The Battle of the Coral Sea Might’ve Ended Differently Without These Ships

In December 1941, Japanese military forces had devastated forces around the globe. They had attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, conquered various areas, and even took over Hong Kong. By May 1942, the Allied forces were fed up with Japan’s antics and widespread violence. The Battle of the Coral Sea — sometimes referred to as just the Battle of Coral Sea — saw Japanese and U.S. naval forces clashing in the Coral Sea in a revolutionary battle. Rather than the ships firing at each other directly, naval carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown launched waves of aerial attacks against the Japanese forces threatening Australia. The Japanese fleet, led by Shōkaku and Zuikaku, faced a harrowing four-day battle with U.S. forces. Both sides suffered heavy losses. Technically, Japan won the battle. But the damage to their ships prevented Japan from seizing Port Moresby or from using Shōkaku and Zuikaku in the later Battle of Midway, providing a huge tactical advantage to the U.S. and Allied forces. (Was this WWII’s greatest battle?)

However, many other ships and naval vessels also took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Here, 24/7 Wall St. explored what happened during the battle and which ships played a significant role in thefight. To do so, we reviewed various military and historical sources, including the Naval History and Heritage Command, National World War II Museum, and Encyclopedia Britannica. The ships are ordered chronologically from the date of commission. While we excluded smaller ships like destroyers and auxiliaries, we included supplemental information regarding the type, armament, speed, displacement, and aircraft for each vessel.

Why Are We Covering This?

The Battle of Coral Sea was one of the largest and most significant battles in the Pacific during World War II, especially in terms of its impact and strategic outcome. It would ultimately shape the outcome of the conflict. Understanding which ships were used, and how these ships played a part in battle, gives insight into how the U.S. deployed its military resources at the time — and what we could potentially learn about our ships today.

Here is a look at the warships that fought the Battle of the Coral Sea:

IJN Tatsuta

Untitled 29 (PDM 1.0) by WWII in View

• Type: Light cruiser
• Commissioning date: May 31, 1919
• Top speed: 38.0 mph
• Displacement: 4,011 tons
• Armament: 140mm naval guns, 80mm naval guns, 13.2mm anti-aircraft machine guns, 533mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 0

IJN Tenryū

• Type: Light cruiser
• Commissioning date: November 20, 1919
• Top speed: 38.0 mph
• Displacement: 4,011 tons
• Armament: 140mm naval guns, 13.2mm anti-aircraft machine guns, 533mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 0

IJN Furutaka

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: March 31, 1926
• Top speed: 39.7 mph
• Displacement: 9,297 tons
• Armament: Twin 203mm guns, 120mm anti-aircraft guns, twin 25mm anti-aircraft guns, 610mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 2

IJN Kako

Untitled 166 (PDM 1.0) by WWII in View

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: July 20, 1926
• Top speed: 39.7 mph
• Displacement: 7,100 tons
• Armament: Twin 203mm guns, 120mm anti-aircraft guns, twin 25mm anti-aircraft guns, 610mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 2

IJN Aoba

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: September 20, 1927
• Top speed: 41.0 mph
• Displacement: 9,000 tons
• Armament: 203mm guns, 120mm guns, 25mm anti-aircraft guns, 610mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 3

IJN Kinugasa

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: September 30, 1927
• Top speed: 41.0 mph
• Displacement: 9,144 tons
• Armament: 203mm guns, 120mm guns, 25mm anti-aircraft guns, 610mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 2

USS Lexington

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• Commissioning date: December 14, 1927
• Top speed: 38.3 mph
• Displacement: 48,500 tons
• Armament: Twin 203mm guns, 127mm anti-aircraft guns
• Aircraft housed: 78

HMAS Australia

Sept 4, 1944. Captain Emile Dechaineaux, DSC, on the bridge of HMAS AUSTRALIA [II]. Gordon Short. (BY-SA 2.0) by Kookaburra2011

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: April 24, 1928
• Top speed: 36.0 mph
• Displacement: 10,000 tons
• Armament: Twin 203mm guns, 102mm anti-aircraft guns, 47mm saluting guns, 40mm pom-poms, 7.62mm machine guns, 533mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 1

IJN Haguro

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: April 25, 1929
• Top speed: 41.0 mph
• Displacement: 13,513 tons
• Armament: 203mm guns, 127mm guns, 13.2mm machine guns, 7.7mm machine guns, 610 torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 2

IJN Myōkō

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: July 31, 1929
• Top speed: 41.0 mph
• Displacement: 13,500 tons
• Armament: 203mm guns, 127mm guns, 13.2mm machine guns, 610mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 3

USS Chester

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: June 24, 1930
• Top speed: 37.6 mph
• Displacement: 9,300 tons
• Armament: Triple 203mm guns, 127mm anti-aircraft guns, 47mm saluting guns, 533mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 4

USS Chicago

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: March 9, 1931
• Top speed: 37.6 mph
• Displacement: 9,449 tons
• Armament: Triple 203mm guns, 127mm anti-aircraft guns, 47mm saluting guns, 533mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 4

USS Portland

Portland-class heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA 35) (PDM 1.0) by aeroman3

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: February 23, 1933
• Top speed: 37.6 mph
• Displacement: 9,957 tons
• Armament: Triple 200mm guns, 130mm anti-aircraft guns, 47mm saluting guns, 13mm machine guns
• Aircraft housed: 4

USS New Orleans

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: February 15, 1934
• Top speed: 37.6 mph
• Displacement: 10,110 tons
• Armament: Triple 203mm guns, 127mm anti-aircraft guns, 47mm saluting guns, 13mm machine guns
• Aircraft housed: 4

USS Astoria

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: April 28, 1934
• Top speed: 37.6 mph
• Displacement: 10,110 tons
• Armament: Triple 200mm guns, 130mm anti-aircraft guns, 47mm saluting guns, 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons, quad 28mm anti-aircraft guns
• Aircraft housed: 4

USS Minneapolis

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Commissioning date: May 19, 1934
• Top speed: 37.6 mph
• Displacement: 10,110 tons
• Armament: Triple 200mm guns, 130mm anti-aircraft guns, 47mm saluting guns, 13mm machine guns
• Aircraft housed: 4

HMAS Hobart

• Type: Light cruiser
• Commissioning date: January 13, 1936
• Top speed: 37.4 mph
• Displacement: 7,115 tons
• Armament: Twin 152mm guns, 102mm guns, quad 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine guns, 533mm torpedo tubes
• Aircraft housed: 1

IJN Shōkaku

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• Commissioning date: August 8, 1941
• Top speed: 39.4 mph
• Displacement: 32,620 tons
• Armament: Twin 127mm dual-purpose guns, triple 25mm anti-aircraft guns
• Aircraft housed: 72

IJN Zuikaku

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• Commissioning date: September 25, 1941
• Top speed: 39.7 mph
• Displacement: 32,105 tons
• Armament: Twin 127mm dual-purpose guns, triple 25mm anti-aircraft guns
• Aircraft housed: 72

IJN Shōhō

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• Commissioning date: November 30, 1941
• Top speed: 32.0 mph
• Displacement: 11,443 tons
• Armament: Twin 127mm dual-purpose guns, twin 25mm anti-aircraft guns
• Aircraft housed: 30

USS Yorktown

File:USS Yorktown, 1943 aircraft carrier (17).jpg (CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED) by Bubba73

• Type: Aircraft carrier
• Commissioning date: April 15, 1943
• Top speed: 38.0 mph
• Displacement: 36,960 tons
• Armament: 127mm dual-purpose guns, 40mm anti-aircraft guns, 20mm anti-aircraft guns
• Aircraft housed: 100