This set the stage for the Battle of Coral Sea which spanned May 4th until May 8th, 1942. The Japanese invasion was eventually repelled in what was marked as a Japanese tactical victory but an Allied strategic one. On May 6th, 1942, as part of the battle, IJN Shoho was making her way to the scene when she came to the attention of a flight of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers south of Bougainville. They attacked but caused minimal damage to the carrier.
However, misinformation led the Japanese Navy's attention away from American Task Force 17. On May 7th, TF 17, having sighted Shoho, responded with an air attack initially launched by the carrier USS Lexington. The first round revealed little but USS Yorktown's contribution in a second wave managed a pair of direct hits from 1,000 aerial bombs to the deck of Shoho. With restricted movement and a reduction in speed, Shoho could do little more than serve as a tempting target for further strikes. A combination of bombs and torpedoes wracked the light carrier which caused massive flames to erupt.
With the attack now over, the abandon ship signal was given. Shoho then rolled over to her side and began to sink. Of the 834 that were about her decks during the battle, just 255 or so were rescued from their fate. In what became the first carrier-versus-carrier battle in naval history, the Japanese Navy was on the losing side as the American Navy claimed the victory. 1942 also proved very critical for the IJN going forward as the Battle of Midway (June 4th - 7th) claimed a further four of its aircraft carriers - losses that would never - and could never - be replaced.
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