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Old 01-04-14, 12:49 PM   #12
Dread Knot
Ace of the Deep
 
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Pearl was home to quite a few Army and Marine air squadrons. With ample warning they could have kept the Zeroes busy and forced the Japanese to disperse their attacks. However, I think the greatest benefit would have been to the ships in port assuming they got the alert too.Watertight hatches would have been dogged, anti aircraft batteries would have been manned and ready. The crews would have been alert and not in a total state of panic and confusion although there would have been some. If I were Kimmel I would have probably forbade a sortie out of port. Warships sunk in shallow water are still a better bet for recovery than those at sea and with a few minutes warning you really can't get most boilers up to speed. Perhaps the Arizona would have been saved. In the actual attack most of the converted battleship shells the Japanese used as armor piercing bombs were duds anyway.
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