On 2 May, coastwatcher Jack Read on Bougainville reported that a large force of Japanese ships, believed to be part of the Japanese Tulagi invasion force, had departed from the Buka area.
La 2 mai, paznicul de coastă Jack Read de la Bougainville a raportat că o mare forță de vase japoneze, presupusă a fi o parte a forței de invazie a insulei Tulagi, plecase din zona Buka.