Fought between the fourth & eighth of May, in the year of Our Lord 1942.

Yep. I liken it a bit to Jutland: The Germans had the tactical victory (more/bigger ships sunk, far worse loss of life), but the Brits had the strategic victory, since they maintained control of the North Sea, and the High Seas Fleet never ventured out again until after the Armistice.

You're absolutely right: Victory at sea isn't always about tonnage and body counts. Maneuver and freedom of movement are key.

Student, yes, but I still have a lot to learn. I'm big in to WWI and WWII, so that helps explain why I know ANYTHING about this stuff.

And a solemn toast coming for the battle of Midway...

I just occurred to me that your username and the company that made the Dauntless are similar!

Cool shot. Thanks. And yes, a very effective naval weapon. Much better than the torpedo bombers. It was at Midway that an entire squadron was lost in one attack without, if I remember correctly, a single hit. One pilot survived to be recovered...

Did you get my joke, though? Yes, the ill-named Devastator.... I just had to look up the numbers, and only six of the entire force of 41 Devastators survived! Yes, that survivor was George Gay. I found it funny that the Dauntless' successor, SB2C Helldiver, one of it's nicknames was "Son-of-a-B**tch 2nd Class, since the crews HATED the things!

Joke not lost. Delivery of torpedo might be devastating-if it didn't require a suicidal straight run on the target. Or if other air elements could be attacking at the same time...