Floatplanes, carrier aircraft, and search coverage

Cruiser floatplanes were intended to spare carrier deck space for strike aircraft, while the Royal Navy and U.S. Navy often treated strike types as multi-role reconnaissance platforms. In practice Japan used both systems because locating a fleet across a widening search arc consumed aircraft quickly. As distance from the carrier increased, gaps between search legs widened enough for entire task forces to pass unseen. Whether American reconnaissance aircraft at this battle carried radar remains uncertain because the available accounts seldom mention it.