The Japanese probably did us a favor at Pearl Harbor. They sank some obsolete battleships, but the crews mostly survived. They destroyed some obsolete planes on the ground, but most of the pilots survived to be given new planes.
The strategically important ships, our carriers, we’re not there.
Those old Pearl Harbor ships played a supporting role in providing gunfire for invasions but they weren’t the ships that would chase down and destroy the Imperial Navy.
We had to build a faster and more powerful fleet in order to defeat Japan. Fleet carriers and fast battleships that could keep up with them. The resulting Fast Carrier Task Force was the main strike arm of the Navy and could move at will.
At the start of the Pacific War we had to be careful about engaging the Japanese fleet, we were evenly matched at best, and probably not even that. Then came Midway which I suppose was like payback for Pearl Harbor, with four of Japan’s main fleet carriers being lost.