Mercogliano contrasts the coordinated April 1942 plan to bring four carriers toward the Coral Sea with the hurried preparations for Operation Watchtower. The earlier plan included Enterprise and Hornet returning from the Doolittle raid and carefully coordinated oiler movements. In his account, Fletcher's three carrier groups reached Guadalcanal on 7 August with about sixty percent fuel when they should have arrived fully replenished. He attributes this to the South Pacific staff's preparation and identifies fuel shortage as the reason Fletcher could not remain, rejecting the explanation based on fighter losses.
Notable Point · 1:24:38-1:26:05
Fuel planning separated Coral Sea preparation from Guadalcanal improvisation
A carefully orchestrated Coral Sea fuel plan contrasts with carriers arriving off Guadalcanal at only 60 percent fuel.