BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:31): On Sunday 6 May I had the privilege of representing the Premier at the commemoration of the Battle of the Coral Sea conducted by the Australian-American Association of South Australia and held in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Other distinguished guests who attended included the federal member for Hindmarsh, Mr Steve Georganas MP, who gave the prime minister's message; the Leader of the Opposition, Isobel Redmond MP; and the Vice-Consul, US Consulate-General, Melbourne, Mrs Kala Carruthers Azar.

Each year the Australian-American associations across Australia organise the commemoration of the Battle of the Coral Sea. I would like to read an excerpt of the commemoration address by Lieutenant Commander Paul Whetstone RAN, which succinctly covers the events surrounding the Battle of the Coral Sea some 70 years ago:

It was 70 years ago, a few months after their surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, that Japanese forces planned to invade southern New Guinea through the conduct of an amphibious assault on Port Moresby. This move was designed to knock Australia and New Zealand out of the war.

The allies gathered a large fleet in the Coral Sea, approximately 500 miles north-east of Australia, to thwart the invasion. From 4 May to 8 May 1942, the Australianand American navies fought together in the Battle of the Coral Sea—one of the first naval battles fought in the Pacific during World War II and also the largest naval battle that has ever been fought off Australia's shores.

The main Australian involvement in the battle was the allied cruiser force—Task Force 44, commanded by Rear Admiral Jack Crace, the Australian-born Royal Navy flag officer commanding the Australian squadron, comprising HMAS Australia, HMAS Hobart, USS Chicago and three US destroyers (USS Perkins, Wallke and Farragut). This task group detached from the main carrier group, commanded by Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher, to intercept and destroy the Port Moresby invasion fleet that had sailed from Rabaul. Japanese torpedo and high-level bombers attacked the cruiser force and although there were no direct hits, the subsequent strafing attacks caused casualties.

In the case of the US forces, it was the fighters, dive bombers and torpedo aircraft from the USS Lexington and USS Yorktown which sank one Imperial Japanese aircraft carrier, severely damaged two large fleet aircraft carriers and caused the heavy loss of their experienced aircrew. This prevented these carriers from participating in the Battle of Midway the following month. During the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese severely damaged USS Yorktown and USS Lexington. The latter was bombed and torpedoed, resulting in aviation gas fires and explosions and subsequently had to be abandoned and sunk.

The battle was important for several reasons. It was the first encounter between fleets in which the surface forces did not sight one another and the only offensive weapons were aircraft. Though there was no decisive victor, it was an important turning point in the war in the Pacific because, for the first time, the allies had stopped the Japanese advance. Before the battle, the Japanese had enjoyed a continual string of victory whilst afterwards, it suffered an almost continual series of defeats, including at Midway one month later.

Shortly after the Battle of the Coral Sea, many called it one of the most important naval battles in world history and, at the time, it probably was. In 1942 many people believed that Australia had been saved from invasion by the Battle of the Coral Sea.

The Battle of the Coral Sea thwarted the Japanese planned assault on Port Moresby and ended the Japanese expansion southward. The Official History of the Royal Australian Navy refers to the Battle of the Coral Sea as 'Japan's first check'.

In conclusion, I wish to acknowledge the efforts of the Australian American Association of South Australia in organising the Battle of the Coral Sea commemoration and, in particular, their President, Mrs Dana Stoba and her husband, David, who have worked tirelessly to ensure the continuation of this commemoration.

Time expired.