Postkiwi

Walking past a memorial service in Surfers Paradise this morning reminded me that today is the 64th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. On May 7 - 8, 1942, Japanese, USA and Australian aircraft carrier forces fought a battle in the waters southwest of the Solomon Islands and east of New Guinea. That battle has become a focus point for Australian-USA defense relationships.

The Japanese were attempting to capture Port Moresby, on the southeastern coast of New Guinea, close to North East Australia. The US Navy discovered the Japanese invasion plan and moved ships into the Coral Sea to take on the flotilla. Both sides lost ships in the ensuing battle. However the US/Australia force managed to prevent the invasion of Port Moresby and eliminated enough ships to make possible a victory in the later Battle of Midway, a month later.

Some helpful sites:

US Naval Historical Center Photo Library
Gunplot Summary

My first interest in the Battle of the Coral Sea developed when I was working at Robina Uniting Church. We held a special service on the Sunday morning, inviting members of the veterans association and honouring the American-Australian connection. I was in charge of sourcing imagery for the service. While working in Cairns in 2004/5 I was living on Coral Sea coast. Northern Territory and North Queensland residents felt very vulnerable during World War II. Having lived there, so far away from the rest of Australia, I can understand the fear of being abandoned that still lingers there.