"We were very fortunate that the carriers weren't in the harbor"

This quote by Barney Ross is referring to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The Japanese had actually prepared to release a surprise attack on the US naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Nevertheless, the United States was lucky that the carrier were not in the harbor at the time of the attack. This was due to the fact that the carriers were out at sea, and the Japanese were unable to target them. This implied that the United States had the ability to maintain a strong naval existence in the Pacific, and the Japanese were unable to get a definitive success. The United States was able to use the providers to release counterattacks against the Japanese, and eventually win the war. This quote is a testament to the significance of the United States attack aircraft carrier in the Pacific War, and how fortunate the United States was that they were not in the harbor at the time of the attack.