87-548: Download coordinates as: Torrens Creek is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Flinders , Queensland , Australia. In the 2021 census , the locality of Torrens Creek had a population of 46 people. The town is on the Flinders Highway , 1,503 kilometres (934 mi) north-west of the state capital, Brisbane and 293 kilometres (182 mi) west of the city of Townsville . The Great Northern Railway enters
174-648: A Kawanishi H6K reconnaissance flying boat from the Yokohama Air Group of the 25th Air Flotilla based at the Shortland Islands and shot it down 11 nmi (13 mi; 20 km) from TF 11. The aircraft failed to send a report before it crashed, but when it didn't return to base the Japanese correctly assumed that it had been shot down by carrier aircraft. A message from Pearl Harbor notified Fletcher that radio intelligence deduced
261-406: A Royal Australian Air Force reconnaissance unit evacuated just before Shima's arrival. The Japanese forces immediately began construction of a seaplane and communications base. Aircraft from Shōhō covered the landings until early afternoon, when Gotō's force turned towards Bougainville to refuel in preparation to support the landings at Port Moresby. At 17:00 on 3 May, Fletcher was notified that
348-418: A couple of hours. Finally, at 10:51 Shōkaku scout aircrews realized they were mistaken in their identification of the oiler and destroyer as aircraft carriers. Takagi now realized the U.S. carriers were between him and the invasion convoy, placing the invasion forces in extreme danger. At 11:15, the torpedo bombers and fighters abandoned the mission and headed back towards the carriers with their ordnance, while
435-613: A destroyer, Sims , to take station further south at a prearranged rendezvous ( 16°S 158°E / 16°S 158°E / -16; 158 ). TF 17 then turned to head northwest towards Rossel Island in the Louisiades. Unbeknownst to the two adversaries, their carriers were only 70 nmi (130 km) away from each other by 20:00 that night. At 20:00 ( 13°20′S 157°40′E / 13.333°S 157.667°E / -13.333; 157.667 ), Hara reversed course to meet Takagi who completed refueling and
522-519: A large World War II ammunition dump, associated with the Battle of the Coral Sea , exploded when a fire lit by American and Australian soldiers to create a firebreak got out of control. A series of 12 explosions resulted leaving craters 20 feet (6.1 m) deep, nearly destroying the town. In the 2006 census , the locality of Torrens Creek and the surrounding area had a population of 64 people. In
609-462: A perimeter defense for its empire from which it expected to employ attritional tactics to defeat or exhaust any Allied counterattacks. Shortly after the war began, Japan's Naval General Staff recommended an invasion of Northern Australia to prevent Australia from being used as a base to threaten Japan's perimeter defences in the South Pacific. The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) rejected
696-636: A policy of autonomous self-sufficiency and economic independence." To support these goals, during the first few months of 1942, besides Malaya, Japanese forces attacked and took control of the Philippines, Singapore , the Dutch East Indies, Wake Island , New Britain , the Gilbert Islands and Guam , inflicting heavy losses on opposing Allied land, naval and air forces. Japan planned to use these conquered territories to establish
783-718: A process to formally define their boundaries and to gazette them, which is almost complete. In March 2006, only South Australia and the Northern Territory had not completed this process. The CGNA's Gazetteer of Australia recognises two types of locality: bounded and unbounded. Bounded localities include towns, villages, populated places, local government towns and unpopulated town sites, while unbounded localities include place names, road corners and bends, corners, meteorological stations, ocean place names and surfing spots. Sometimes, both localities and suburbs are referred to collectively as "address localities". In
870-559: A scouting line in the ocean about 450 nmi (520 mi; 830 km) southwest of Guadalcanal. Fletcher's forces had entered the Coral Sea area before the submarines took station, and the Japanese were therefore unaware of their presence. Another submarine, I-21 , which was sent to scout around Nouméa , was attacked by Yorktown aircraft on 2 May. The submarine took no damage and apparently did not realize that it had been attacked by carrier aircraft. Ro-33 and Ro-34 were also deployed in an attempt to blockade Port Moresby, arriving off
957-570: Is open to members and visitors. Sawpit Gorge Lookout is within White Mountains National Park ( 20°40′39″S 145°11′01″E / 20.6775°S 145.1837°E / -20.6775; 145.1837 ( Sawpit Gorge Lookout ) ). Suburbs and localities (Australia) Suburbs and localities are the names of geographic subdivisions in Australia , used mainly for address purposes. The term locality
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#17327731473821044-478: Is split between the City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie LGAs; and Woodville , which is split between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs. In unincorporated areas , localities are declared by the relevant state authority. Battle of the Coral Sea 1941 1942 Second Sino-Japanese War The Battle of the Coral Sea , from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between
1131-400: Is used in rural areas, while the term suburb is used in urban areas. Australian postcodes closely align with the boundaries of localities and suburbs. This Australian usage of the term "suburb" differs from common American and British usage, where it typically means a smaller, frequently separate residential community outside, but close to, a larger city. The Australian usage is closer to
1218-477: The 2016 census the locality of Torrens Creek had a population of 70 people. In the 2021 census , the locality of Torrens Creek had a population of 46 people. There are a number of homesteads in the locality, including: There are no schools in Torrens Creek. The nearest primary schools are Prairie State School in neighbouring Prairie to the west and Pentland State School in neighbouring Pentland to
1305-639: The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II , the battle was the first naval action in which the opposing fleets neither sighted nor fired upon one another, attacking over the horizon from aircraft carriers instead. It was also the first military battle between two aircraft carriers. To strengthen their defensive position in
1392-607: The Thomson River system to eventually run into Lake Eyre . White Mountains National Park is in the far north and north-east of the locality ( 20°32′35″S 145°03′04″E / 20.5431°S 145.0511°E / -20.5431; 145.0511 ( White Mountains National Park ) ). Moorrinya National Park is on the western boundary of the locality ( 21°25′13″S 144°57′37″E / 21.4203°S 144.9603°E / -21.4203; 144.9603 ( Moorrinya National Park ) ). Apart from
1479-708: The United States Fleet , decided to contest the Japanese operation by sending all four of the Pacific Fleet's available aircraft carriers to the Coral Sea . By 27 April, further signals intelligence confirmed most of the details and targets of the MO and RY plans. On 29 April, Nimitz issued orders that sent his four carriers and their supporting warships towards the Coral Sea. Task Force 17 (TF 17), commanded by Rear Admiral Fletcher and consisting of
1566-424: The cruisers HMAS Australia , Hobart , and USS Chicago , along with three destroyers. Once it completed refueling TF 11, Tippecanoe departed the Coral Sea to deliver its remaining fuel to Allied ships at Efate . Early on 3 May, Shima's force arrived off Tulagi and began disembarking the naval troops to occupy the island. Tulagi was undefended: the small garrison of Australian commandos and
1653-557: The 36 dive bombers attacked the two U.S. ships. Four dive bombers attacked Sims and the rest dived on Neosho . The destroyer was hit by three bombs, broke in half, and sank immediately, killing all but 14 of her 192-man crew. Neosho was hit by seven bombs. One of the dive bombers, hit by anti-aircraft fire, crashed into the oiler. Heavily damaged and without power, Neosho was left drifting and slowly sinking ( 16°09′S 158°03′E / 16.150°S 158.050°E / -16.150; 158.050 ). Before losing power, Neosho
1740-840: The American or British use of "district" or "neighbourhood", and can be used to refer to any portion of a city. Unlike the use in British or American English, this term can include inner-city, outer-metropolitan and industrial areas. Localities existed in the past as informal units, but in 1996 the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping and the Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia (CGNA) decided to name and establish official boundaries for all localities and suburbs. There has subsequently been
1827-409: The Coral Sea area, not to MacArthur. Based on un-encrypted intercepted radio traffic from TF 16 as it returned to Pearl Harbor, the Japanese assumed that all but one of the U.S. Navy's carriers were in the central Pacific. The Japanese did not know the location of the remaining carrier, but did not expect a U.S. carrier response to MO until the operation was well under way. During late April,
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#17327731473821914-417: The Coral Sea, the carriers were to provide air cover for the invasion forces, eliminate Allied air power at Port Moresby, and intercept and destroy any Allied naval forces which entered the Coral Sea in response. En route to the Coral Sea, Takagi's carriers were to deliver nine Zero fighter aircraft to Rabaul. Bad weather during two attempts to make the delivery on 2–3 May compelled the aircraft to return to
2001-592: The IJA's South Seas Detachment plus about 500 troops from the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF). Escorting the transports was the Port Moresby Attack Force with one light cruiser and six relatively old Kamikaze and Mutsuki -class destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka . Abe's ships departed Rabaul for the 840 nmi (970 mi; 1,560 km) trip to Port Moresby on 4 May and were joined by Kajioka's force
2088-551: The Japanese Tulagi invasion force had been sighted the day before, approaching the southern Solomons. Unknown to Fletcher, TF 11 completed refueling that morning ahead of schedule and was only 60 nmi (69 mi; 110 km) east of TF 17, but was unable to communicate its status because of Fletcher's orders to maintain radio silence. TF 17 changed course and proceeded at 27 kn (31 mph; 50 km/h) towards Guadalcanal to launch airstrikes against
2175-409: The Japanese carriers were still well to the north near Bougainville, Fletcher continued to refuel. Reconnaissance patrols conducted from the U.S. carriers throughout the day failed to locate any of the Japanese naval forces, because they were located just beyond scouting range. At 10:00, a Kawanishi reconnaissance flying boat from Tulagi sighted TF 17 and notified its headquarters. Takagi received
2262-413: The Japanese forces at Tulagi the next morning. On 4 May, from a position 100 nmi (120 mi; 190 km) south of Guadalcanal ( 11°10′S 158°49′E / 11.167°S 158.817°E / -11.167; 158.817 ), a total of 60 aircraft from TF 17 launched three consecutive strikes against Shima's forces off Tulagi. Yorktown ' s aircraft surprised Shima's ships and sank
2349-520: The Japanese light carrier Shōhō , and the Japanese sank the Sims , a destroyer , and damaged the fleet oiler Neosho . On 8 May, both sides finally located and attacked the other's fleet carriers, leaving the Japanese fleet carrier Shōkaku damaged, the U.S. fleet carrier Lexington critically damaged and later scuttled , and the fleet carrier Yorktown lightly damaged. Both sides having suffered heavy aircraft losses and carriers sunk or damaged,
2436-416: The Japanese plan through signals intelligence and sent two U.S. Navy carrier task forces and a joint Australian -American cruiser force to oppose the offensive, under the overall command of U.S. Admiral Frank J. Fletcher . On 3–4 May, Japanese forces invaded and occupied Tulagi , although several supporting warships were sunk or damaged in a surprise attack by the U.S. carrier Yorktown . Alerted to
2523-414: The Japanese planned to land their troops at Port Moresby on 10 May and their fleet carriers would likely be operating close to the invasion convoy. Armed with this information, Fletcher directed TF 17 to refuel from Neosho . After the refueling was completed on 6 May, he planned to take his forces north towards the Louisiades and do battle on 7 May. In the meantime, Takagi's carrier force steamed down
2610-656: The Japanese submarines Ro-33 and Ro-34 reconnoitered the area where landings were planned. The submarines investigated Rossel Island and the Deboyne Group anchorage in the Louisiade Archipelago , Jomard Channel , and the route to Port Moresby from the east. They did not sight any Allied ships in the area and returned to Rabaul on 23 and 24 April respectively. The Japanese Port Moresby Invasion Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Kōsō Abe , included 11 transport ships carrying about 5,000 soldiers from
2697-747: The Japanese were likely initiating a major operation in the Southwest Pacific in early May with Port Moresby as the probable target. The Allies regarded Port Moresby as a key base for a planned counteroffensive, under General Douglas MacArthur , against Japanese forces in the South West Pacific area. Nimitz's staff also concluded that the Japanese operation might include carrier raids on Allied bases in Samoa and at Suva . Nimitz, after consultation with Admiral Ernest King , Commander in Chief of
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2784-607: The Japanese, the U.S. Navy, led by the Communication Security Section of the Office of Naval Communications , had for several years enjoyed increasing success with penetrating Japanese communication ciphers and codes. By March 1942, the U.S. was able to decipher up to 15% of the IJN's Ro or Naval Codebook D code (called " JN-25B " by the U.S.), which was used by the IJN for about half of its communications. By
2871-471: The Jomard Passage. Fletcher understood that Crace would be operating without air cover since TF 17's carriers would be busy trying to locate and attack the Japanese carriers. Detaching Crace reduced the anti-aircraft defenses for Fletcher's carriers. Nevertheless, Fletcher decided the risk was necessary to ensure the Japanese invasion forces could not slip through to Port Moresby while he engaged
2958-739: The Lae-Salamaua area in New Guinea in March, Inoue requested Japan's Combined Fleet send carriers to provide air cover for Mo . Inoue was especially worried about Allied bombers stationed at air bases in Townsville and Cooktown , Australia, beyond the range of his own bombers, based at Rabaul and Lae. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto , commander of the Combined Fleet, was concurrently planning an operation for June that he hoped would lure
3045-530: The Solomons, believing that the U.S. carriers were in that area. Since no Allied ships were in that area, the search planes found nothing. At 08:16 on 5 May, TF 17 rendezvoused with TF 11 and TF 44 at a predetermined point 320 nmi (370 mi; 590 km) south of Guadalcanal ( 15°S 160°E / 15°S 160°E / -15; 160 ). At about the same time, four Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters from Yorktown intercepted
3132-469: The South Pacific, the Japanese decided to invade and occupy Port Moresby (in New Guinea ) and Tulagi (in the southeastern Solomon Islands ). The plan, Operation Mo , involved several major units of Japan's Combined Fleet . Two fleet carriers and a light carrier were assigned to provide air cover for the invasion forces, under the overall command of Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue . The U.S. learned of
3219-658: The Support Group), commanded by Rear Admiral Kuninori Marumo and consisting of two light cruisers, the seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru and three gunboats, joined the Covering Group in providing distant protection for the Tulagi invasion. Once Tulagi was secured on 3 or 4 May, the Covering Group and Cover Force were to reposition to help screen the Port Moresby invasion. Inoue directed the MO operation from
3306-469: The U.S. Navy's carriers, none of which had been damaged in the Pearl Harbor attack, into a decisive showdown in the central Pacific near Midway Atoll . In the meantime Yamamoto detached some of his large warships, including two fleet carriers, a light carrier, a cruiser division, and two destroyer divisions, to support Mo , and placed Inoue in charge of the naval portion of the operation. Unknown to
3393-540: The U.S. carrier forces. As the invasion convoy reversed course, it was bombed by eight U.S. Army B-17s, but was not damaged. Gotō and Kajioka were told to assemble their ships south of Rossel Island for a night surface battle if the U.S. ships came within range. At 12:40, a Deboyne-based seaplane sighted and reported Crace's detached cruiser and destroyer force on a bearing of 175°, 78 nmi (90 mi; 144 km) from Deboyne. At 13:15, an aircraft from Rabaul sighted Crace's force but submitted an erroneous report, stating
3480-511: The U.S. carriers. Takagi detached his two carriers with two destroyers under Hara's command to head towards TF 17 at 20 kn (23 mph; 37 km/h) in order to be in position to attack at first light the next day while the rest of his ships completed refueling. U.S. B-17 bombers based in Australia and staging through Port Moresby attacked the approaching Port Moresby invasion forces, including Gotō's warships, several times during
3567-632: The U.S. fleet, seize territory rich in natural resources, and obtain strategic military bases to defend their far-flung empire. In the words of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Combined Fleet 's "Secret Order Number One", dated 1 November 1941, the goals of the initial Japanese campaigns in the impending war were to "[eject] British and American strength from the Netherlands Indies and the Philippines , [and] to establish
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3654-648: The U.S. strike of 93 aircraft—18 Grumman F4F Wildcats, 53 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers, and 22 Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers—was on its way. At 10:19, Nielsen landed and discovered his coding error. Although Gotō's force included the light carrier Shōhō , Nielsen thought that he saw two cruisers and four destroyers and thus the main fleet. At 10:12, Fletcher received a report of an aircraft carrier, ten transports, and 16 warships 30 nmi (35 mi; 56 km) south of Nielsen's sighting at 10°35′S 152°36′E / 10.583°S 152.600°E / -10.583; 152.600 . The B-17s actually saw
3741-434: The United States. In April 1942, the army and navy developed a plan that was titled Operation Mo . The plan called for Port Moresby to be invaded from the sea and secured by 10 May. The plan also included the seizure of Tulagi on 2–3 May, where the navy would establish a seaplane base for potential air operations against Allied territories and forces in the South Pacific and to provide a base for reconnaissance aircraft. Upon
3828-484: The aircraft were rearmed and ready to launch against the Port Moresby Invasion Force or Gotō's cruisers. Fletcher was concerned that the locations of the rest of the Japanese fleet carriers were still unknown. He was informed that Allied intelligence sources believed that up to four Japanese carriers might be supporting the MO operation. Fletcher concluded that by the time his scout aircraft found
3915-425: The burning and now almost stationary carrier, scoring with up to 11 more 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs and at least two torpedoes. Torn apart, Shōhō sank at 11:35 ( 10°29′S 152°55′E / 10.483°S 152.917°E / -10.483; 152.917 ). Fearing more air attacks, Gotō withdrew his warships to the north, but sent the destroyer Sazanami back at 14:00 to rescue survivors. Only 203 of
4002-411: The capture and control of these locations would provide greater security and defensive depth for the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. The navy's general staff and the IJA accepted Inoue's proposal and promoted further operations, using these locations as supporting bases, to seize New Caledonia , Fiji , and Samoa and thereby cut the supply and communication lines between Australia and
4089-484: The carrier Yorktown , escorted by three cruisers and four destroyers and supported by a replenishment group of two oilers and two destroyers, was already in the South Pacific, having departed Tongatabu on 27 April en route to the Coral Sea. TF 11 , commanded by Rear Admiral Aubrey Fitch and consisting of the carrier Lexington with two cruisers and five destroyers, was between Fiji and New Caledonia. TF 16 , commanded by Vice Admiral William F. Halsey and including
4176-602: The carrier's 834-man crew were recovered. Three U.S. aircraft were lost in the attack: two SBDs from Lexington and one from Yorktown . All of Shōhō ' s aircraft complement of 18 was lost, but three of the CAP fighter pilots were able to ditch at Deboyne and survived. At 12:10, using a prearranged message to signal TF 17 on the success of the mission, Lexington SBD pilot and squadron commander Robert E. Dixon radioed "Scratch one flat top! Signed Bob." The U.S. aircraft returned and landed on their carriers by 13:38. By 14:20,
4263-554: The carriers Enterprise and Hornet , had just returned to Pearl Harbor from the Doolittle Raid in the central Pacific. TF 16 immediately departed but would not reach the South Pacific in time to participate in the battle. Nimitz placed Fletcher in command of Allied naval forces in the South Pacific area until Halsey arrived with TF 16. Although the Coral Sea area was under MacArthur's command, Fletcher and Halsey were directed to continue to report to Nimitz while in
4350-497: The carriers Zuikaku and Shōkaku , two heavy cruisers, and six destroyers, sortied from Truk on 1 May. The strike force was commanded by Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi ( flag on cruiser Myōkō ), with Rear Admiral Chūichi Hara , on Zuikaku , in tactical command of the carrier air forces. The Carrier Strike Force was to proceed down the eastern side of the Solomon Islands and enter the Coral Sea south of Guadalcanal. Once in
4437-513: The carriers, stationed 240 nmi (280 mi; 440 km) from Rabaul, and one of the Zeros was forced to ditch in the sea. In order to try to keep to the MO timetable, Takagi was forced to abandon the delivery mission after the second attempt and direct his force towards the Solomon Islands to refuel. To give advance warning of the approach of any Allied naval forces, the Japanese sent submarines I-22 , I-24 , I-28 and I-29 to form
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#17327731473824524-597: The carriers. Believing Takagi's carrier force was somewhere north of him, in the vicinity of the Louisiades, beginning at 06:19, Fletcher directed Yorktown to send 10 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers as scouts to search that area. Hara in turn believed Fletcher was south of him and advised Takagi to send the aircraft to search that area. Takagi, about 300 nmi (350 mi; 560 km) east of Fletcher ( 13°12′S 158°05′E / 13.200°S 158.083°E / -13.200; 158.083 ), launched 12 Nakajima B5Ns at 06:00 to scout for TF 17. Around
4611-417: The completion of Mo , the navy planned to initiate Operation RY , using ships released from Mo , to seize Nauru and Ocean Island for their phosphate deposits on 15 May. Further operations against Fiji, Samoa and New Caledonia ( Operation FS ) were to be planned once Mo and RY were completed. Because of a damaging air attack by Allied land- and carrier-based aircraft on Japanese naval forces invading
4698-448: The conflicting sighting reports they were receiving, decided to continue with the strike on the ships to their south, but turned their carriers towards the northwest to close the distance with Furutaka's reported contact. Takagi and Hara considered that the conflicting reports might mean that the U.S. carrier forces were operating in two separate groups. At 08:15, a Yorktown SBD piloted by John L. Nielsen sighted Gotō's force screening
4785-495: The cruiser Kashima , with which he arrived at Rabaul from Truk on 4 May. Gotō's force left Truk on 28 April, cut through the Solomons between Bougainville and Choiseul and took station near New Georgia Island. Marumo's support group sortied from New Ireland on 29 April headed for Thousand Ships Bay , Santa Isabel Island , to establish a seaplane base on 2 May to support the Tulagi assault. Shima's invasion force departed Rabaul on 30 April. The Carrier Strike Force, with
4872-494: The damage to Shōkaku and the aircraft losses of Zuikaku prevented both ships from participating in the Battle of Midway the following month. On 8 December 1941 (7 December U.S. time), Japan declared war on the U.S. and the British Empire , after Japanese forces attacked Malaya , Singapore and Hong Kong as well as the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor . In launching this war, Japanese leaders sought to neutralize
4959-440: The day on 6 May without success. MacArthur's headquarters radioed Fletcher with reports of the attacks and the locations of the Japanese invasion forces. MacArthur's fliers' reports of seeing a carrier ( Shōhō ) about 425 nmi (489 mi; 787 km) northwest of TF 17 further convinced Fletcher fleet carriers were accompanying the invasion force. At 18:00, TF 17 completed fueling and Fletcher detached Neosho with
5046-403: The destroyer Kikuzuki ( 09°07′S 160°12′E / 9.117°S 160.200°E / -9.117; 160.200 ) and three of the minesweepers, damaged four other ships, and destroyed four seaplanes which were supporting the landings. The U.S. lost one torpedo bomber and two fighters in the strikes, but all of the aircrew were eventually rescued. After recovering its aircraft late in
5133-434: The district's most famous mailman, Jack Blunt, who served from 1931 to 1954. Torrens Creek Provisional School opened on 19 February 1891 On 1 January 1909 it became Torrens Creek State School. It closed on 6 December 1991. The school was 2 Bedford Street ( 20°46′02″S 145°01′11″E / 20.7673°S 145.0198°E / -20.7673; 145.0198 ( Torrens Creek State School (former) ) ). In 1942
5220-485: The early years of colonisation, competition for ownership and access to this waterhole was fierce. In 1865, the managers of Tower Hill cattle station , Llewellyn Meredith and Robert McNeely were killed by Aboriginal people at the Fisheries. Retribution soon followed and "the blacks in their turn had their graves by the score". With the destruction of Aboriginal society, the Fisheries became overstocked with fish. In 1890,
5307-491: The east side of the Solomons throughout the day on 5 May, turned west to pass south of San Cristobal (Makira), and entered the Coral Sea after transiting between Guadalcanal and Rennell Island in the early morning hours of 6 May. Takagi commenced refueling his ships 180 nmi (210 mi; 330 km) west of Tulagi in preparation for the carrier battle he expected would take place the next day. On 6 May, Fletcher absorbed TF 11 and TF 44 into TF 17. Believing
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#17327731473825394-637: The east. The nearest secondary school is Hughenden State School (to Year 12) in Hughenden to the west. However, due to the large size of the locality, the distances to these schools may be too large for daily school attendance. Distance education and boarding school are other options. The town has a hotel ( pub ) and a garage. Torrens Creek Golf Club has an 18-hole golf course at the northern end of Hill Street ( 20°45′57″S 145°01′11″E / 20.7659°S 145.0198°E / -20.7659; 145.0198 ( Torrens Creek Golf Club ) ). It
5481-559: The end of April, the U.S. was reading up to 85% of the signals broadcast in the Ro code. In March 1942, the U.S. first noticed mention of the MO operation in intercepted messages. On 5 April, the U.S. intercepted an IJN message directing a carrier and other large warships to proceed to Inoue's area of operations. On 13 April, the British deciphered an IJN message informing Inoue that the Fifth Carrier Division , consisting of
5568-480: The evening of 4 May, TF 17 retired towards the south. In spite of the damage suffered in the carrier strikes, the Japanese continued construction of the seaplane base and began flying reconnaissance missions from Tulagi by 6 May. Takagi's Carrier Striking Force was refueling 350 nmi (400 mi; 650 km) north of Tulagi when it received word of Fletcher's strike on 4 May. Takagi terminated refueling, headed southeast, and sent scout planes to search east of
5655-438: The first instance, decisions about the names and boundaries of suburbs and localities are made by the local council in which they are located based on criteria such as community recognition. Local council decisions are, however, subject to approval by the state's geographical names board. The boundaries of some suburbs and localities overlap two or more local government areas (LGAs). Examples of this are Adamstown Heights , which
5742-464: The fleet carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku , was en route to his command from Formosa via the main IJN base at Truk . The British passed the message to the U.S., along with their conclusion that Port Moresby was the likely target of MO . Admiral Chester W. Nimitz , the new commander of U.S. forces in the Central Pacific , and his staff discussed the deciphered messages and agreed that
5829-443: The invasion convoy. Nielsen, making an error in his coded message, reported the sighting as "two carriers and four heavy cruisers" at 10°3′S 152°27′E / 10.050°S 152.450°E / -10.050; 152.450 , 225 nmi (259 mi; 417 km) northwest of TF17. Fletcher concluded that the Japanese main carrier force was located and ordered the launch of all available carrier aircraft to attack. By 10:13,
5916-470: The locality from the east ( Pentland ), passes through the town which is served by Torrens Creek railway station ( 20°46′14″S 145°01′10″E / 20.7705°S 145.0195°E / -20.7705; 145.0195 ( Torrens Creek railway station ) ), and exits to the west ( Prairie ). The creek of the same name arises in the Great Dividing Range , flowing southward to
6003-420: The manager of Aberfoyle station removed tonnes of giant golden perch and burnt them to keep the waterhole clear. The Great Northern Railway reached Torrens Creek in 1885, at which time it became the supply centre for a large district. Mailmen rode out far and wide to various stations, delivering mail along routes which are still used today. There is a cairn and plaque erected by Torrens Creek residents to honour
6090-418: The next day, but TF 11 reported that they would not be finished fueling until 4 May. Fletcher elected to take TF 17 northwest towards the Louisiades and ordered TF 11 to meet TF 44 , which was en route from Sydney and Nouméa, on 4 May once refueling was complete. TF 44 was a joint Australia–U.S. warship force under MacArthur's command, led by Australian Rear Admiral John Crace and made up of
6177-466: The next day. The ships, proceeding at 8 kn (9.2 mph; 15 km/h), planned to transit the Jomard Channel in the Louisiades to pass around the southern tip of New Guinea to arrive at Port Moresby by 10 May. The Allied garrison at Port Moresby numbered around 5,333 men, but only half of these were infantry and all were badly equipped and undertrained. Leading the invasion of Tulagi
6264-525: The other colonies and to other countries and is still in use today. Circa 1885 it was known as Boorooman . Waterholes along and around Torrens Creek were important places for the Indigenous people living in the area. In particular to the south of Torrens Creek, the Fisheries waterhole (Aberfoyle waterhole) was so named because Aboriginal people throughout the area went there to fish for golden perch using wicker-nets and fish traps made of hedges. During
6351-516: The presence of enemy aircraft carriers, the Japanese fleet carriers advanced towards the Coral Sea to locate and destroy the Allied naval forces. On the evening of 6 May, the two carrier fleets closed to within 70 nmi (81 mi; 130 km) but did not detect each other in the darkness. The next day, both fleets launched airstrikes against what they thought was the enemy fleet carriers, but both sides actually attacked other targets. The U.S. sank
6438-473: The protected areas, the predominant land use is grazing on native vegetation. The creek after which the town is named was named after Sir Robert Richard Torrens by the explorer William Landsborough , who discovered it in 1862 while searching for Burke and Wills . Torrens introduced Torrens title to the then colony of South Australia by means of the Real Property Act 1858 ; it soon spread to
6525-590: The recommendation, stating that it did not have the forces or shipping capacity available to conduct such an operation. At the same time, Vice Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue , commander of the IJN's Fourth Fleet (also called the South Seas Force) which consisted of most of the naval units in the South Pacific area, advocated the occupation of Tulagi in the southeastern Solomon Islands and Port Moresby in New Guinea , which would put Northern Australia within range of Japanese land-based aircraft. Inoue believed
6612-470: The remaining carriers it would be too late in the day to mount a strike. Thus, Fletcher decided to hold off on another strike this day and remain concealed under the thick overcast with fighters ready in defense. Fletcher turned TF 17 southwest. Apprised of the loss of Shōhō , Inoue ordered the invasion convoy to temporarily withdraw to the north and ordered Takagi, at this time located 225 nmi (259 mi; 417 km) east of TF 17, to destroy
6699-498: The report at 10:50. At that time, Takagi's force was about 300 nmi (350 mi; 560 km) north of Fletcher, near the maximum range for his carrier aircraft. Takagi, whose ships were still refueling, was not yet ready to engage in battle. He concluded, based on the sighting report, TF 17 was heading south and increasing the range. Furthermore, Fletcher's ships were under a large, low-hanging overcast which Takagi and Hara felt would make it difficult for their aircraft to find
6786-504: The reported sighting. The strike force was under overall command of Lieutenant Commander Kakuichi Takahashi , while Lieutenant Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki led its torpedo bombers. At 08:20, one of the Furutaka aircraft found Fletcher's carriers and immediately reported it to Inoue's headquarters at Rabaul, which passed the report on to Takagi. The sighting was confirmed by a Kinugasa floatplane at 08:30. Takagi and Hara, confused by
6873-454: The same thing as Nielsen: Shōhō , Gotō's cruisers, plus the Port Moresby Invasion Force. Believing that the B-17's sighting was the main Japanese carrier force (which was in fact well to the east), Fletcher directed the airborne strike force towards this target. At 09:15, Takahashi's strike force reached its target area, sighted Neosho and Sims , and searched in vain for the U.S. carriers for
6960-586: The same time, Gotō's cruisers Kinugasa and Furutaka launched four Kawanishi E7K2 Type 94 floatplanes to search southeast of the Louisiades. Augmenting their search were several floatplanes from Deboyne, four Kawanishi H6Ks from Tulagi, and three Mitsubishi G4M bombers from Rabaul. Each side readied the rest of its carrier attack aircraft to launch immediately once the enemy was located. At 07:22 one of Takagi's carrier scouts, from Shōkaku , reported U.S. ships bearing 182° (just west of due south), 163 nmi (188 mi; 302 km) from Takagi. At 07:45,
7047-659: The scout confirmed that it had located "one carrier, one cruiser, and three destroyers". Another Shōkaku scout aircraft quickly confirmed the sighting. The Shōkaku aircraft actually sighted and misidentified the oiler Neosho and destroyer Sims , which had earlier been detailed away from the fleet to a southern rendezvous point. Believing that he had located the U.S. carriers, Hara, with Takagi's concurrence, immediately launched all of his available aircraft. A total of 78 aircraft—18 Zero fighters, 36 Aichi D3A dive bombers, and 24 torpedo aircraft—began launching from Shōkaku and Zuikaku at 08:00 and were on their way by 08:15 towards
7134-468: The town on 5 May. Neither submarine engaged any ships during the battle. On the morning of 1 May, TF 17 and TF 11 united about 300 nmi (350 mi; 560 km) northwest of New Caledonia ( 16°16′S 162°20′E / 16.267°S 162.333°E / -16.267; 162.333 ). Fletcher immediately detached TF 11 to refuel from the oiler Tippecanoe , while TF 17 refueled from Neosho . TF 17 completed refueling
7221-473: The two forces disengaged and retired from the area. Because of the loss of carrier air cover, Inoue also recalled the Port Moresby invasion fleet. Although the battle was a tactical victory for the Japanese in terms of ships sunk, it has been described as a strategic victory for the Allies. The battle marked the first time since the start of the war that a major Japanese advance had been turned back. More important,
7308-445: Was able to notify Fletcher by radio that she was under attack and in trouble, but garbled any further details as to just who or what was attacking her and gave wrong coordinates ( 16°25′S 157°31′E / 16.417°S 157.517°E / -16.417; 157.517 ) for her position. The U.S. strike aircraft sighted Shōhō a short distance northeast of Misima Island at 10:40 and deployed to attack. The Japanese carrier
7395-781: Was now heading in Hara's direction. Late on 6 May or early on 7 May, Kamikawa Maru set up a seaplane base in the Deboyne Islands in order to help provide air support for the invasion forces as they approached Port Moresby. The rest of Marumo's Cover Force then took station near the D'Entrecasteaux Islands to help screen Abe's oncoming convoy. At 06:25 on 7 May, TF 17 was 115 nmi (132 mi; 213 km) south of Rossel Island ( 13°20′S 154°21′E / 13.333°S 154.350°E / -13.333; 154.350 ). At this time, Fletcher sent Crace's cruiser force, now designated Task Group 17.3 (TG 17.3), to block
7482-579: Was protected by four Zeros and two Mitsubishi A5M fighters flying combat air patrol (CAP), as the rest of the carrier's aircraft were being prepared below decks for a strike against the U.S. carriers. Gotō's cruisers surrounded the carrier in a diamond formation, 3,000–5,000 yd (2,700–4,600 m) off each of Shōhō ' s corners. Attacking first, Lexington ' s air group, led by Commander William B. Ault , hit Shōhō with two 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs and five torpedoes, causing severe damage. At 11:00, Yorktown ' s air group attacked
7569-579: Was the Tulagi Invasion Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Kiyohide Shima , consisting of two minelayers, two older Mutsuki -class destroyers, five minesweepers , two subchasers and a transport ship carrying about 400 troops from the 3rd Kure SNLF. Supporting the Tulagi force was the Covering Group with the light carrier Shōhō , the IJN's four Furutaka / Aoba -class heavy cruisers , and one destroyer, commanded by Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotō . A separate Cover Force (sometimes referred to as
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