4. Myth: All the Pacific Fleet Was Destroyed
While the attack on Pearl Harbor was devastating, it did not annihilate the entire Pacific Fleet. Notably, the U.S. aircraft carriers—USS Enterprise, USS Lexington, and USS Saratoga—were not in the harbor during the assault. Their absence preserved a crucial component of the U.S. naval strength, enabling a swift response in subsequent battles. For more details, refer to the National WWII Museum’s article on the attack (nationalww2museum.org).
