US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

Save—The GaUing Defeat 385
It was Vice Admiral Fletcher’s belief that with only Japanese shore f acil-
ities to attack and only Japanese shore based air to fight, there was no pros-
pect of inflicting greater damage on the enemy than the Navy’s three pre-
cious carriers could receive. Additional Japanese submarines had been reported
by CINCPAC enroute to the Guadalcanal area. Japanese land-based air-
craft were active in the area and he had been informed by General MacArthur
that “the Air Force now in sight for the Southwest Pacific Area is not adequate
to interdict hostile air or naval operations against the Tulagi Area.” 7’
Vice Admiral Fletcher felt that he had no choice but to obey his instruc-
tions.7T
(E) The immediate Problems–Enemy Carriers and
Fuel Shortages
(1) Enemy carriers
Despite the loss of four carriers at the Battle of Midway, the
Japanese Navy in August 1942, still had as many battle line carriers (J.utzyo,
Sbokaku, Zziibo, Zuikaku ) as the United States Navy.
From the middle of the afternoon of Friday, i’ August, when Japanese dive
bombers hit destroyer Mugford, Vice Admiral Fletcher had been keenly alert
to the possibility of Japanese carriers being in the vicinity. These dive
bombers were from the 25th Air Flotilla land based on Rabaul, but Vice
Admiral Fletcher was not sure of this and they were a type of aircraft which
could have been flown off carriers.
Soon after this dive bomber attack, he suggested to Rear Admiral Noyes,
Commander Air Support Group, that the Saturday morning air search be
toward Rabaul.
Rear Admiral Noyes replied:
ART [code name for ,%terpri~e] has already been told to search. My information
dive bombers probably land based from Rabaul via Buka or Kieta. 7S
Despite this reply containing a very sound deduction as to the source of
the dive bombers, CTF 61 remained unconvinced that there were no carriers
moving in on him. He told CTG 61.1 that “Bombers last seen leaving
“ CINCSOWESPACAREA, COMSOWESPACFOR 081012, Jul. 1942.
n Fletcher.
n CTF 61 (Fletcher) to CTF 61.I (Noyes), 070357 Aug. 1437 (local time). CTF 18
(Noyes) to CTF 61,070527 Aug. 1942.