By heading south, Takagi unwittingly moved his carriers into the range of the U.S. TBD torpedo planes, which otherwise would have been forced to turn back without participating in the attack (Lunstrom 2006, pp. 187).
Dengan berlayar ke selatan, Takagi tidak sadar telah membawa kapal-kapal induknya ke dalam jarak jangkauan pesawat torpedo TBD Amerika Serikat yang sebenarnya sudah dipulangkan tanpa ikut serta dalam serangan (Lunstrom 2006, pp. 187).