Status - John Skinner - USS O'Brien:
O'Brien was based at Pago Pago for several weeks doing local escort duty.
Battle of the Coral Sea
By May 3rd, Japanese invasion forces had occupied all their targets in the Solomon Islands, including Tulagi, just a short distance from Guadalcanal Island, which will become a hot spot of the Pacific War. No attacks on the Japanese had yet come from the US forces, which were reorganizing under Rear Admiral Fletcher and also getting fueled. All the allied forces were now combined into Task Force 17.
Land-based search planes had found the Japanese ships that were supporting the invasion of Tulagi, and the Yorktown attacked on the 4th, sinking 3 smaller ships and a destroyer. The US forces returned south and joined with the rest of the fleet. Naval Intelligence reported that the Port Moresby invasion would be conducted somewhere around the 8th. There would be transports with escorts and a larger battle force with 4 cruisers and a light carrier. In addition, a large attack force with two main battle carriers, Shokaku and Zuikaku, were also in the area, moving around the Solomons with the intent of doing battle with the US carriers.
U. S. Navy Task Forces:
- Task Force 17 (Yorktown) Task Force 11 (Lexington) were now combined into Task Force 17, and were in the southern Coral Sea, ready to move north and engage the Japanese forces in the area. The main goal was to protect Port Moresby from invasion..
- Task Force
16 (Enterprise and Hornet), were moving toward the South Pacific, expected to arrive in mid-May.
More Information:
- Official Navy Chronology, pp. 189-191.
- The First South Pacific Campaign, John B. Lundstrom, pp. 98-102.
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