Portland was escorting Lexington when Pearl Harbor was attacked and later joined Yorktown in Task Force 17 under Admiral Fletcher. The initial group combined a carrier with three cruisers, six destroyers, and two oilers. After air strikes against Japanese forces at Tulagi, it rendezvoused with Task Forces 11 and 44 and moved to oppose a reported attack on Port Moresby. Portland then shifted to Task Group 17.2 under Rear Admiral Thomas Kinkaid and screened the carriers during Japanese air attacks. When fires aboard Lexington became uncontrollable, Portland took aboard 722 survivors and preserved much of the carrier's experienced personnel. The sequence shows the fast cruiser screen mission and the practical command span of a twelve-ship group before digital data sharing.
Chapter · 23:20-28:23
Portland screens carriers at Coral Sea
At Coral Sea, Task Force 17 paired Yorktown with cruisers, destroyers, and oilers in a carrier group small enough to coordinate without digital data sharing.