We all think of Pearl Harbor as a dark day in our history, and it is of course, but how many of us would agree that it was the best of all scenarios for that day in history.

Many military experts agree that had we known a few hours in advance of the coming attack, we would have likely suffered more casualties and lost more ships than we did with total surprise.

The speculation is, we would have sailed out of port to meet the Japs and we would have probably lost all three of our battlships and some carriers, instead of only the Arizona. In open sea our loss of life would have been far greater than in port, where many sailors swam to safety. The Japanese losses would have been far greater but it would have still been a victory for them and far more profound that it was the way it actually happened

As one example, they use the battle in which the UK Battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse were destroyed by Japanese airpower.

Myths of Pearl Harbor

The link is just to the series schedule and is not very informative. You have to see the show to appreciate the credibility. My post is probably not very convincing.