Meeting Their Deadline
That’s when someone told him that the two carriers were Enterprise and Hornet. Daves said how it was the first time he ever saw three carriers inside Pearl Harbor at once. It was a rare occurrence before the war. But the next time he looked, the ships were gone. What Daves didn’t realize was that he would come to see those two carriers again pretty soon.
Midway, 1942. Pilots and Crew Preparing Fighter Planes aboard the USS Enterprise Prior to Their Take-Off for the Battle of Midway, 3-6 June 1942. Only Four of the Planes Would Return. Photo By Granger/Shutterstock
May 30th was their deadline to get back to sea, and they met it. Daves didn’t know where they were going or why they were in such a hurry. He also didn’t understand why Admiral Chester Nimitz (the top dog at Pearl Harbor) came to see them off. Daves was starting to get the feeling that the Navy knew something the crew didn’t…