Australia has announced plans for the world's biggest marine park, intended to protect vast areas of the Coral Sea off the north-east coast and the site of fierce naval battles during the second world war.The environment minister, Tony Burke, said the park would cover an area almost the size of France and Germany combined and would help to protect fish, coral reefs and nesting sites for seabirds and the green turtle.
"The environmental significance of the Coral Sea lies in its diverse array of coral reefs, sandy
cays, deep sea plains and canyons," Burke said. "It contains more than 20 outstanding examples of isolated tropical reefs, sandy cays and islands."The park would also cover ships sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea, a series of naval engagements between Japanese, US and Australian forces in 1942, considered the world's first aircraft carrier battles.
Three US ships were known to have sunk in the north-eastern area of the Coral Sea – the USS Lexington (below left), the USS Sims and
the USS Neosho, Burke said.While tactically the battle was a Japanese victory, strategically, however, Coral Sea was a stunning American victory. The Japanese invasion force was forced to turn back, the first such withdrawal of the war. Japanese expansion effectively ended with the turning back of the invasion force, although the war would continue. Also, for the first time, the United States had sunk a major Japanese ship. (Lower right: crew from USS Lexington being rescued from the ocean by a US carrier - click on image for larger view).
Alter the Battle of the Coral Sea, the carrier became the focus of naval weaponry. Other ships of the fleet now supported the carrier. The carrier became the first true strategic weapons system, fully capable of executing the range of strategic options through the spectrum from establishing a "show the flag" presence to the projection of both surgical, tactical and strategic power on a global basis in support of national policy and military strategy.
The government will finalize the limits that will be imposed on the Coral Sea (left) marine park, which will be within Australia's economic zone, in 90 days.The world's current largest reserve was established by Britain last year around the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, which includes coral atoll The Great Chagos Bank.
Source:
The Guardian,"Australia announces plans for world's biggest marine park", accessed November 27, 2011
Reuters,"Coral Sea to be home to world's largest marine park",reported by James Grubel, accessed November 27, 2011
USS Coral Sea Tribute Site, "The Battle of the Coral Sea", by Bob Dorais, accessed November 27, 2011
