Item: i88779

 Authentic Coin of:

Australia under Elizabeth II – Queen: 6 February 1952–present
70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea
2014 Silver 50 Cents 31.5 mm (15.91 grams) 0.999 Silver
Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley, Wade Robinson
ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 1/2oz 999 SILVER 2015 50 CENTS, Queen Elizabeth II facing right.
BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA P WR WAR IN THE PACIFIC 1941-45, The coin’s reverse features a representation of the Southern Cross and the American flag with a naval ship sailing in the foreground.

Coin Notes:
The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought during 4-8 May 1942. It was a major naval battle in the Pacific during World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia.

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The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between 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 is historically significant as the first action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other and the first in which the opposing ships neither sighted nor fired directly upon one another.

In an attempt to strengthen their defensive position in 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. They included two fleet carriers and a light carrier to provide air cover for the invasion forces, under the overall command of Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue.

The US learned of the Japanese plan through signals intelligence and sent two US Navy carrier task forces and a joint Australian-American cruiser force to oppose the offensive, under the overall command of US Admiral Frank J. Fletcher.

On 3–4 May, Japanese forces successfully invaded and occupied Tulagi, although several of their supporting warships were sunk or damaged in surprise attacks by aircraft from the US fleet carrier Yorktown. Now aware of the presence of enemy carriers in the area, the Japanese fleet carriers advanced towards the Coral Sea with the intention of locating and destroying the Allied naval forces. On the evening of 6 May, the two carrier forces came within 70 nmi (81 mi; 130 km) of each other, unbeknownst to anyone. On 7 May, both sides launched airstrikes. Each mistakenly believed they were attacking their opponent’s fleet carriers, but were actually attacking other units, with the US sinking the Japanese light carrier Shōhō and the Japanese sinking a US destroyer and heavily damaging a fleet oiler, which was later scuttled. The next day, each side found and attacked the other’s fleet carriers, with the Japanese fleet carrier Shōkaku damaged, the US fleet carrier Lexington critically damaged and later scuttled, and Yorktown damaged. With both sides having suffered heavy losses in aircraft and carriers damaged or sunk, the two forces disengaged and retired from the area. Because of the loss of carrier air cover, Inoue recalled the Port Moresby invasion fleet with the intention of trying again later.

Although a victory for the Japanese in terms of ships sunk, the battle would prove to be a strategic victory for the Allies in several ways. The battle marked the first time since the start of the war that a major Japanese advance had been checked by the Allies. More importantly, the Japanese fleet carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku, the former damaged and the latter with a depleted aircraft complement, were unable to participate in the Battle of Midway the following month, but Yorktown participated on the Allied side, which made for rough parity in aircraft between the adversaries and contributed significantly to the US victory. The severe losses in carriers at Midway prevented the Japanese from reattempting to invade Port Moresby by sea and helped prompt their ill-fated land offensive over the Kokoda Track. Two months later, the Allies took advantage of Japan’s resulting strategic vulnerability in the South Pacific and launched the Guadalcanal Campaign. That and the New Guinea Campaign eventually broke Japanese defenses in the South Pacific and were significant contributors to Japan’s ultimate surrender, marking the end of World War II.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926) is, and has been since her accession in 1952, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and Head of the Commonwealth . She is also Queen of 12 countries that have become independent since her accession: Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.^[b]

Elizabeth was born in London to the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth , and was the elder of their two daughters. She was educated privately at home. Her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive . She began to undertake public duties during World War II , serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service . In 1947, she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , with whom she has four children: Charles , Anne , Andrew , and Edward .

Elizabeth’s many historic visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and reciprocal visits to and from the Pope. She has seen major constitutional changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation , and the decolonisation of Africa . She has also reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms . She is the world’s oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain’s longest-lived . In 2015, she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria , to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regnant in world history.

Times of personal significance have included the births and marriages of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, her coronation in 1953 , and the celebration of milestones such as her Silver , Golden and Diamond Jubilees in 1977, 2002, and 2012, respectively. Moments of sadness for her include the death of her father, aged 56; the assassination of Prince Philip’s uncle, Lord Mountbatten ; the breakdown of her children’s marriages in 1992 (her annus horribilis ); the death in 1997 of her son’s former wife, Diana, Princess of Wales ; and the deaths of her mother and sister in 2002. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and severe press criticism of the royal family , but support for the monarchy and her personal popularity remain high.

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent , the island of Tasmania , and numerous smaller islands . It is the world’s sixth-largest country by total area . Neighbouring countries include Indonesia , East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.

For at least 40,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians , who spoke languages grouped into roughly 250 language groups . After the European discovery of the continent by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia’s eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies were established.

On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated , forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and several territories . The population of 23.6 million^[5] is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated in the eastern states and on the coast.

Australia is a developed country and one of the wealthiest in the world, with the world’s 12th-largest economy . In 2012 Australia had the world’s fifth-highest per capita income . Australia’s military expenditure is the world’s 13th-largest . With the second-highest human development index globally , Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, health, education, economic freedom , and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a member of the United Nations , G20 , Commonwealth of Nations , ANZUS , Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization , Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation , and the Pacific Islands Forum.