ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT NAVAL BATTLES IN HISTORY

     In war, there are always particular battles that play a critical role due to their significance in turning the tides of war. However, this battle that I would like to tell you is not fought on land, but a battle fought at sea. This sort of battle is called a naval battle in which fleets of warships would engage in a fight with one another. Now, the naval battle that I am referring to is the Battle of Midway. It is a naval battle that happened during World War II between the United States and the Empire of Japan. It was a crucial battle that shifted the tides of war in the favor of the US.

     The conflict between the US and Japan began when Japan bombed the US military naval base Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. The reason behind this attack was so that the US would not interfere with the Japanese’s plans in Southeast Asia. Japan wanted to establish naval superiority in the western pacific. Nevertheless, the US was not just going to sit quietly as Japan built its hegemony over the pacific. Following the Pearl Harbor bombing was the Battle of the Coral Sea that happened from 4 to 8 May of 1942.  The US had one aircraft carrier, the USS Lexington, sunk and one aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown heavily damaged. While Japan had two of its aircraft carriers, IJN Shōkaku and IJN Zuikaku, damaged and one of its light aircraft carriers, the IJN Shōhō, sunk. Even though both sides took heavy casualties, the Japanese were still relentless in achieving their goal of dominating the pacific.

     On the 3rd of June 1942, Japan launched an attack on the US to take control of the Midway Islands. Their main striking force consisted of four aircraft carriers, the IJN Akagi, the IJN Kaga, the IJN Sōryū, and the IJN Hiryū, in which each of them were escorted by cruisers and destroyers. The super battleship IJN Yamato was also present during this battle and acted as the flagship of the fleet. The US force, however, was limited. It consisted of the cruiser and destroyer-escorted aircraft carriers, the USS Enterprise, the USS Hornet, and the USS Yorktown that was rushed in its repair after the catastrophic damage it took during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

     Despite the disadvantage that the US faced at the time, they were able to come out as the victor of this battle. The Japanese lost all four of its aircraft carriers while the US only lost one aircraft carrier which was the USS Yorktown. The USS Yorktown sank because of a final counterattack that was launched by IJN Hiryū. The Battle of Midway caused the Japanese a devastating blow in the war. As a result, they had to rush the construction of new aircraft carriers and even had to convert their third super battleship, the IJN Shinano, into an aircraft carrier. The US, on the other hand, celebrated this victory as the war against Japan was in their favor now. As a follow-up, the US began constructing multiple Essex Class aircraft carriers to further strengthen itself.

Reference

Battle of Midway. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2021, from Naval History and Heritage Command: https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1942/midway.html

History.com Editors. (2019, October 21). Battle of Midway. Retrieved May 31, 2021, from History.com: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway

Ray, M. (2021, May 27). Battle of Midway. Retrieved May 31, 2021, from Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Midway

The Battle of Midway. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2021, from The National WWII Museum: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/battle-midway