What if U.S. carriers were at Pearl Harbor?

The massive fleet of carriers that the United States built by 1944 would have overwhelmed the prewar Imperial Japanese Navy, even without the losses at Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal. U.S. superiority in training and in aircraft would have ground the Japanese down, slowly but surely.

Why were the US aircraft carriers not in Pearl Harbor?

The Japanese were aware that the American carriers were not at Pearl Harbor. After some debate, they decided the chance to destroy all eight US Pacific Fleet battleships — still seen as the dominant naval weapon at the time — was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

Were aircraft carriers used in Pearl Harbor?

The Navy Department Library

On 7 December 1941, the three Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers were USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Lexington (CV-2), and USS Saratoga(CV-3).

What would happen if a U.S. aircraft carrier was sunk?

The sinking of a U.S. aircraft carrier might well result in casualties that would exceed the total losses of the Iraq War in no more than a few minutes. When capital ships sink, they sometimes take nearly every crew member with them; 1415 of a crew of 1418 went down with HMS Hood in 1941, for example.

How many aircraft carriers did the US have during Pearl Harbor?

Those ships carry a nest of winged attackers that can roam widely and sting often, to the misery of ships or soldiers below. It is unusual that no carriers are left at Pearl Harbor. In April 1941, four of the seven U.S. carriers were at Hawaii.

Where Were The US Aircraft Carriers During The Attack On Pearl Harbor

Did Japan warn U.S. about Pearl Harbor?

Some officials were warned in clear detail by those with insider knowledge that Pearl Harbor was to be attacked by the Japanese — and some argue the attack could have been avoided altogether had these American officials heeded the warnings.

Can Fleet carriers be destroyed?

Fleet Carriers Are Actually Invincible

If they are completely destroyed by your carrier's weaponry, they'll be sent to a prison ship. Oh, and if you accidentally shoot your own carrier you'll be sent to prison as well.

Can China destroy US carriers?

These platforms can launch a wide array of weapons, most importantly China's vast arsenal of cruise missiles. In sufficient numbers, all of these can threaten to kill a carrier. In a shooting war we could expect China to use all of these systems or to graduate their use depending on political and military developments.

Has the US ever lost a carrier?

The U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier, the Langley, is sunk by Japanese warplanes (with a little help from U.S. destroyers), and all of its 32 aircraft are lost. The Langley was launched in 1912 as the naval collier (coal transport ship) Jupiter.

What did Nimitz say about Pearl Harbor?

Big sunken battleships and navy vessels cluttered the waters every where you looked. As the tour boat returned to dock, the young helmsman of the boat asked, “Well Admiral, what do you think after seeing all this destruction?” Admiral Nimitz's reply shocked everyone within the sound of his voice.

Where were the 3 aircraft carriers during Pearl Harbor?

The three aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were out to sea on maneuvers. The Japanese were unable to locate them and were forced to return home with the U.S. carrier fleet intact. The battleship USS Arizona remains sunken in Pearl Harbor with its crew onboard.

Did any ships survive Pearl Harbor?

Conflict erupted December 7, 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, an American naval base in Hawaii. The USCGC Taney is the only surviving ship that was present at Pearl Harbor navy base that day.

Which ships survived Pearl Harbor untouched?

How far were the Japanese carriers from Pearl Harbor?

The Japanese attack force—which included six aircraft carriers and 420 planes—sailed from Hitokappu Bay in the Kurile Islands, on a 3,500 mile voyage to a staging area 230 miles off the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

Did the US lose any aircraft carriers in ww2?

Twelve aircraft carriers were sunk by the enemy during World War II -- five fleet carriers, a seaplane tender and six escort carriers. The loss of the Bismarck Sea was the last time that a U.S. carrier went down due to enemy action.

Can a hurricane sink an aircraft carrier?

“That being said aircraft carriers are huge vessels, the USS George H.W. Bush is over a thousand feet long and displaces more than 100,000 tons. The hurricane, or waves more specifically, that could capsize it would have to be enormous.

Can a torpedo sink an aircraft carrier?

It is impossible for a defensive aircraft carrier such as the Taiho to be sunk by the hit of a single torpedo. The main cause of the sinking of the Taiho was the fire disaster. The Taiho was constructed to be unsinkable; however, its special fight deck defense turned out to be of no use whatsoever.

Can Russia sink a US aircraft carrier?

Hypersonic Weapons

They combine the most lethal aspects of both ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, and with inertia alone can cause enough damage to a carrier to kill a mission, if not the entire ship.

Can hypersonic missiles destroy carriers?

Unlike ballistic missiles that travel predictable trajectories, hypersonic weapons can fly low, evading radar and can maneuver during the cruise phase. They are intended to quickly destroy high-value targets, such as aircraft carriers.

Can DF 21 destroy carrier?

Operating from land bases, the DF-21D can strike carrier groups at greater range (1000+ miles) than any cruise missile. US air defense systems were designed to defend against Soviet cruise missile attacks, but a ballistic missile attack is a different prospect entirely.

What would happen if an aircraft carrier was attacked?

A missile volley that either sank a carrier or led to a “mission-kill” by damaging the flight deck of a carrier into inoperability would deeply affect U.S. military operations, both by removing the carrier from the fight and from deterring America from deploying other carriers to the region.

Did any Japanese carriers survive the war?

During World War II, Hōshō participated in the Battle of Midway in June 1942 in a secondary role. After the battle, the carrier resumed her training role in Japanese home waters for the duration of the conflict and survived the war with only minor damage from air attacks.

Can a submarine destroy an aircraft carrier?

Undersea Unmanned Vehicles

Submarines have long posed the deadliest threat to aircraft carriers. In World War II, every major carrier fleet suffered losses to submarines; in the Cold War, the U.S. Navy viewed Soviet subs as a critical problem.

Why doesn't Canada have an aircraft carrier?

Gone half a century

It has been 50 years since the Canadian government decided the cost of operating an aircraft carrier was too high to justify keeping the Bonaventure. The ship was scrapped in Taiwan in 1971.