Coral SeaMay 6th - 8th, 1942
In May, 1942 the Japanese planned to disrupt communication via the sea lanes between Australia and the U.S. As part of their plans, the inva-sion of New Guinea and the capture of the vital harbor at Port Moresby was crucial. In early May the IJN sent a multi-task force invasion group to accomplish this mission. Consisting of the Japanese carriers Shokaku, Zuikaku and Shoho, these task forces would take part in the first carrier-to-carrier battle in naval history, the Battle of Coral Sea. To deflect the invading forces, the USN responded with the carriers they had; the Lexington, and Yorktown. While losses to the Japanese were minor, the USN succeeded in turning back the invasion.

Midway
June 3rd - 5th, 1942
Probably one of the most famous battles in naval history, Midway was a crucial turning point in the Pacific war. In an attempt to invade and set up an ambush at the island of Midway, the Japanese lost four of their fleet carriers in this battle. Afterwards, the Japanese no longer dominated the Pacific.

Komandorski Island
March 26th, 1943
The Aleutian Islands were occupied by the Japanese during the Midway campaign as a diversionary effort. By 1943, this theater was becoming a burden to the Japanese but they still needed to supply this isolated garrison. As part of the resupply efforts, Admiral Hosogaya's task force attempted a landfall at Attu. Intercepting this Japanese force was Admiral McMorris' task force. This lead to the only daytime surface battle where no planes or torpedoes were used.

Kula Gulf
July 6th, 1943
The battle for Kula Gulf was the first in a series of battles in the Solomon Islands chain during Operation Cartwheel. Ordered into the "Slot" to disrupt the Japanese supply efforts, Admiral Ainsworth's cruiser force encountered the ten-destroyer task force under Admiral Akiyama. In the ensuing battle, the Japanese lost a destroyer but managed to sink the cruiser Helena with their Long Lance torpedoes.

Kolombangara
July 13th, 1943
As the Allies continued their drive up the "Slot,"the Japanese navy continued its efforts to halt the offensive. Both sides conducted naval sweeps of the area in order to
engage the enemy. Admiral Ainsworth was conducting his 15th combat mission when his task force ran into Admiral Izaki's battle group. Despite the advantage of having radar, the USN only managed to sink the light cruiser Jintsu. Izaki's DDs, however, launched an effec-tive torpedo attack that sank the destroyer Gwin and damaged three light cruisers.

Vella Gulf
August 6th, 1943
Until now, Japanese destroyers were unequaled in torpedo warfare. In many a battle it was the deadly Long Lance torpedo that killed an allied cruiser rather than shell fire. This was to change at the battle of Vella Gulf. The USN destroyers were usually assigned to an escort role to the heavy cruisers. In this action, the battle solely consists of Admiral Wilkson's DD's taking on the Japanese DD's of Captain Sugiura. In a close-range battle at night, both sides launched torpedoes at each other, but this time the USN came out on top. In the aftermath, three Japanese destroyers would go down
while not a single U.S. ship was lost.

Empress Augusta Bay
November 2nd, 1943
In response to the American landings in Empress Augusta Bay, Admiral Omori was ordered to destroy the transports in the bay. Forewarned of the Japanese approach by scout craft, Admiral Merrill was dispatched to confront Omori and stop him. The battle itself was a confusing night melee involving six separate task forces. In the end, the Japanese lost the light cruiser Sendai and a destroyer. Admiral Merrill won without losing a single ship and forced Omori's ships to retreat.

Cape St. George
November 25th, 1943
At this point in the war, most of the Allied effort in the Pacific had become focused elsewhere. The decision to bypass Rabaul had essentially made the Solomon Islands a secondary theater. The few remaining battles were conducted by destroyers from both sides. The Japanese would attempt some resupply missions,while the USN continued
to intercept these efforts. The battle of Cape St. George is an example of these last battles in the "Slot".

Operation Cartwheel Phase I & II
July 18th - November 25th, 1943
Operation Cartwheel was the USN's effort to clear out the Japanese bases in the Solomon Islands. While it was successful for the Americans, it was also very time consuming to attack every Japanese stronghold. This resulted in the decision to bypass and isolate Rabaul and later the main Japanese base, Truk. Both of these bases would remain in Japanese hands until the end of the war, but both were isolated and rendered useless. The result of Operational Cartwheel to the Japanese was an immense loss of ships and material. By the end of November, 1943, this sector of the Pacific would cost the Japanese some forty-three surface combat ships, something they could ill afford. This does not include the loss of aircraft or the thousands of combat troops sent to this theater.

Battle Of The Philippine Sea
June 19th - 21st, 1944
On June 7th, 1944, the Allies invaded the Japanese stronghold of Saipan. This was the first Japanese pre-war territory to be invaded by the Allies in the war. To the Japanese the loss of Saipan would be critical; not because they were losing a major base, but because it would bring Allied bombers within range of the Japanese home islands. The IJN decided once more to engage the USN in a carrier battle in the hopes of regaining control of the Pacific. While the IJN had deployed several carriers, their air crews were very inexpe-rienced. In the ensuing battle over 240 Japanese aircraft were shot down on their way to the USN fleet carriers. As a result, the battle would become known as the "Marianas Turkey Shoot," due to the high number of Japanese planes destroyed by the Americans. Ironically, the two Japanese carriers that would sink (Taiho and Shokaku), were in fact sunk by USN submarine torpedo fire, not by air power.

Battle of Leyte Gulf
October 24th - 26th, 1944
In early October the Allies landed at the island of Leyte, thereby fulfilling MacArthur's promise to return. To the Japanese, the loss of the Philippine Islands would be catastrophic, because losing the island chain would cut Japan off from the crucial oil and mineral resources of Southeast Asia. By losing these valuable resources, the Japanese war effort would be severely curtailed. Admiral Ozawa devised a plan consisting of several task forces to converge on the Leyte landing sites. His aim was to destroy the supply ships and cut off the invasion force from its supplies. In fact, his plan came very close to succeeding. The carrier decoy force drew Admiral Halsey's carriers away to the north and therefore was not available to support the rest of the surface ships in the area. If Admiral Kurita had not withdrawn too early from the battle off of Samar Island, Ozawa's plan might have succeeded. After this battle the IJN would never sail again as a fleet.

Samar Island
October 25th, 1944
Admiral Kurita's task force succeeded in closing in on the Leyte landing sites. All that stood in his way were the escort carriers of "Taffy 3" and some destroyers. In the following battle which included the mighty battle-ship Yamato, Kurita's ships came within a stone's throw of sinking the allied transports. Despite the valiant efforts of the American CVEs and DDs, it was Admiral Kurita himself who called off the fight and withdrew, not knowing how close he came to a major victory.

Surigao Strait
October 25th, 1944
Admiral Nishimura was to support Admiral Kurita's efforts at Samar Island, but was forced into battle by the USN bombard-ment group. This was to be the last time battleships of the opposing sides would ever face each other. In the end all but oneJapanese ship was destroyed.