US attack on troop convoy fails

During April 1942 the US became increasingly concerned by intelligence reports of a lareg troop buildup in the Marshall Islands. Following the US recapture of Wake Island, the Japanese Empire seemed to be preparing for the next big strike at American posessions in the eastern Pacific. The most likely target was Midway, and to disrupt the Japanese while the US prepared to defend their island bases, a task force was sent to attack the troop convoys now arriving regularly at Kwajalein Atoll.

Because the US fleet was still recovering from the events of Pearl Harbour, and new vessels were still undergoing construction or undergoing sea trials, the Japanese still enjoyed naval superiority in the Pacific. Despite the retaking of Wake Island the US forces were vulnerable, and British reinforcements would not arrive until May at the earliest.

The US admiral Chester Nimitz sent the carrier Saratoga, escorted by a flotilla of destroyers, as well as four Gato submarines to the area. The Saratoga soon found a large convoy of five troopships, escorted by a powerful Japanese fleet which included an aircraft carrier and two battleships. Saratoga and her escorts launched an attack wave of dauntless and devastators, while the Japanese similarly launched an aerial attack on the small US task force. The US carrier turned away under the cover of a smoke screen, while the Japanese and American fighters duelled in the air.

The Japanese and US bombing runs were ineffective, with the US pilots suffering at the hands of combined heavy anti-aircraft fire. Few made it back to the carrier after discovering the devastator torpedo bombers were particularly slow and vulnerable to AA fire. Only one torpedo found a target, the Japanese battleship Ise, and this did minor damage. An attack from two US destroyers on the Japanese carrier came to nothing, the Japanese battleships eaasily sinking the US escorts at long range before they could make a torpedo run.

The US did enjoy more success with their submarines, who had been radioed the positions of the Japanese convoy. Four submarines converged on the Japanese, managing to sink two enemy troopships and damaging the Japanese carrier before a determined attack by destroyers forced them away from the convoy. One Gato class vessel was sunk by the destroyers, but one of the Japanese escorts was also lost. The destroyer action bought time for the convoy however, and the remaining three troopships, crammed with Japanese soldiers, were able to get away from the slow moving submarines.
The US had inflicted some damage on the troop buildup but they had been unable to strike a critical blow. Now the US forces in the pacific waited for the next blow to fall.