How would you have avoided the attack on Pearl Harbor?

He reported their names when he was sure, classes when he wasn't.

He would have just gone farther out a ways. The harbor is a "goldfish bowl" according to Adm. Richardson.

 

Removing the fleet, or parts of, is exactly what has been mentioned. Where to and how often is the relevant question. As for building 'decoys', we would have unknowingly played directly into the hands of the Japanese by indicating a large Naval force sitting at anchor. More targets = more incentive to attack. The US did not know until after the War that Japan wanted to deal a 'devastating' blow to American morale and Naval strength in the Pacific.
We're talking 1941 here and security against espionage was nearly non-existent. If I remember correctly, postcards that were simply bought as souvenirs showed in great detail the basin holding the fleet. Husbanding aircraft against saboteurs was a good idea if you are not expecting an aerial attack, not so much if one appears suddenly on the Horizon.
How much room was there to have a fleet of decoys and still have a place for the real thing? Also mentioned, freedom of movement of civilians was the norm. I believe it would be virtually impossible to hide by camouflage any size ship let alone a BB and especially an aircraft carrier. There were 'hidden' factories along the West Coast of California that were virtually invisible from the air but a walk down the street revealed their location and a mark on a map or again a postcard, would provide exact aim points. Moving a Capital ship at night so as not to be seen wouldn't work either. Anyone within a few miles would hear those engines and a multi-story Behemoth puts off a huge silhouette at the very least. All said there was no way to restrict visible access. Look at an aerial view of the harbor and you can see all you would need is a pair of binoculars, a notebook and pencil.
And you're right, it is easier to plan a raid if you know exactly where the targets are. Moving the targets in a sporadic routine with questionable destinations would make it much harder to develop a plan.

 

Sometimes, sometimes he "went fishing".

 

I was assigned to teach diplomatic folks how to drive around -------- without getting killed. My first instruction was "never develop a pattern." I told them to have ten routes to work in a jar, and to pick one out each morning. (Colored marbles represented the routes.) I never lost anybody on my watch.

 

There was shooting war in the Atlantic, we needed ships there.

The Myths of Pearl Harbor.

We didn't know they could refuel at sea for that long a trip.

The Myths of Pearl Harbor.

The SCR radar used an oscilloscope, so they saw a spike, a big spike. No IFF in those days.
The Myths of Pearl Harbor.

I take it you weren't a snipe? We liked our weekends off too.

 

Ah, I see you didn't read the sources I linked for you. That's okay. I was a snipe for 20 years.

 

I sited my sources, (and the fact that you didn't notice tells me how much you actually read) but if you want a closer look at them, here you go. PDF copies of the Pearl Harbor Attack Hearings before Congress

Yes, "after". Kimmel had the Fleet on bankers' hours. He actually published the quarterly employment schedule, something that should have been very secret.

 

The is the way that is supported by the facts.

We wanted to avoid a war with Japan. It would be a distraction from the war in Europe.

Again, we wanted to avoid war in the Pacific.

Just #1.

 

Had to check Pearl Harbor: The Verdict of History. Prange said that closing the consulate in Honolulu might have averted the attack because the Japanese would not have gotten Yoshikawa's intell.

 

But we seem to get a lot of #2, don't we?

 

What sources did you quote in the post I quoted above, please?

I read the PHA the first time starting in 1965. The Myths site has the documents concerning your claims, and why they're specious. If you want to call Halsey a liar that's fine, he's dead.