As the Japanese aircraft started their assault on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941, a two-wave surprise attack sank four of the eight US Navy battleships in the harbor and caused devastating damage to other ships, airfields, aircraft, and port facilities. Though a tactical success, one set of strategic targets of Japanese interest, the US aircraft carriers were not in port.

 So where were the US carriers as Pearl Harbor was being attacked that fateful morning? Before diving into the details that day, let’s start off with how many carriers the US had in commission during the attack and go from there. On December 7th, there were seven fleet carriers in commission and one auxiliary carrier. The fleet carriers consisted of Lexington, Saratoga, Ranger, Yorktown, Enterprise, Wasp, and the recently commissioned Hornet along with the auxiliary carrier Long Island.

 Which of these carriers were not even in the Pacific? active carrier base in the Atlantic at that time were Ranger, Yorktown, Wasp, and Long Island. On the morning of the attack, Ranger was still in transit coming back to Norfolk, Virginia, while Yorktown and Long Island were in port. The only active Atlantic fleet carrier not at or around Norfolk at the time was Wasp, which was at anchor in Bermuda.

Hornet, the most recent addition to the fleet carrier lineup, was commissioned in October, but was not ready for active service. On December 7th, she was also based in Norfol, Virginia, and at that point had not even been on a shakedown cruise yet. Out of the carriers in the Atlantic, Yorktown would be the first to head to the Pacific after the attack, leaving on December 16th.

 With the carriers in the Atlantic covered, where were the remaining carriers? In late 1941, the US Navy had three carriers in the Pacific: Lexington, Saratoga, and Enterprise. But where were they right before, during, and after the attack? [Music] Starting in chronological order, more than a week before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Enterprise, the most modern US carrier that was in the Pacific, left Pearl Harbor to take part in a secret mission.

 As the carrier departed on November 28th, the crew soon learned they were headed to Wake Island, more than 2,000 mi west of Pearl Harbor, to ferry a Marine fighter squadron to the garrison. 12 Grumman F4F3 Wildcats of Marine Fighting Squadron 211 were to take off from Aahu to meet the carrier at sea. However, one was unable to take off due to starter trouble.

 So, 11 made it to the carrier. Enterprises fighter squadron would release one of their own Wildcats to supplement the Marine Squadron. As VMF211 landed on Enterprise, they would receive orders to reinforce the Marines on Wake as an airfield was recently completed. As part of Task Force 8, Enterprise was accompanied by the heavy cruisers Salt Lake City, Northampton, Chester, and nine destroyers.

 Commanding this force was then Vice Admiral William F. Hollyy Jr., famously nicknamed Bullhally. As a carrier was out at sea on November 28th, Enterprise began operating under wartime conditions with planes ready to be armed at a moment’s notice, practicing radio silence and all crew on alert. After the Wildcats flew off the deck to bolster Wig’s defenses on December 4th, Enterprise turned back east and made its way back to Pearl Harbor, expected back late on December 6th.

 Luckily for Enterprise, Task Force 8 was traveling through bad weather on the 5th and 6th, and the Task Force needed to slow down to refuel the escorting destroyers. Right after 6:00 a.m. on the morning of December 7th, Enterprise was around 200 miles west of Wahoo. A mix of 18 Douglas SBD Dauntlesses from the scouting and bombing squadrons took off to conduct scouting ahead of the carrier as it headed back to Pearl Harbor.

 Nearly at the same time, the first wave of Japanese aircraft took off from their six carriers, Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shikaku, and Zuikaku from the north towards Aahu. As the SPDs approached Aahu from the west, many of them were engaged by Japanese aircraft, where a total of five were shot down during the attack, with one shot down by friendly anti-aircraft fire.

 As soon as Task Force 8 was radioed about the attack, Enterprise quickly launched its air group to search for the Japanese carrier fleet without any luck throughout the day. Later in the day, a report claimed seeing enemy ships to the south of Wahoo, where Enterprise launched 18 Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers, six Dauntlesses, and six Wildcats to search a 100 miles southeast of the carrier.

 No ships were spotted, so all the bombers landed back on Enterprise during the first night landing operation for a US carrier during World War II. while the fighters headed back to Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately, four Wildcats were shot down by friendly fire with three pilots killed in action as a result of anxious anti-aircraft batteries around Pearl Harbor that evening.

 By the end of the day, Enterprise lost six SBDs and four Wildcats and 10 aviators total were killed in action. Enterprise would make its way into Pearl Harbor late on December 8th, being quickly refueled and resupplied, making its way back out into the Pacific on December 9th. On December 10th, 120 mi northeast of the island of Machai, a lone Enterprise Dauntless found the Japanese submarine I70 on the surface, where it dropped its bomb near the submarine, damaging it enough that it could not submerge.

 Later in the day, a second Dauntless came back to where the submarine was and dropped a,000lb bomb on the deck, sinking the I70 quickly. This would be the first Japanese warship sunk by US aircraft during World War II. Enterprise would stay up patrolling and avoiding attacks from Japanese submarines near the Hawaiian Islands for the rest of the month, even being a potential player of the Wake Allen Relief Force until it was called off on December 22nd.

In an effort to reinforce defenses around the Pacific as war clouds loomed between the US and Japan, Lexington was assigned to an aircraft ferry mission. The mission was simple. Lexington would deliver 18V SB2U3 Vindicator die bombers, a Marine Scout bombing squadron 231 to Midway atal to supplement the forces there.

 Lexington would leave Pearl Harbor on December 5th, escaping the destruction that would come in a few days. On the morning of December 7th, Lexington, as part of Task Force 12, being escorted by three heavy cruisers, Chicago, Portland, and Atoria, and five destroyers, was around 500 m southeast of Midway, when news broke out of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

 The fing mission was aborted. Lexington launched search planes right away in hopes of finding the Japanese carriers. The 18 Vindicators Lexington was fing flew back to Aahu on December 10th. When Lexington was back close enough to Hawaii, they would eventually make their way to their original destination, Midway. By flying from Aahu on December 21st, Lexington would stay out searching for the Japanese carrier force with no luck for the next week, returning to Pearl Harbor on December 13th.

 Lexington and her task force would also be directed to cover the carrier Saratoga for the Wake Island Relief Mission, but would be called back soon after. After an extensive dry dock period at Breton, Washington, Saratoga, sisterhip of Lexington, left on November 28th and was entering port at San Diego, California on December 7th to embark her entire air group, which consisted of her fighting, bombing, scouting, and torpedo squadrons.

 As word came in of the attack, Saratoga was quickly turned back out to sea to join the war on December 8th. As Saratoga headed back towards Pearl Harbor, she carried more aircraft and supplies than usual. She was loaded with 14 Brewster F2A3 Buffaloos of Marine Fighting Squadron 221 and supplies bound for Wake Island. Wake Island was attacked only a few hours after Pearl Harbor, but as Wake is on the other side of the international datine, it was already Monday, December 8th.

 This news also made its way to San Diego when Saratoga was in port. So, an effort was made to reinforce the belleaguered garrison with additional Marine aircraft. Saratoga would arrive at Pearl Harbor on December 15th, just long enough to fuel up and continue the journey west. The next day, Saratoga, lead of Task Force 14, the relief force, would rendevous with the SE plane tender Tangier, which carried Marines and additional supplies and equipment and was also in company with an oiler.

 On December 21st, the force’s progress west was slowed to refuel her escort destroyers, and they ran into bad weather. On track to get in the vicinity of wake on December 24th, wake time. However, Japanese carrier aircraft from the carriers Soryu and Hiru were reported over Wake Island on December 21st, ultimately leading to the decision to recall the relief force on December 22nd when it was closing in on the garrison.

 Wake would fall to the Japanese on December 23rd on Saratoga’s return trip to Hawaii. The 14 Buffaloos from VMF 221 were diverted to Midway at flying off on December 25th. So, as the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, none of the three US carriers in the Pacific were caught in Aahu.

 Out of the three, Enterprise was the closest around 200 m west of Aahu, where her aircraft returning to Pearl Harbor were engaged in combat as the island came under attack. The two Lexington class carriers were also safely away from the raid, with Lexington being around 500 m southeast of Midway at the time, while Saratoga headed into port at San Diego, California.