BTW, My Dad said that three days before the attack they were ordered to fill the .50 ammunition boxes on deck. That morning, the Phoenix was scheduled to begin live fire exercises and so the boilers were all lit. That's why they were one of the few ships that sailed out of PH during the attack.
None of the Marines onboard were surprised about the attack as the Japs had been over-flying the the Phillipines for several days.
Sounds about right. It was very convenient that the carriers were at sea.