Changes

Having safely covered that troop movement, ''Yorktown'', in company with sister ship ''Enterprise'', departed Samoan waters on 25 January. Six days later, TF 8, built around Enterprise, and TF 17, built around York-town, parted company. The former headed for the [[Marshall Islands]], the latter for the [[Gilbert Islands]], each bound to take part in the first American offensive of the war, the Marshalls-Gilberts raids.

Having safely covered that troop movement, ''Yorktown'', in company with sister ship ''Enterprise'', departed Samoan waters on 25 January. Six days later, TF 8, built around Enterprise, and TF 17, built around York-town, parted company. The former headed for the [[Marshall Islands]], the latter for the [[Gilbert Islands]], each bound to take part in the first American offensive of the war, the Marshalls-Gilberts raids.

At 0517, ''Yorktown'' — screened by USS ''Louisville'' (CA-28) and USS ''St. Louis'' (CL-49) and four destroyers — launched 11 torpedo planes ([[Douglas TBD-1 Devastator]]s) and 17 scout bombers ([[Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless]]es) under the command of Comdr. Curtis W. Smiley. Those planes hit what Japanese shore installations and shipping they could find at Jaluit; but adverse weather conditions hampered the mission in which six planes were lost. Other ''Yorktown'' planes attacked Japanese installations and ships at Makin and Mill Atolls.

At 0517, ''Yorktown'' — screened by USS ''Louisville'' (CA-28) and USS ''St. Louis'' (CL-49) and four destroyers — launched 11 torpedo planes ([[Douglas TBD Devastator]]s) and 17 scout bombers ([[Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless]]es) under the command of Comdr. Curtis W. Smiley. Those planes hit what Japanese shore installations and shipping they could find at Jaluit; but adverse weather conditions hampered the mission in which six planes were lost. Other ''Yorktown'' planes attacked Japanese installations and ships at Makin and Mill Atolls.

The attack by TF 17 on the Gilberts had apparently been a complete surprise since the American force encountered no enemy surface ships. A single, four-engined, Kawanishi E7K "Mavis," patrol-bomber seaplane attempted to attack American destroyers that had been sent astern in hope of recovering planes overdue from the Jaluit mission. Antiaircraft fire from the destroyers drove off the intruder before he could cause any damage.  Later, another "Mavis" — or possibly the same one that had attacked the destroyers — came out of low clouds 15,000 yards from ''Yorktown''. The carrier withheld her antiaircraft fire in order not to interfere with the combat air patrol (CAP) fighters. Presently, the "Mavis," pursued by two Wildcats, disappeared behind a cloud. Within five minutes, the enemy patrol plane fell out of the clouds and crashed in the water.

The attack by TF 17 on the Gilberts had apparently been a complete surprise since the American force encountered no enemy surface ships. A single, four-engined, Kawanishi E7K "Mavis," patrol-bomber seaplane attempted to attack American destroyers that had been sent astern in hope of recovering planes overdue from the Jaluit mission. Antiaircraft fire from the destroyers drove off the intruder before he could cause any damage.  Later, another "Mavis" — or possibly the same one that had attacked the destroyers — came out of low clouds 15,000 yards from ''Yorktown''. The carrier withheld her antiaircraft fire in order not to interfere with the combat air patrol (CAP) fighters. Presently, the "Mavis," pursued by two Wildcats, disappeared behind a cloud. Within five minutes, the enemy patrol plane fell out of the clouds and crashed in the water.

Admiral [[Chester W. Nimitz]] later called the Marshalls-Gilberts raids "well conceived, well planned, and brilliantly executed." The results obtained by TF's 8 and 17 were noteworthy, Nimitz continued in his subsequent report, because the task forces had been obliged to make their attacks somewhat blindly, due to lack of hard intelligence data on the Japanese-mandated islands.

Admiral [[Chester W. Nimitz]] later called the Marshalls-Gilberts raids "well conceived, well planned, and brilliantly executed." The results obtained by TF's 8 and 17 were noteworthy, Nimitz continued in his subsequent report, because the task forces had been obliged to make their attacks somewhat blindly, due to lack of hard intelligence data on the Japanese-mandated islands.

===Lae-Salamaua raid===

===Lae-Salamaua raid===

''Yorktown'' subsequently returned to Pearl Harbor and replenished there before she put to sea on 14 February, bound for the [[Coral Sea]]. On 6 March, she rendezvoused with TF 11—formed around Lexington and under the command of Rear Admiral Wilson Brown—and headed towards Rabaul and Gasmata to attack Japanese shipping there in an effort to check the Japanese advance and to cover the landing of Allied troops at Noumea, New Caledonia. However, as the two flattops — screened by a powerful force of eight heavy cruisers (including the Australian HMAS ''Australia'') and 14 destroyers—steamed toward [[New Guinea]], the Japanese continued their advance toward [[Australia]] with a landing on 7 March at the Huon Gulf, in the Salamaua-Lae area on the eastern end of New Guinea.

''Yorktown'' subsequently returned to Pearl Harbor and replenished there before she put to sea on 14 February, bound for the [[Coral Sea]]. On 6 March, she rendezvoused with TF 11—formed around Lexington and under the command of Rear Admiral Wilson Brown—and headed towards Rabaul and Gasmata to attack Japanese shipping there in an effort to check the Japanese advance and to cover the landing of Allied troops at Noumea, New Caledonia. However, as the two flattops — screened by a powerful force of eight heavy cruisers (including the Australian HMAS ''Australia'') and 14 destroyers—steamed toward [[New Guinea]], the Japanese continued their advance toward [[Australia]] with a landing on 7 March at the Huon Gulf, in the Salamaua-Lae area on the eastern end of New Guinea.