursue the remaining Allied warship forces in the Coral Sea. By 20:00, TF17 and Takagi were about 100nmi (120mi; 190km) apart. TF16 immediately departed but would not reach the South Pacific in time to participate in the battle. On 34 May, Japanese forces successfully invaded and occupied Tulagi, although several supporting warships were sunk or damaged in a surprise attack by the U.S. carrier Yorktown. [56], At 12:40, a Deboyne-based seaplane sighted and reported Crace's detached cruiser and destroyer force on a bearing of 175, 78nmi (90mi; 144km) from Deboyne. This may be the explosion reported to have taken place at 1727 hrs, which was followed by a "great explosion" aft as stowed torpedo warheads detonated on the hangar deck. Neither submarine engaged any ships during the battle. [43], Believing Takagi's carrier force was somewhere north of him, in the vicinity of the Louisiades, beginning at 06:19, Fletcher directed Yorktown to send 10 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers as scouts to search that area. Take port Moresby by sea. The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. During the night, the warm frontal zone with low clouds which had helped hide the U.S. carriers on 7 May moved north and east and now covered the Japanese carriers, limiting visibility to between 2 and 15nmi (2.3 and 17.3mi; 3.7 and 27.8km). Torn apart, Shh sank at 11:35 (1029S 15255E / 10.483S 152.917E / -10.483; 152.917). The submarine took no damage and apparently did not realize that it had been attacked by carrier aircraft. Turning Point: The Doolittle Raid, Battle of the Coral Sea, and Battle of Midway focuses on the pivotal Battle of Midway and the events that led up to it, told through oral histories, artifacts and archival photographs and footage. [98], One of the most significant effects of the Coral Sea battle was the loss of Shkaku and Zuikaku to Yamamoto for his planned battle in the air with the U.S. carriers at Midway. In early May 1942, the Japanese despatched an invasion fleet from Rabaul to take Port Moresby, Papua. America reacts and fights back [108] The Japanese troops on Tulagi and nearby islands were outnumbered and killed almost to the last man in the Battle of Tulagi and GavutuTanambogo and the U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal captured an airfield under construction by the Japanese. Six of the weary dive bomber pilots were told they would be immediately departing on another mission. [27], On the morning of 1 May, TF17 and TF11 united about 300nmi (350mi; 560km) northwest of New Caledonia (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}1616S 16220E / 16.267S 162.333E / -16.267; 162.333). American carrier attacks and sinks Japanese carrier (Shoho) During the Battle of Coral Sea, what happened on May 8th, 1942? [12], In March 1942, the U.S. first noticed mention of the MO operation in intercepted messages. [40], At 18:00, TF17 completed fueling and Fletcher detached Neosho with a destroyer, Sims, to take station further south at a prearranged rendezvous (16S 158E / 16S 158E / -16; 158). The Japanese did not know the location of the remaining carrier, but did not expect a U.S. carrier response to MO until the operation was well under way. [34], A message from Pearl Harbor notified Fletcher that radio intelligence deduced the Japanese planned to land their troops at Port Moresby on 10 May and their fleet carriers would likely be operating close to the invasion convoy. 8, USSBS No. The second torpedo ruptured the port water main, reducing water pressure to the three forward firerooms and forcing the associated boilers to be shut down. In 1942 submarine commander Jeff Conway secretly photographs Japanese aircraft carriers in the Coral Sea but his submarine is damaged and he's forced to surrender. [109] Thus began the Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands campaigns that resulted in a series of attritional, combined-arms battles between Allied and Japanese forces over the next year which, in tandem with the New Guinea campaign, eventually neutralized Japanese defenses in the South Pacific, inflicted irreparable losses on the Japanese militaryespecially its navyand contributed significantly to the Allies' eventual victory over Japan. Both sides having suffered heavy aircraft losses and carriers sunk or damaged, the two forces disengaged and retired from the area. [115] For example, suppose the U.S. carriers had chosen to sail separately (though still nearby), rather than together. The five I-class submarines supporting the MO operation were retasked to support an attack on Sydney Harbour three weeks later as part of a campaign to disrupt Allied supply lines. The photograph was taken from from a TBD-1 torpedo plane that has just taken off from its deck. Escorting Zeros shielded Takahashi's aircraft from four Lexington CAP Wildcats which attempted to intervene, but two Wildcats circling above Yorktown were able to disrupt Ema's formation. Fletcher radioed MacArthur the approximate position of the Japanese carriers and suggested that he attack with his land-based bombers. Singapore had surrendered, and Bataan fell. Parshall and Tully add, "The Battle of the Coral Sea had provided the first hints that the Japanese high-water mark had been reached, but it was the Battle of Midway that put up the sign for all to see. Abe's ships departed Rabaul for the 840nmi (970mi; 1,560km) trip to Port Moresby on 4 May and were joined by Kajioka's force the next day. The battle of the Coral Sea took place in May 1942 and was the first battle in history where aircraft carriers engaged each other directly with fighters.Loading Screen Tip Coral Sea is a map featured in Battlefield 1943 and is exclusive to the Air Superiority mode. Allied carriers were diverted to the Coral Sea, where the Japanese fleet was attempting to capture Port Moresby on New Guinea's southeastern coast. Kanno's and Takahashi's aircraft were shot down, killing both of them. Aircraft from Shh covered the landings until early afternoon, when Got's force turned towards Bougainville to refuel in preparation to support the landings at Port Moresby. Inoue believed the capture and control of these locations would provide greater security and defensive depth for the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. [79], The 33 Japanese dive bombers circled to attack from upwind, and thus did not begin their dives from 14,000ft (4,300m) until three to four minutes after the torpedo planes began their attacks. Radar gave the U.S. a limited advantage in this battle, but its value to the U.S. Navy increased over time as the technology improved and the Allies learned how to employ it more effectively. [77][78], The Japanese attack began at 11:13 as the carriers, stationed 3,000yd (2,700m) apart, and their escorts opened fire with anti-aircraft guns. [29], Early on 3 May, Shima's force arrived off Tulagi and began disembarking the naval troops to occupy the island. [47] Takagi and Hara considered that the conflicting reports might mean that the U.S. carrier forces were operating in two separate groups. Takagi elected to take his carriers 120nmi (140mi; 220km) north during the night so he could concentrate his morning search to the west and south and ensure that his carriers could provide better protection for the invasion convoy.