Carriers at Pearl Harbor

Dec. 1941, the U.S. aircraft carriers are at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attack. So instead of sinking the battleships, they knock out two carriers (Enterprise and Yorktown, let's say.)
What would happen?
 
Dec. 1941, the U.S. aircraft carriers are at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attack. So instead of sinking the battleships, they knock out two carriers (Enterprise and Yorktown, let's say.)
What would happen?

Then only two American warships are lost at Pearl Harbor. The battleships are unscratched, but no major offensive will be taken to relieve the Philippines. Also the plan would be historically described as overkill, all those aircraft and only two ships were sunk.
 

Hyperion

Banned
It would have to have been Enterprise and Lexington.

Saratoga was in San Diego, and Yorktown was in the Atlantic.

This would cripple US operations for a while. Even before Coral Sea and Midway, the US carriers did make a number of small raids on Japanese garrisons, sinkings some auxiliary ships and taking out some aircraft. This might not necessarily win Japan the war, but it would delay the US advance and buildup by another few months at least.
 
I just meant the carriers instead of the battleships. Only two battleships were sunk anyway, and several destroyers and cruisers were damaged too.
 
Agree that there would be an impact on the US response. However, nobody has bothered to mention the Submarine Service. They did some pretty heavy predation on Japanese shipping, esp. later in the war.
Wonder if manufacturing subs would've gotten geared up a bit sooner if the carriers had been hit at Pearl and the US response was delayed.

If you can't take out ships on the surface, attack them from below.:D
 

Hyperion

Banned
I just meant the carriers instead of the battleships. Only two battleships were sunk anyway, and several destroyers and cruisers were damaged too.

Incorrect sir.

Only two battleships where permanently sunk.

Several where damaged to the point where they where able to be refloated and repaired, but they where out of action for months and all but unavailable. Also, quite a few people died on those ships.

Better read up on stuff some more please.
 
Top