A Japanese picket boat forces the B-25s off early

A Japanese picket boat found the task force about 650 nautical miles from Japan and transmitted a warning before Nashville sank it. Marc Mitscher and Jimmy Doolittle ordered the bombers launched ten hours early and 179 nautical miles farther from Japan than planned. The crews had to reposition the aircraft and bring Hornet to full speed, although none of the B-25 pilots had previously taken off from a carrier. The first bomber left at 08:20, 42 minutes after the sighting, and all sixteen were away by 09:19. Speed mattered because the crowded deck carried thousands of pounds of bombs and fuel, while Hornet could not operate its fighters until the bombers had departed. Running at full speed also consumed fuel quickly.