Museum closed on Friday 16 May Please note that we are closed on Friday 16 May in connection with major maintenance works inside the main galleries and outside the main building. All part of our endeavours to constantly improve the Museum. (fb)

Commemorating the Battle of the Coral Sea On 5 May, Museum representatives were present and laid a wreath during the annual Battle of the Coral Sea dawn service at the Coral Sea Memorial in Anzac Park, commemorating this significant naval event that happened 83 years ago, this year. When the Battle of the Coral Sea began on 4 May 1942, the Allies’ situation was grave. The Japanese had already swept deep into the South Pacific and were now positioned in the Solomon Islands. Their next aim was to capture Port Moresby, thereby cutting supply lines between Australia and the USA and putting northern Australian bases within range of Japanese bombers. While those on the home front feared an invasion and anxiously awaited news, a complex five-day battle unfolded just 885 km (477 nautical miles) northeast of Townsville. The Coral Sea was the first sea battle in history to be fought entirely by carriers and their aircraft. Throughout the engagement, the opposing fleets never fired on or moved within sight of each other. The Allied fleet of 37 vessels included the carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown, the cruisers HMAS Australia and HMAS Hobart, destroyers, submarines, oilers and tenders. The 141 sea-based planes and 482 shore-based planes that participated included B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-25 Mitchell’s, B-26 Marauders and RAAF Hudsons. Both during the battle and in the days leading up to it, Townsville played its part. Allied aircraft based in Townsville flew reconnaissance and bombing missions over Japanese-held territory and the Coral Sea. The Australian Army’s 42nd Battalion patrolled the coastline near the city. On 4 May, each soldier was issued 20 rounds of ammunition and the battalion was sent to Alligator Creek just south of the city. There they were told to fix bayonets and face out to sea. The climax of the battle on 8 May saw the Japanese carrier Shokaku disabled by planes from USS Yorktown, herself badly damaged but still operational. Struck by both bombs and torpedoes, USS Lexington burst into flames and was abandoned and sunk to prevent capture. She lost over 200 men. By the end of the day, both sides retired. Although the Allies lost more ships, it was the first strategic defeat for the Japanese since Pearl Harbor and a psychological turning point in the Pacific war. Less than a month later, the Allies won the decisive Battle of Midway, thanks in part to the damage inflicted on the Japanese fleet in the Coral Sea. At the Maritime Museum of Townsville, the Battle of the Coral Sea takes centrestage in our exhibit of World Wars I and II in the South Pacific. Panels, artefacts, dioramas, and ship and airplane models tell the heroic story, and a short video documentary titled “Clash of the Carriers” uses dramatic original footage to convey the scope of the attacks. Our thanks to the Australian National Maritime Museum for the generous loan of this and other videos on World War II. The Coral Sea Memorial is not the only one focused on the battle in Townsville. There is also the huge anchor from the USS Coral Sea, placed on Sir Leslie Thiess Drive, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the battle. An entire park just north of Cardwell commemorates the battle and the Allied ships that took part. And the huge Peace Window inside the St Monica's Cathedral in Cairns also shows aspects of the battle. Lest We Forget. (fb)