The missing carriers changed the attack

How would the early Pacific war change if Pearl Harbor had also disabled the American carriers?

The loss could delay early American operations and force a different Allied allocation, but it would not by itself solve Japan’s long-term industrial problem.

Losing the carriers could have delayed or erased early operations such as the Doolittle Raid and Coral Sea. The United States might still fight at Midway, but it would do so from a much weaker position while repairs and replacements arrived. Britain could be asked to divert carrier strength from the Indian Ocean or Operation Torch, changing the balance in several theaters at once. A sufficiently severe loss might also undermine the Europe-first assumption that the Pacific could be stabilized defensively. Even this larger Japanese success would not remove the long-term industrial imbalance, but it could radically alter the first six months and the Allied allocation of forces.