April 19, 1942 - Sunday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS O'Brien:

O'Brien embarked passengers for Palmyra Atoll Naval Air Station and departed on April 18th, arriving on the 21st.  Palmyra was busy at this time as Task Force 11 (Lexington) and Task Force 1 (old battleships) were both in the area for force exercises. O'Brien also sailed with destroyers Flusser and Mugford. 

Doolittle Raid

On April 18th, Task Force 16 was spotted 700 miles east of Japan, and a Japanese patrol boat sent several messages before being sunk.  Admiral Halsey decided to launch the Wasp B-25s immediately, instead of going to the launch point. Doolittle's raiders were to bomb cities in Japan and try to proceed on to bases in China.  As Japanese carriers were out of range, having just completed a raid in the Indian Ocean, they could not reach Task Force 16 as it headed back eastward.

Morale was boosted in the United States, even though damage was minimal in Japan.  Due to the many messages sent using the Japanese codes, the US codebreakers were helped greatly.  Assessments showed that the Japanese were moving toward the South Pacific, specifically Port Moresby in New Guinea.  Task Force 11 (Lexington) was ordered to the Coral Sea on the 19th.

Here is Doolittle's B-25 taking off from Hornet on the day of the attack:

Public Domain Image.   File:B-25 bomber by James Doolittle took off from the USS Hornet for Doolittle Raid in 1942.jpg.  Image Created: 18 April 1942

 

U. S. Navy Task Forces:

• Task Force 17 (Yorktown) remained in the South Pacific area to continue raids and offensive operations. Having been at sea for a while, Task Force 17 was ordered to Tongatabu for a week of refurbishment, then to return to the Coral Sea area.
  
• Task Force 11 (Lexington)  Lexington finished refit on the 15th.  Task Force 11 initially proceeded to the Palmyra Island area, but on the 19th was ordered to the Coral Sea area to reunited with Task Force 17 when it returned from Tongatabu.
  
• Task Force 16 (Enterprise) had joined with the USS Hornet group.  Both carriers and their escorts were combined into Task Force 16, and launched the B-25 attack on Japan on the 18th.
  

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 183-185.
  
•  The First South Pacific Campaign, John B. Lundstrom, pp. 80-81.
  

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