Midway

In October of last year, the RV Petrel, a vessel used for exploring extreme depths of the ocean, found the remains of two Japanese aircraft carriers, the Kagi and the Akagi. They were sunk, along with two other carriers, in the battle of Midway, which was a major turning point in the war in the Pacific, and some reckon as one of the most significant naval battles in world history.

Just six months after the attack at Pearl Harbor, June 4-7, 1942, the Japanese navy, under the command of Admiral Yamamoto, attempted another attack, this time at the tiny atoll of Midway, which is so named because it is roughly halfway between North America and Asia. It is part of the Hawaiian archipelago, but is not part of the state of Hawaii. The Japanese figured that another devastating blow against the Americans would weaken morale and give them free reign throughout the Pacific.

But this time the Americans were ready. The Japanese code had been cracked, and furthermore, the Japanese underestimated the morale of the Americans, as well as their strength. One of they key elements in the battle was the carrier Yorktown, which was badly damaged in the Battle of the Coral Sea only a month previous, but 'round the clock repair crews brought it back up to fighting speed.

Armed with the knowledge of where and when the attack was going to be, Admiral Chester Nimitz was able to prepare. The Americans made a pre-emptive air strike, and succeeded in sinking an oil tanker. Admiral Nagumo led the initial attack by Japan, but a counter-attack, from the carriers Hornet, Enterprise, and Yorktown, was successful.

The results devastated the Japanese navy. All four of their aircraft carriers, the Kagi, the Akagi, Sōryū, and Hiryū were sunk. The U.S. lost the Yorktown and the destroyer Hammann, and 307 lives. The Japanese lost over 3000 men. Though the war would rage on for three more years, some believe that the Japanese forces were permanently weakened. The moss of men and materiel had a much greater impact on them than on the U.S. The lack of trained men would be one of the main factors in their ultimate defeat, and that started at Midway.