History That Doesn't Suck 198: The Pacific Tide Turns at Coral Sea & Midway
Feb 2, 2026
A tense retelling of the Coral Sea and Midway clashes where carrier-based air power reshaped naval warfare. Codebreakers at Pearl Harbor and a daring fake message play a pivotal role. Pilots launch desperate attacks and timing proves decisive as carriers are struck and fortunes reverse. The battle sequence shows how intelligence and luck can tilt the tide in the Pacific.
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Near-Death On The NeoShō
- Bill Liu survived the NeoShō tanker attack after abandoning ship and nearly drowning before being rescued.
- His life jacket had been stolen and an unnamed sailor lent his jacket, illustrating chaos and small acts of rescue during battle.
Air Power Replaced Battleships
- The Battle of the Coral Sea proved carriers and aircraft—not battleships—decide naval battles.
- Lieutenant Commander John A. Collett summarized it: "air power is sea power."
Rochefort's Dungeon Breakthrough
- Captain Joe Rochefort's codebreaking in "The Dungeon" identified AF as Midway using intercepted messages and context clues.
- He then validated it by tricking the Japanese with a fake Midway water-supply message to confirm the target.
