| Page 4 | (Aftermath and Significance of the Battle) |  |  |
Aftermath and Significance of the
Battle
On 9 June, submarine Trout (SS-202) rescued two survivors from sunken
Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma. Ten days later, on the 19th, seaplane
tender (destroyer) USS Ballard (AVD-10) was directed by a PBY to the site
where Hiryu crewmen were in the water. The tender rescued 35 Japanese
survivors who, as members of the engineering department deep in the ship, had
been left for dead in the abandonment of the carrier. On 21 June, a PBY from
VP-24 rescued two men from an Enterprise TBD about 360 miles north of
Midway. These were the last survivors of the Battle of Midway to be
recovered.
Thanks to American signals intelligence, judicious aircraft carrier tactics,
and more than a little luck, the U.S. Navy had inflicted a smashing defeat on
the Japanese Navy. Although the performance of the three American carrier air
groups would later be considered uneven, their pilots and crew had won the day
through courage, determination, and heroic sacrifice. The Japanese lost the four
large carriers that had attacked Pearl Harbor, while the Americans only lost one
carrier. More importantly, the Japanese lost over one hundred trained pilots,
who could not be replaced. Recognizing this defeat for what it was, Admiral
Nagumo's Chief of Staff later wrote: "I felt bitter… I felt like swearing." In a
larger strategic sense, the Japanese offensive in the Pacific was derailed and
their plans to advance on New Caledonia, Fiji, and Samoa postponed. The balance
of sea power in the Pacific shifted from the Japan to an equity between America
and Japan. Soon after the Battle of Midway the U.S. and their allies would take
the offensive in the Pacific.
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