05/01 Fri. United States Naval Base and United States Naval Auxiliary
Air Facility, Great Exuma, Bahama Islands, and United States
Naval Base, Grand Cayman, British West Indies, are
established.
Adm. W. D. Leahy, USN (Ret.), ends service as Ambassador to
France.
05/02 Sat. Japanese land on Florida Island, Solomon Islands.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Seaplane tender MIZUHO, by submarine DRUM (SS-228),
off southeastern Honshu, Japan,
34 d. 26' N., 138 d. 14' E.
05/03 Sun. Submarine SPEARFISH (SS-190) evacuates certain military
personnel from Corregidor, P. I.
05/04 Mon. Battle of the Coral Sea (4-8 May) commences with an air
strike on Tulagi, Solomon Islands, by United States carrier-
based aircraft. Allied naval forces (Rear Adm. F. j.
Fletcher, USN) comprise Attack Group (Rear Adm. T. C.
Kinkaid, USN) of
United State cruisers CHESTER (CA-27), NEW ORLEANS (CA-32),
PORTLAND (CA-33), ASTORIA (CA-34), MINNEAPOLIS (CA-36) and
destroyers FARRAGUT (DD-348), DEWEY (DD-340), MONAGHAN (DD-
354), AYLWIN (DD-355) and PHELPS (DD-360); Support Group
(Rear Adm. J. G. Crace, RN) with United States cruiser
CHICAGO (CA-29), Australian cruisers AUSTRALIA and HOBART,
and United States destroyers PERKINS (DD-377) and WALKE (DD-
416); Carrier Group (Rear Adm. A. W. Fitch, USN) consisting
of United States carriers LEXINGTON (CV-2) and YORKTOWN (CV-
5) with destroyers ANDERSON (DD-411), HAMMANN (DD-412),
RUSSELL (DD-414), and MORRIS (DD-417); Fueling Group (Capt.
J. S. Phillips, USN) including United States oilers
TIPPECANOE (AO-21) and NEOSHO (A0-23) and destroyers WORDEN
(DD-352) and SIMS (DD-409).
Commander in Chief United States Fleet (Adm. E. J. King)
directs Coast Guard Auxiliary to organize civilian small
craft as coastal pickets.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Minesweeper TANAGER (AM-5), by coastal defense guns,
Corregidor, P. I.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer KIKUZUKI, by carrier-based aircraft, Tulagi,
Solomon Islands.
05/05 Tue. Rear Adm. F. J. Fletcher's Allied force, after fueling,
changes course to intercept Japanese Port Moresby Invasion
Group (Battle of Coral Sea, 4-8 May).
Japanese forces land on Corregidor, P. I.
United States naval vessels sunk:
River gunboat MINDANAO (PR-8) and submarine rescue vessel
PIGEON (ASR-9), by horizontal bombers, Philippine Islands
area,
14 d. 23' N., 120 d. 36' E.
Tugs GENESEE (ATO-55) and VAGA (YT-116), by scuttling,
Philippine Islands area,
14 d. 25'N., 120 d. 30' E.
05/06 Wed. Rear Adm. F. J. Fletcher's Allied force is steaming on course
to intercept Japanese Port Moresby Invasion Group (Battle of
Coral Sea, 4-8 May).
Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Nawiliwili, Kauai, T. H., is
established.
Corregidor and Manila Bay forts, P. I., surrender to the
Japanese.
United States naval vessels sunk:
River gunboat OAHU (PR-6) and LUZON (PR-7), and minesweeper
QUAIL (AM-15), by scuttling, Philippine Islands area,
14 d. 23' N., 120 d. 35' E.
05/07 Thu. Rear Adm. F. J. Fletcher's Allied force turns north to engage
Japanese Attack Group. Support Group (Rear Adm. Crace, RN)
is detached to intercept enemy Port Moresby Invasion Group.
Admiral Crace's ships are attacked by enemy torpedo bombers
and land-based bombers and, mistaken for Japanese Port
Moresby Invasion Force, are bombed by Army B-26 aircraft.
Carrier aircraft attack Japanese Support Group and sink
aircraft carrier SHOHO (Battle of the Coral Sea, 4-8 May).
Hollandia, New Guinea, is occupied by Japanese forces.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer SIMS (DD-409), by dive bomber, Battle of the
Coral Sea,
15 d. 10' S., 158 d. 05' E.
United States naval vessel damaged:
Oiler NEOSHO (AO-23), by dive bomber, Battle of the Coral
Sea,
15 d. 10' S., 158 d. 05' E.,
and sunk by Unites States forces 11 May 1942.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Carrier SHOHO, by carrier-based aircraft, Battle of the
Coral Sea,
10 d. 29' S., 152 d. 55' E.
05/08 Fri. Carrier LEXINGTON (CV-2) search aircraft sight Japanese
carriers SHOKAKU and ZUIKAKU. Rear Adm. F. J. Fletcher's
carrier aircraft damage SHOKAKU and force her retirement. At
the same time, Japanese aircraft hit carriers YORKTOWN (CV-5)
and LEXINGTON (CV-2), damaging the latter to such an extent
that destroyer PHELPS (DD-360) is ordered to sink her.
(Battle of the Coral Sea 4-8 May.) [This is the first battle
in modern naval history in which opposing warships did not
exchange a shot; all damage was inflicted by carrier
aircraft. Coral Sea was a strategic United States victory
The heretofore uninterrupted Japanese push southeastward was
halted.]
United States naval vessel sunk:
Carrier LEXINGTON (CV-2), severely damaged by carrier-based
torpedo bombers and, in sinking condition, sunk by United
States forces, Battle of the Coral Sea,
15 d. 12 S., 155 d. 27' E.
United States naval vessel damaged:
Carrier YORKTOWN (CV-5), by carrier-based dive bombers,
Battle of the Coral Sea,
14 d. 35' S., 155 d. 15' E.
05/09 Sat. Unites States carrier WASP (CV-7), in the Mediterranean,
launches 47 British Spitfire aircraft for Malta.
German submarine sunk:
U-352, by Coast Guard cutter ICARUS (PC-119), off South
Carolina,
34 d. 12' N., 76 d. 35' W.
05/11 Mon. Japanese vessel sunk:
Minelayer OKINOSHIMA, by submarine S-42, north of Solomon
Islands,
05 d. 06 S., 153 d. 48 E.
05/12 Tue. Battleship MASSACHUSETTS (BB-59) is commissioned at Boston,
Mass.
05/13 Wed. Bureau of Navigation is renamed Bureau of Naval Personnel.
French agree to immobilize three French warships at
Martinique, French West Indies.
05/14 Thu. German submarine lays minefield off St. John's, Newfoundland.
05/17 Sun. Japanese submarines sunk:
I-28, by submarine TAUTOG (SS-199), Caroline Islands area,
06 d. 30' N., 152 d. 00' E.
I-164, by submarine TRITON (SS-201),
southeast of Kyushu, Japan,
29 d. 25' N., 134 d. 09' E.
05/18 Mon. Office of Naval Inspector General (Rear Adm. C. P. Snyder) is
established.
05/20 Wed. Air Force, South Pacific Area (Rear Adm. J. S. McCain) is
established.
05/21 Thu. North Pacific Force (Rear Adm. R. A Theobald) is established
for operations in Alaskan sector.
05/22 Fri. Mexico declares war on Germany, Italy, and Japan.
05/25 Mon. United States naval vessel damaged:
Destroyer BLAKELEY (DD-150), by submarine torpedo, off
Martinique, French West Indies.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Repair ship ASAHI, by submarine SALMON (SS-182),
South China Sea,
10 d. 00' N., 110 d. 00' E.
05/27 Wed. Marines and Seabees occupy Wallis Island, South Pacific
Ocean.
United States naval vessel damaged:
Destroyer tender PRAIRIE (AD-15) and gunboat SPRY (PG-64),
by fire, Argentia, Newfoundland.
05/28 Thu. United States forces arrive at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides
Islands.
05/31 Sun. Japanese midget submarines raid harbor of Sydney, Australia.