In the early, and still peaceful, hours of Sunday 7 December 1941 the eight carriers of the United States Navy were spread from the Atlantic to the mid-Pacific. Four fast carriers and the Navy's first escort carrier—the USS Long Island, AVG-1 (Aircraft Escort Vessel-1), later reclassified as ACV-1 (Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier-1) and finally as CVE-1 (Escort Aircraft Carrier-1)—were assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. In the mid-Pacific were the USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Lexington (CV-2); the Enterprise was some 200 miles west of Oahu and was steaming towards Pearl Harbor after flying off on 4 December the 12 Grumman F4F-3s of VMF-211 sent to provide air defence for Wake Island, whilst the Lexington was 420 miles south-east of Midway on its way to deliver the 18 Vought SB2U-3s of VMSB-231 dispatched to strengthen the garrison of that island. A third carrier, the USS Saratoga (CV-3), was assigned to the Pacific Fleet but was in San Diego to pick up the 18 Brewster F2A-3s of VMF-221 which were intended to reinforce VMF-211 on Wake Island.
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