Bringing Task Forces 16 and 17 together would have increased their ability to support one another. Keeping them apart gave Japanese attackers separate targets instead of one concentrated formation. Yorktown's delayed availability and the task forces' different operating times complicated an effort to combine them. There was therefore a reasonable case for the historical choice. On balance, the mutual support of three carriers seems worth the added risk, though the choice is difficult to second-guess.
Notable Point · 2:00:25-2:01:53
The tradeoff in combining the American carriers
Closer American carrier concentration promised mutual support but also put the ships in one place for Japanese attackers.