Battle of the Coral Sea
1942 CE · Pacific Ocean
The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought in 1942 CE in Pacific Ocean between United States and Australia vs the Empire of Japan; tactical Japanese victory but a strategic Allied one; the invasion of Port Moresby was turned back.
Battle of the Coral Sea: quick facts
- Date
- 1942 CE
- Location
- Pacific Ocean
- Belligerents
- United States and Australia vs the Empire of Japan
- Commanders
- Frank Jack Fletcher vs Shigeyoshi Inoue and Takeo Takagi
- Result
- tactical Japanese victory but a strategic Allied one; the invasion of Port Moresby was turned back.
- Era
- 🪖 World Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of the Coral Sea?
The Battle of the Coral Sea was a milestone in naval warfare: the first battle in which opposing fleets fought entirely with carrier-based aircraft, never coming within sight of each other. Though the US lost the carrier Lexington, the battle turned back a Japanese invasion force aimed at Port Moresby, New Guinea, protecting the sea lanes to Australia. The tactical draw was a strategic Allied victory, marking the first time a Japanese naval advance had been checked.
Did you know?
The Coral Sea was the first naval battle in history where opposing ships never came within visual range of each other. All attacks were carried out by carrier-based aircraft.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of the Coral Sea on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.