CINCPAC considered that Admiral Fletcher "utilized with consummate skill the information supplied him, and by these engagements in the Coral Sea between the 4th and the 8th of May won a victory with decisive and far-reaching consequences for the Allied cause."
He also remarked on "the splendid spirit and resolution of officers and men that contributed so markedly to the succession of smashing victories."
The fogging of bomb sights in dives from altitudes of 17,000 feet or more was the "outstanding material defect of the 3-day action," Admiral Nimitz declared.
Other "lessons" learned from the Coral Sea action, as listed by CINCPAC, were these:
Training of both aviation and gunnery personnel must be expanded. Insufficient fighter planes prevented adequate protection of either our attack groups or ships of the task force.
Obsolescent torpedo planes hampered the pilots of these squadrons. Torpedo plane attacks are more effective, as proved by the Coral Sea battle, when coordinated with dive-bombing attacks.
Automatic weapons must have new directors and lead computers in order to shoot down attacking planes before they release their missiles.
All carriers should have two long-range radars.
Operations of land-based aircraft and fleet units must be better co-ordinated by intensive combined training.
Aircraft bombs and torpedoes must be made more effective.
Means must be provided for reducing the menace to carriers inherent in the carrying of large quantities of gasoline.
Screening ships provide best protection for carriers against torpedo planes when stationed on a 1,500- to 2,500-yard circle.