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Which U.S. aircraft carriers escaped the Pearl Harbor attack?
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Pearl Harbor attack
A U.S. battleship sinking during the Pearl Harbor attack.
At the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, none of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's three aircraft carriers were present in the harbor, which spared them from the destruction inflicted on the battleships.123
The three carriers were deployed as follows:
- USS Enterprise: Under the command of Adm. William F. Halsey, the Enterprise was returning from a mission to deliver marine aircraft to Wake Island. It had been scheduled to return to Pearl Harbor on December 6 but was delayed by weather.12
- USS Lexington: This carrier was at sea conducting a mission to ferry marine dive-bombers to Midway.1
- USS Saratoga: On the morning of the attack, the Saratoga was in San Diego embarking a fresh complement of aircraft.1