The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had neutralized the U.S. Pacific Fleet at a stroke,

but all three of America's Pacific aircraft carriers were at sea on the day the strike came.

For Admiral Yamamoto, this took some of the shine off his otherwise brilliant attack.

For the United States Navy, it represented an opportunity, if they could figure out how to exploit it.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

Music Welcome to the history of the 20th century. Episode 361. I could never be so lucky again.

If there was a silver lining to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, from the American point of view, it was that none of the three U.S. Navy aircraft carriers assigned

to the Pacific Fleet had been at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese struck.

On the day of the attack, USS Lexington had been underway to Midway to deliver 18 dive bombers

to the U.S. Naval Air Station there.

That's because, in addition to their value as mobile air bases that can launch air attacks

and reconnaissance missions at sea, aircraft carriers were also used as literal aircraft carriers,

ferrying airplanes across ocean distances beyond the flying range of the aircraft.

After the attack, Lexington received orders to cancel its mission,

rendezvous with its task force, and search the region west of Hawaii for Japanese ships.

It found none.

Lexington's sister ship, USS Saratoga, had recently completed a refrit at Bremerton Navy

Yard in Washington and was on that day at San Diego, ready to take on its air group in

preparation for its return to service in the Pacific.

After the Pearl Harbor attack, Saratoga was ordered also to take on a U.S. Marine

Fighter Squadron of Brewster Buffaloes and ferry them to Pearl Harbor.

Saratoga and Lexington were 20 years old. They had been laid down in 1920 and 1921, respectively,

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