Question: where were the carriers on december 7 1941

title: Attack on Pearl Harbor
text: The attack commenced at 7 : 48 a.m. Hawaiian Time ( 18 : 18 GMT ) . The base was attacked by 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft ( including fighters , level and dive bombers , and torpedo bombers ) in two waves , launched from six aircraft carriers . All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged , with four sunk . All but the USS Arizona were later raised , and six were returned to service and went on to fight in the war . The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers , three destroyers , an anti-aircraft training ship , and one minelayer . One hundred eighty - eight U.S. aircraft were destroyed ; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded . Important base installations such as the power station , dry dock , shipyard , maintenance , and fuel and torpedo storage facilities , as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building ( also home of the intelligence section ) , were not attacked . Japanese losses were light : 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost , and 64 servicemen killed . One Japanese sailor , Kazuo Sakamaki , was captured .