Naval history of World War II 4–7, 1942, the United States Navy decisively defeated a Japanese naval force that had sought to lure the U.S. carrier fleet into a trap at Midway Atoll. The Japanese fleet lost four aircraft carriers to the U.S. Navy's one American carrier and a destroyer. After Midway, and the exhausting attrition of the Solomon Islands campaign, Japan's shipbuilding and pilot training programs were unable to keep pace in replacing their losses while the U.S. steadily increased its output in both areas. Military historian John Keegan called the Battle of Midway "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval
Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō with bombs to little effect. The Americans claimed to have shot down 19 aircraft, but only three Zeros and three B5Ns were lost, although another B5N was forced to crash-land. Only three Wildcats were shot down in turn. Around 14:40, the Detached Force was spotted again by several search aircraft from the carrier , although the Japanese ships did not immediately spot the Americans. They launched three Zeros as CAP at 14:55, shortly before two of the searching Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers near-missed "Ryūjō" astern with four bombs three minutes later. Two more Zeros reinforced the CAP shortly after