Link, Arlo M., S1c

Fallen
 
 Service Photo   Service Details
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Final Rank
Seaman First Class
Last NEC
SN-9700-Seaman - Infantry, Gun Crews, and Seamanship Specialists
Last NEC Group
Seaman
Primary Unit
1942-1943, SN-9700, USS Helena (CL-50)
Service Years
1941 - 1943
Official/Unofficial US Navy Certificates
Cannon Cockers Card
Order of the Golden Dragon
Neptune Subpoena
Panama Canal
SN-Seaman
Seaman First Class

 Last Photo   Personal Details 



Home State
Iowa
Iowa
 
This Military Service Page was created/owned by Shaun Thomas (Underdog), OSC to remember Link, Arlo M., S1c.

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Casualty Info
Home Town
Lotts Creek
Casualty Date
Jul 06, 1943
 
Cause
KIA-Killed in Action
Reason
Other Explosive Device
Location
Solomon Islands
Conflict
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Northern Solomon Islands Campaign (1943-44)/Battle of Kula Gulf

 Official Badges 




 Unofficial Badges 

Order of the Shellback Order of the Golden Dragon


 Military Associations and Other Affiliations
Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United StatesUnited States Navy Cruiser Sailors AssociationMilitary Order of World Wars (MOWW)
  1941, Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States
  1943, United States Navy Cruiser Sailors Association - Assoc. Page
  1945, Military Order of World Wars (MOWW)



Central Pacific Campaign (1941-43)/Battle of the Coral Sea
From Month/Year
May / 1942
To Month/Year
May / 1942

Description
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought during 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other, as well as the first in which neither side's ships sighted or fired directly upon the other.

In an attempt to strengthen their defensive positioning for their empire in the South Pacific, Japanese forces decided to invade and occupy Port Moresby in New Guinea and Tulagi in the southeastern Solomon Islands. The plan to accomplish this, called Operation MO, involved several major units of Japan's Combined Fleet, including two fleet carriers and a light carrier to provide air cover for the invasion fleets, under the overall command of Japanese Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue. The US learned of the Japanese plan through signals intelligence and sent two United States Navy carrier task forces and a joint Australian-American cruiser force, under the overall command of American Admiral Frank J. Fletcher, to oppose the Japanese offensive.

On 3–4 May, Japanese forces successfully invaded and occupied Tulagi, although several of their supporting warships were surprised and sunk or damaged by aircraft from the US fleet carrier Yorktown. Now aware of the presence of US carriers in the area, the Japanese fleet carriers entered the Coral Sea with the intention of finding and destroying the Allied naval forces.

Beginning on 7 May, the carrier forces from the two sides exchanged airstrikes over two consecutive days. The first day, the US sank the Japanese light carrier Shoho, while the Japanese sank a US destroyer and heavily damaged a fleet oiler (which was later scuttled). The next day, the Japanese fleet carrier Shokaku was heavily damaged, the US fleet carrier Lexington was critically damaged (and was scuttled as a result), and the Yorktown was damaged. With both sides having suffered heavy losses in aircraft and carriers damaged or sunk, the two fleets disengaged and retired from the battle area. Because of the loss of carrier air cover, Inoue recalled the Port Moresby invasion fleet, intending to try again later.

Although a tactical victory for the Japanese in terms of ships sunk, the battle would prove to be a strategic victory for the Allies for several reasons. The battle marked the first time since the start of the war that a major Japanese advance had been checked by the Allies. More importantly, the Japanese fleet carriers Sokaku and Zuikaku – one damaged and the other with a depleted aircraft complement – were unable to participate in the Battle of Midway, which took place the following month, ensuring a rough parity in aircraft between the two adversaries and contributing significantly to the US victory in that battle. The severe losses in carriers at Midway prevented the Japanese from reattempting to invade Port Moresby from the ocean. Two months later, the Allies took advantage of Japan's resulting strategic vulnerability in the South Pacific and launched the Guadalcanal Campaign that, along with the New Guinea Campaign, eventually broke Japanese defenses in the South Pacific and was a significant contributing factor to Japan's ultimate defeat in World War II.
   
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
May / 1942
To Month/Year
May / 1942
 
Last Updated:
Mar 16, 2020
   
Personal Memories

Memories
On 1 May, Chicago was ordered from Nouméa to join Commander, Southwest Pacific, and on the 4th she supported Yorktown in her strike against the Japanese on Tulagi, Solomon Islands during the Battle of the Coral Sea. On 7 May, she proceeded, with the Support Group, to intercept and attack the Japanese Port Moresby invasion group. The following day, the group underwent several Japanese air attacks, during which Chicago suffered several casualties from strafing, but drove off the planes and proceeded ahead until it was clear that the Japanese force had been turned back.

   
My Photos From This Battle or Operation
No Available Photos

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