World War II in the Pacific
Carrier Raids in the First Months

January 1942

Adm Chester Nimitz takes command of the Pacific Fleet with the new year. His responsibilities are to hold the Midway-Hawaii front and to extend and defend the supply lines to Australia. On a map, this follows the international date line to Fiji, then angles to Australia. The USN with three carriers and no battleships in the Pacific against the enemy's ten carriers and ten battleships, is relegated to offensive raids and convoy protection.

On Jan 1, TF-17 is activated around the large carrier Yorktown (CV-5) at San Diego, newly returned from the Atlantic. She had been transferred to Atlantic Neutrality Patrol 9 months earlier. Other Pacific fleet units in the Atlantic were also recalled: battleships Mississippi (BB-41) and Idaho (BB-42) leaving from Iceland, arriving the end of January, and New Mexico (BB-40) arrived that summer, where they performed convoy escort for the rest of the year.

The first task for Yorktown was to escort Second Marine Brigade to Samoa, 4000 miles from the US and 2/3 of the way towards Australia. Samoa is a key point that must be manned before moving to defend Fiji, which is considered a target by the Japanese. The convoy departs 6 Jan. Protection of troops was so important that Enterprise (CV-6) TF-8 departs Pearl Jan 11 to join the convoy near Samoa and to link up with Yorktown. That same day, a Japanese submarine shells naval facilities at Pago Pago. Also, Japan finally declares war on the Netherlands as the Dutch East Indies are invaded.
Lexington (CV-2) TF-11 returns from patrolling the Oahu-Johnston-Palmyra triangle replaced by Saratoga (CV-3). While 500 miles SW of Hawaii patrolling between Pearl and the Marshalls, Sara is torpedoed by I-6 on 11Jan. She is able to return to Pearl and is sent to Bremerton, WA. for repairs until June 1.

As replacement aircraft arrive at Pearl Harbor, units were sent to the outposts. Reconnaissance flights begin from Canton Island and Fijis 16Jan42, meanwhile, across the ocean, the Japanese army invades Burma.
On the 22nd, Lexington heads to raid Wake Island. One day into the mission, the mission is canceled because her fleet oiler, Neches (AO-5), is torpedoed and sunk by I-72 on 23Jan.
At the same time, the Marines are off-loaded at Pago Pago 20-23 January. The Japanese invade the Australian base at Rabaul, which is to become their major strong point of the South Central Pacific. Yorktown and Enterprise, their escort duties completed, set course for the Japanese-held Marshalls and Gilberts.
A week later Lexington is sent south to cover the withdrawal from the attack on the Gilberts and Marshalls, to screen another major troop convoy, and on for action in the South Pacific.

January ended with Marines safely transported to Samoa, three carrier task forces headed towards the Gilberts and Marshalls. A Navy oiler sunk and Saratoga in a shipyard for repair.

February 1942

February opens with VAdm Leary taking over Anzac, Australian-New Zealand naval command, reestablishing an American flag officer in the Southwest Pacific.
The two task forces from Samoa raid the Marshalls. Planes from Enterprise bomb Kwajalein and cruisers hit Watje. Enterprise is slightly damaged. Yorktown strikes Makin, Mili, and Jalit in the Gilberts in bad weather. These raids are to divert Japanese attention from reaching New Caledonia before US troops can arrive. The raids have minor effects but were more practice for US carrier forces. The two carriers return to Pearl on 5 and 6 Feb respectively.
While they are enroute, on the far side of the Pacific, two cruisers of the US Asiatic fleet, Houston (CA-30) and Marblehead (CL-12), are damaged while defending Borneo and the remaining US Asiatic fleet in rolled into ABDA. And, of interest to the Pacific fleet, the Japanese land in New Britain with the excellent anchorage at Rabaul.

US troops are rushed to establish garrisons on the islands that mark the path of convoys from the US West Coast or from the Panama Canal. The first half of the trip is open water.

Societies, where Bora Bora was to become a fueling station
Samoa, with US and UK bases
Fiji,
New Caledonia in the Loyalty Islands
Brisbane, Australia.

first meets the Line Islands with Palmyra Atoll and Christmas Islands,
Phoenix Islands with Canton Island
then Samoa, Fijis, New Caledonia and Australia.

These future bases are: In the Line Islands, Palmyra and Christmas Island; Bora Bora in the Society Islands to become a refueling station outside of the projected war zone ; Canton in the Phoenix Islands; Pago Pago in American Samoa ; (there was already British base on Savaii, Western Samoa) ; Suva in the Fijis ; Noumea, New Caledonia to become a headquarters ; and, finally, Brisbane, Australia. Anzac patrols the Fiji to Brisbane portion.
The 2nd Marine Brigade arrives in American Samoa 23Jan42 from San Diego, escorted by Yorktown and covered by Enterprise.
Another large convoy comes through the Panama Canal and is screened by Lexington task force on her way from Pearl to the South Pacific. This convoy provides garrison troops for :

A hydrographic survey of Bora Bora has its charts completed 12 Feb to receive 4,500 men to build a refueling station, escorted by two old cruisers from South American patrol, Concord (CL-10) and Trenton (CL-11).
Enterprise and Yorktown each spend nine days at Pearl to refit and head out for new missions.
14 Feb Enterprise heads to make a raid on Wake Island.
15 Feb Yorktown heads for the Phoenix Islands where she hovers near to Canton to protect President Taylor, a ship with 900 troops that had run aground 13Feb. Pres Taylor is later destroyed by Japanese Aircraft, no casualties. See reader story. (Believed to be on board SS "President Taylor", in San Francisco, under shipment to Asiatic Fleet - 60 aircraft torpedoes as of 12 Dec 41.)
16 Feb Lexington operating in the Fiji-New Hebrides area, heads to attack the new Japanese naval base being developed at Rabaul, New Britain. On the 19th the task force is discovered and fights off an air raid. With surprise lost, she turns around to patrol the Coral sea, the eastern approach to Australia.
19Feb Japanese attack Darwin, Australia -- the base is destroyed. Japanese occupy Timor, 300 miles north of Western Australia.
23Feb42. Japanese submarine I-17 shells oil refinery at Ellwood, California.
24Feb42. Seaplane from Japanese submarine I-9 reconnoiters Pearl Harbor.
Yorktown arrives New Hebrides to meet Lexington for another attempt on Rabaul.
Meanwhile Enterprise and cruisers raid Wake Island and continues to patrol between Wake and west of Midway.
27-28Feb On the Malay Barrier, the ABDA is destroyed in the Battle of Java Sea and Australia is exposed to invasion from the north.

February ends with remnants of the ABDA fleet trying to make it to western and eastern ports in Australia. The entire Western Pacific is available to the Japanese with the only resisting force isolated on the Bataan peninsula of Luzon, PI. Enterprise is west of Midway ; Lexington is east of Australia ; Yorktown is in the Phoenix Islands. The Japanese fleet mops up all remaining ABDA forces north of Australia.

March 1942

March opens with Enterprise making a daring raid on Marcus Island, 3/4th of the way between Hawaii and Japan. This to show the USN is alive and is intended to slow the advancement of forces to the South Pacific.

Yorktown is ordered from Phoenix to reinforce Lexington. They join-up 6 Mar intending to raid Rabaul. When the Japanese invade the north coast of New Guinea, the two US task forces divert to blunt the occupation of New Guinea. Enroute they learn Java surrendered. Positioning themselves between New Guinea and Australia, 104 planes from Lexington and Yorktown make a dangerous crossing over the Owen Stanley Mountains to attack the Japanese invasion fleet on 10 March, sinking four ships, damaging 13 out of 18. The fleet air arm gains experience and confidence.
MacArthur departs Corregidor 11Mar for Australia arriving Melbourne 22Mar42, discovering along the way that there is no Allied army to command.

The Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) surrenders 12 March. Japanese land in the northern Solomons in their continuing movement to interdict the Australian-US link. Enterprise returns to Pearl.

At mid-month: Enterprise is in for overhaul after her extended mission. Lexington starts back to Pearl to refit after her tour in the South Pacific. Yorktown remains in the Coral Sea. Saratoga is still on the West Coast for repairs. A new fleet carrier, Hornet (CV-8) is in transit from the Atlantic. Hornet arrives San Francisco 20 Mar. Lexington arrives Pearl for overhaul 26 Mar.

March ends with three successful raids completed: Wake, Marcus, and New Guinea. Enterprise and Lexington are in overhaul, Saratoga under repair, Yorktown in the Coral Sea, and Hornet is newly arrived on the West Coast. Meanwhile, the Japanese are occupying the Western Pacific as fast as they can load, move, and unload troops.

April 1942

April opens with an organization of the Pacific Theater into the SW Pacific under MacArthur extending from Australia north to the Asian coast, consisting of what is now New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaya, and Philippines. The rest of the Pacific, made up of island chains, is subdivided into South, Central and North Pacific under Nimitz. The Japanese combined fleet is on its way to the Indian Ocean to attack the British fleet that had retreated from Singapore.

Hornet boards 16 Army B-25s under command of LtCol Doolittle and departs San Francisco 4 Apr. Two Japanese carrier task forces raid Ceylon and adjacent Indian Ocean areas, sinking 4 warships and 23+ merchantmen. The British Far East fleet retreats to Africa.
Enterprise departs Pearl on the 8th to rendezvous at sea with Hornet, about the time that forces on Bataan surrender; US-Philippine forces remain in the fortress on Corregador Island. Lexington leaves Pearl 13Apr to return to the eastern approaches of Australia. Next day Nimitz takes command of the South Pacific ; he sends Yorktown to Tongatabu to replenish in preparation for battles anticipated by the end of the month.

18Apr Hornet flies off the Doolittle Raiders for Tokyo ; Hornet and Enterprise head back to Pearl.
18Apr MacArthur assumes command of the SW Pacific Area.
22Apr Lexington joins Yorktown at Tongatabu, south of Samoa.
25Apr Enterprise and Hornet arrive Pearl.
27Apr Yorktown heads back to the Coral Sea.
28Apr Ghormley arrives from Europe to take command of South Pacific from Auckland, New Zealand. Intelligence tells of a coming attack on the Solomons and Port Molsby, New Guinea. Success will allow direct attack on Australia and cut the supply line from the US to Australia. Enterprise and Hornet rush to the South Pacific.

April ends with the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo having shaken up the Japanese, causing recall of the combined fleet to home waters. The Allies have established reconnaissance bases along the two main shipping routes. Two US carriers are ready for battle in the South Pacific and two more are steaming to join the fray, but will not make it in time for to engage in the Battle of the Coral Sea. The Japanese have gathered an invasion fleet and carrier force to occupy the southern coast of New Guinea (operation MO) and continue their southern flanking advance by landing in the Solomon Islands. Note the reason for urgency : Australia and New Guinea are separated by 100 miles; by contrast, Florida and Cuba are separated by 140 miles.

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World War II in the Pacific Carrier Raids in the First Months

January 1942

February 1942

March 1942

April 1942

World War II in the Pacific
Carrier Raids in the First Months