Battle of Midway -- June 4, 2017

USS Wasp (CV-7) in 1942, escorted by a camouflaged Gleaves (DD-423)-class destroyer. (80-G-12240)

Seventy five years ago today, on 04-June-1942, a US Navy task force stopped a Japanese fleet which was planning to attack the Midway atoll to draw out the American aircraft carriers and destroy them.  Instead, the Americans took advantage of being able to read the Japanese naval ciphers and destroyed four Japanese carries and a heavy cruiser, at the cost of one American carrier.  The Japanese were not able to replace their losses in ships or experienced pilots. The battle went on for three days.