minor errors in this article
What most people just do NOT stop to think about is how we did this with MOST OF OUR FLEET. What was sunk at Pearl was NOT the majority of our fleet, just a major blow but certainly NOT the majority of our fleet
In fact, the battle of the Coral Sea was BEFORE Midway and that was a huge naval battle, more of a tie but we were better off than them
http://www.history.navy.mil/history/CoralSea.htm
and I need to look it up, we sank only 3 carriers, not 4 of theirs, their fourth was left burning??
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq81-1.htm
Coral Sea was important strategically because as a result of it, the Japanese lost the use of Carrier Division 3 [SHOKAKU and ZUIKAKU], the two largest and most modern of the Strike Force’s carriers, and their air power.
At Midway, AKGAGI, KAGA and SORYU were put out of action in the first American attack. HIRYU was not [it was under a rain squall. Tamon Yamaguchi, Commander of Carrier Division 2 [SORYU and HIRYU],and Japan’s best carrier Admiral, then launched a series of attacks that resulted in the sinking of the YORKTOWN. HIRYU was put out of action later that afternoon. By next day all four Japanese carriers were sunk as a result of the U.S bombing, or of Japanese scuttling.
In the Coral Sea our navy lost more ships than the Japanese, but they decided to withdraw.