1942-Contin ued

u. S. dive bombers attack the Japanese aircraft canjer Shokaku dUljng

the battle of the Coral Sea, May 194217422

group in the probable track of the enemy transports,

moved northward in search of the enemy covering

force. Carrier aircraft located and sank the light carri-

er Shoho covering a convoy (7 May), while Japanese

aircraft hit the separately operating attack group and

sank one destroyer and one fleet tanker. The next

day the Japanese covering force was located and

taken under air attack, which damaged the carrier

Shokaku. Almost simultaneously enemy carrier air-

craft attacked Task Force 17, scoring hits which dam-

aged Yorktown and set off uncontrollable fires on

Lexington, as a result of which she was abandoned

and was sunk (8 May). Although the score favored

the Japanese, they retired from action and their occu-

pation of Port Moresby by sea was deferred and

finally abandoned.

10 May The possibility of increasing the range of

small aircraft, by operating them as towed gliders, was

demonstrated at the Naval Aircraft Factory when

Lieutenant Commanders William H. McClure and

Robert W. Denbo hooked their F4Fs to tow lines

streamed behind a twin-engined BD (Army A-20), cut

their engines and were towed for an hour at 180 knots

at 7,000 feet.

10 May Ranger, on a transatlantic ferry trip, reached

a position off the African Gold Coast and launched 60

P-40 Warhawks of the Army Air Force to Accra, from

which point they were flown in a series of hops to

Karachi, India, for operations with the 10th AAF. This

was the first of four ferry trips made by Ranger to

deliver AAF fighters across the Atlantic, the subsequent

launches being accomplished on 19 July 1942, 19

January 1943, and 24 February 1943.

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

115

10 May VS-4-D14 (Inshore Patrol Squadron) arrived

in the Tonga Islands with the base construction and

garrison convoy and set up facilities to conduct anti-

submarine patrols from Nukualofa Harbor on

Tongatabu.

11 May The president ordered that an Air Medal be

established for award to any person who, while serv-

ing in any capacity in or with the Army, Navy, Marine

Corps, or Coast Guard after 8 September 1939, distin-

guishes or has distinguished himself by meritorious

achievement while participating in aerial flight.

15 May The design of the National Star Insignia was

revised by eliminating the red disc in the center of the

star, and use of horizontal red and white rudder strip-

ing was discontinued.

15 May The Chief of Naval Operations ordered that

an Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (Air) be estab-

lished to deal with aviation matters directly under the

Vice Chief of Naval Operations and that the Chief of

the Bureau of Aeronautics fill the new office as addi-

tional duty. In complying with a further provision of

the order that such readjustment of functions be made

as would serve the interest of the order, the Vice Chief

of Naval Operations subsequently concentrated the

aviation functions already being performed in his

office into a new Division of Aviation. The office was

abolished in mid-June 1942.

15 May A VR-2 flight from Alameda, Calif., to

Honolulu, Hawaii, the first transoceanic flight by NATS

aircraft, initiated air transport service in the Pacific.

20 May Rear Admiral John S. McCain reported for

duty as Commander, Aircraft, South Pacific, a new

command established to direct the operations of ten-

der and shore-based aviation in the South Pacific area.

26 May The feasibility of jet-assisted takeoff was

demonstrated in a successful flight test of a Brewster

F2A-3, piloted by Lieutenant Ug) C. Fink Fischer, at

NAS Anacostia, D.C., using five British antiaircraft solid

propellant rocket motors. The reduction in takeoff dis-

tance was 49 percent.

27 May The transfer of Patrol Wing 4 from Seattle,

Wash., to the North Pacific began with the arrival of

Commander, Kodiak, Alaska.

3-4 June In an attempt to divert forces from the

Midway area, a Japanese carrier force launched small

raids on Dutch Harbor, Aleutian Islands, hitting twice

on the third and once on the fourth and doing consid-