| Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Shoho is torpedoed, during attacks by United States Navy Douglas TBD Devastator bombers carrying Mark 13 torpedoes in the late morning. Photographed from a USS Lexington (CV-2) TBD Devastator. 1st word from the strike groups launched at 0945 Hours reached Task Force 17 (TF-17) at 1145 Hours, when a Lexington Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber pilot announced he was ditching at Rossel. At 1154 Hours several ships in TF-17, as well as in Royal Navy Rear Admiral John G. Crace’s (February 6, 1887 – May 11, 1968) Support Group, heard an unidentified voice exult on the attack radio frequency: “Boy we sure got that carrier good. How about the other one?” Welcome confirmation that a carrier indeed had sunk arrived at 1210 Hours, when Lieutenant Commander Robert E. Dixon (April 22, 1906 – October 21, 1981), the extremely able commanding officer of USS Lexington’s Scouting 2 (VS-2), sang out, “Scratch one flattop! signed Bob.” Fletcher’s run northwest toward the target lowered the return leg below a 150 miles. Fletcher brought TF-17 around to the southeast into the wind for air operations. By 1316 Hours, USS Lexington and USS Yorktown (CV-5) recovered 90 strike aircraft. Only 3 SBDs were missing. Enthusiastic aviators described finding a task force northeast of Misima and sinking a carrier variously reported as “Koryu” or modified “Ryujo” class. They reported that a Japanese cruiser also rolled over and sank after a bomb hit or near miss, but this was erroneous. TF-17 Commanding Officer Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher (April 29, 1885 – April 25, 1973) called the 2 senior squadron commanders to the flag bridge to brief him and Yorktown Captain Elliott Buckmaster (October 19, 1889 – October 10, 1976). Asked what he saw, Lieutenant Commander Joe Taylor (July 23, 1906 – May 4, 1963), the skipper of Torpedo 5 (VT-5), replied: “I’ll show you in a minute.” Fletcher countered sharply, “Come now, this is no time for joking.” Taylor was not kidding around. In a few minutes he produced photographs taken by 1 of the crewmen that presented a graphic portrait of the destruction of what was soon identified as the “Ryukaku” (Shoho). Taylor recalled that Fletcher and Buckmaster “jumped up and down like a couple of old grads when a last minute touchdown saved the day.” They “just threw their arms around Scouting Five (VS-5) Commanding Officer William O. Burch Jr. (June 27, 1904 – January 21, 1989) and me and hugged us,” so “excited and happy” were they. That afternoon Fletcher congratulated Rear Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch (June 11, 1883 – May 22, 1978) and his aviators for their “splendid performance.” In the haste of getting the air groups ready to fight again, details of the attack only emerged slowly. After crossing over Tagula Island 20 miles west of Rossel, Commander William B. “Bill” Ault’s (October 6, 1898 – May 8, 1942) Lexington Air Group welcomed rapidly clearing skies. Around 1040 Hours, even before Fletcher attempted to redirect the strike groups to Horgan’s contact, the Lexington flyers sighted ship wakes to the northeast beyond Misima. Drawing closer, they recognized a carrier in the midst of a cruiser force. Ault stalked the Shoho, which with the rest of Imperial Japanese Navy Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotō’s (January 23, 1888 – October 12, 1942) reunited MO Main Force covered the Port Moresby Invasion Force located off to the northwest. The Shoho was preparing a small torpedo strike of 5 carrier attack planes and 3 fighters against the United States Navy carriers being tracked southeast of Rossel. Only 3 Mitsubishi A6M Zeros flew combat air patrol and 2 Mitsubishi A5M Type 96 carrier fighters handled antisubmarine patrol. 3 more Mitsubishi A6M Zeros and 2 Mitsubishi A5M Type 96s were ready to relieve them. Ault’s command section of 3 SBDs pushed over against the carrier at 1110 Hours, followed by the 10 of Dixon’s VS-2. Adroit shiphandling caused all to miss the Shoho. She also sent 3 Zeros aloft to reinforce the defense. Nonetheless, the Shoho did not escape a devastating, well-coordinated assault (1 of the best of the war) by 15 VB-2 SBDs under Lieutenant Commander Weldon L. “Hammy” Hamilton (December 9, 1906 – June 8, 1943) and Lieutenant Commander James H. Brett’s (October 1, 1905 – November 27, 1946) 12 Torpedo 2 (VT-2) TBDs. 2,000-pound (450 kilogram) bombs set the flight deck and hangers on fire, and 5 torpedo hits tore open the hull, dooming the ship. Trailing the Lexington group by 15 minutes, Burch’s 25 Yorktown SBDs spotted the MO Main Force around 1100 Hours. Unlike Ault, he heard Fletcher’s message that relieved him of having to search for another carrier. Nearing the dive point while VT-2 made its attack, Burch saw only a “small” fire break out on the carrier and consequently at 1125 Hours followed up the Lexington attack. The Yorktown SBDs scored 11 hits according to Japanese sources. Only Ensign Thomas W. Brown (October 11, 1920 – January 31, 2007) of VB-5, the last SBD pilot to dive, elected to shift to another target. Schindler and other Yorktowners thought he hit a cruiser that capsized and sank, but the nimble Sazanami was undamaged. There was no doubt about the carrier’s fate, particularly after the VT-5 TBDs piled on. They claimed hits by all 10 torpedoes, and the Japanese confirmed at least 2. The Shoho succumbed at 1135 Hours with great loss of life. The 8 Japanese fighters aloft shot down 1 VS-2 SBD and forced another to ditch at Rossel, but the 18 Wildcat escorts destroyed 5 of their number. Overkill was the only criticism that could be lodged against the TF-17 strike, after all the aircraft except 2 SBDs concentrated on the carrier. At least half the Yorktown SBDs and all of VT-5 should have diverted to other targets. That lapse could not overshadow the real triumph of annihilating the 1st major Japanese warship in the war. The balance of MO Main Force fled north without even stopping to rescue survivors. From just over the horizon Imperial Japanese Navy Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka’s (May 18, 1891 – September 12, 1944) Port Moresby Invasion Force heard the explosions that signaled the end of the Shoho. Kajioka kept withdrawing northwest. Once Inoue learned of the fiasco, he suspended the MO Operation until the enemy carrier force could be destroyed. At 1210 Hours, he directed the convoy to keep going north temporarily and mustered his forces to counterattack. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1661.jpg |
| Image Size | 934.13 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 4983 x 2804 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 7, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | Coral Sea |
| Archive | Naval History and Heritage Command |
| Record Number | 80-G-17026 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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