May 09 - Day 06
Enemy troops continue to disembark at Port Moresby overnight and throughout the day. They take routine casualties from our counterbombardment but nothing that could deter them. However we get a lucky hit at 11k yards on xAKL Noshiro Maru which sets her on fire. Then our subs begin their attacks; S-38 attempts to finish off Noshiro Maru and strikes her with a torpedo which causes heavy damage and she burns from stem to stern; then having eluded the ASW search,she attacks again, hitting xAK Asakaze Maru and causing heavy damage. In the latter attack S-38 is damaged by depth charges.
Our coastal batteries have found their range and hit another Transport, xAK Canberra Maru, at 9k yards. At least the disembarkation is meeting some resistance. Surely, all we need now is for CV Lexington to put in one good attack to be followed up by our Cruisers and we can still save the day?
It is not to be. The Japanese CVs have not left the scene. They have evaded our land-based Naval Search aircraft, and those from CV Lexington and her Cruisers. The Japanese Carriers have, surprisingly, left the Transports without CAP, but they've gone hunting CV Lexington. She is discovered early in the morning, we send off an attack and await the inevitable enemy strike. Again it is almost overwhelming with 23xKates, 22xVals and 10xZeros opposed by 11xWildcats. Japanese losses are heavy, 14xaircraft to our 2xWildcats, but 30xaircraft remain to attack and damage the CV Lexington (torpedo hit), CA Minneapolis (bomb hit), and CA New Orleans (bomb and torpedo hit).
The enemy CVs have held back the larger part of their Zeros as CAP and when our Dauntless and Devastators show up they're hit hard experiencing nearly 50% losses. We get no hits on the unidentified CV(s) or the escorts.
The Wirraways again attack the Transports but cause no damage.
Then the enemy CV(s) administer the coup de grace! An afternoon raid finds CV Lexington again and 18xKates, 18xVals and 10xZeros have no difficulty penetrating our CAP of 14xWildcats. The result is utter havoc; CV Lexington takes 3 bomb hits, then as she wallows, no fewer than 5 torpedo hits. She sinks rapidly. As she goes down the remaining strike aircraft pick out the damaged Cruisers and sink them too. CA Minneapolis is hit by 8 bombs, and New Orleans by 3 torpedoes.
One fragment of good news; all our airborne aircraft are able to land at Townsville airfield.
To compound a disastrous day, 16xNells escorted by 12xZeros attack Port Moresby itself. They're opposed by 12xWarhawks which give a good account of themselves, downing 6xNells and damaging all the others, at the cost of 3xWarhawks. There is minimal damage.
Two more of our subs make unsuccessful attacks but escape any damage themselves.
It seems the Port Moresby garrison will have to fight it out alone!
