Coral Sea tests Lexington's wartime carrier value

Lexington and Saratoga finally lost their eight-inch guns in early 1942, replacing an interwar compromise with weapons better suited to air defense. At Coral Sea, Lexington's aircraft spotted Shoho and inflicted most of the damage before Yorktown's aircraft finished the attack, while Lexington's radar and fighters carried much of the task force's defense. On 8 May both sides found one another at roughly the same time. Doctrine was tested through launch cycles, available aircraft, combat air patrols, and strike coordination. The American torpedo bombers failed to score, while Japanese fighters defended Shokaku more effectively than they had protected Shoho the previous day. Japanese torpedo bombers survived the US fighter screen in enough strength to hit Lexington twice, followed by dive-bomber attacks. A correspondent aboard Lexington reported five port-side hits. Two hits are more likely, with secondary explosions probably accounting for the higher count. The exchange put interwar experimentation to a hard wartime test in which carrier reach, air-group performance, and ship vulnerability all mattered at once.