Battle of the Coral Sea order of battle Battle of the Coral Sea order of battle This is an order of battle for the Battle of the Coral Sea. The battle, fought during 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States (U.S.) and Australia. In an attempt to strengthen their defensive positioning for their empire in the South Pacific, Imperial Japanese forces decided to invade and occupy Port Moresby in New Guinea and Tulagi in the southeastern Solomon Islands. The plan to accomplish this, called
1st Battle Squadron Following the Battle of Jutland, the 1st Battle Squadron was reorganized, with "Colossus", "Hercules", "St. Vincent", "Collingwood" and "Neptune" all transferred to the 4th Battle Squadron. In January 1917, the squadron was constituted as follows: By 1918, "Agincourt" had been transferred to the 2nd Battle Squadron, and "Resolution", "Ramillies" and "Iron Duke" had joined the squadron on completion. For many years the squadron served in the Mediterranean as the main British battle force there. On 3 September 1939 the 1st Battle Squadron, serving in the Mediterranean Fleet, consisted of "Barham", "Warspite" and "Malaya", with headquarters at Alexandria, Egypt, under the