After the Naval Battle of the Marshall Islands, the Imperial Japanese Navy discovered through communication interception that the Yorktown-class aircraft carrier they had defeated in that battle was the second ship of the same class, the USS Enterprise. Since the Enterprise had at least taken six hits by 250 kg bombs, it was expected that repairs would take about three months, no matter how quickly they proceeded. Therefore, the Enterprise was not expected to return to the front lines until at least after March.
At the beginning of the war, the US Navy possessed seven regular aircraft carriers. However, the Lexington and Saratoga, which had the largest displacement among them, were lost in the Naval Battle of the Marshall Islands, and the Enterprise also suffered significant damage in the same battle. As a result, only four carriers remained: the Yorktown, Hornet, Wasp, and Ranger. All four of these carriers were originally part of the Atlantic Fleet.
It is known that the Yorktown and Hornet had already been transferred to the Pacific or were en route to the Pacific to fill the gap left by the loss of the Lexington and Saratoga in the Naval Battle of the Marshall Islands. As for the remaining Wasp and Ranger, it was confirmed through communication interception that they were still operating in the Atlantic. Therefore, until the end of February, the Pacific Fleet would have only the Yorktown and Hornet from the Atlantic as available carriers.
Considering the current situation, the Imperial Navy planned to launch a new operation after completing the capture of Rabaul. The target was Port Moresby, with the goal of occupying the area and exerting pressure on Australia to force them out of the war. The centerpiece of this operation would be the 1st Air Fleet, with four fast carriers.
1st Air Fleet
- Shōkaku (36 × A6Ms, 18 × D3As, 18 × B5Ns)
- Zuikaku (36 × A6Ms, 18 × D3As, 18 × B5Ns)
- Sōryū (27 × A6Ms, 12 × D3As, 18 × B5Ns)
- Hiryū (27 × A6Ms, 12 × D3As, 18 × B5Ns)
- Heavy cruisers Tone, Chikuma
- Light cruiser Abukuma
- Destroyers Tanikaze, Urakaze, Hamakaze, Isokaze, Kagerō, Shiranui, Kasumi, Arare, Akigumo
The 1st Air Fleet was a large mobile unit consisting of four carriers, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and nine destroyers, with a total of 258 operational carrier-based aircraft. The decision to deploy four regular carriers was made because of the victories in the battles of Malaya and the Marshall Islands, as well as the smooth progress of the Southern Operations. The shortage of destroyers compared to the main force ships was due to the ongoing Southern Operations, which would be followed by an increase in destroyer strength once those operations were completed. The higher ratio of Zero fighters in the carrier-based aircraft was due to the significant losses of B5Ns and D3As in the two earlier battles. These aircraft, with their limited production and deployment, were not as easily replenished as the Zeros.
On the other hand, the surviving crews of the Akagi, Kaga, and Ryūjō were temporarily transferred to various other carriers to ensure that there were enough crews available. While only a short time had passed since the start of the war, each ship in the 1st Air Fleet had already added anti-aircraft guns, and priority was given to deploying emergency command devices or upgrading them from old models to new ones. This was to prevent any embarrassing incidents like the sinking of the Akagi and Kaga due to ship fires in the Naval Battle of the Marshall Islands. Additionally, despite the short timeframe, the crew received emergency damage control training.
Vice Admiral Nagumo remained the 1st Air Fleet's commander as in the Marshall Islands, and Chief of Staff Kusaka and others also remained in their posts. While there were discussions about his replacement at the Combined Fleet headquarters due to the loss of three carriers, he remained in his position, as he had also played a major role in sinking two large carriers and seven battleships, causing his popularity among the Japanese public as a key figure in the victory at the Naval Battle of the Marshall Islands.
The 1st Air Fleet had already entered the Coral Sea. In order to defend the vital point of Port Moresby and, above all, to prevent Australia from dropping out of the war, it was expected that the US carrier task force would soon make its appearance.
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