True - the pacific is a very different theater to operate in. US boats had to be bigger to obtain the operational ranges to make them effective.
In way the destruction of the battle fleet at Pearl forced the admirals to use subs more effectively. Inter-war strategy saw the sub being an extension of the fleet - as in a scouting screen. Their pre-war operational doctrine was like the Japanese. But after Pearl, there was no battle fleet and the carrier task forces moved too fast - so they took the battle to the enemy independently (for the most part).
As a side comment - it is a good thing the US boats had radar, it gave them the extra time they needed to get beneath the waves.
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