“1942: Japanese carrier-based aircraft sink the carrier USS Hornet, leaving only one operational American carrier in the Pacific. The Battle of Santa Cruz is a pyrrhic victory for the Japanese, however, as their carrier pilots were decimated in the attack and can no longer conduct attacks on U.S. forces at Guadalcanal.”
The remaining 90% of their carrier pilots would have been able to conduct attacks on U.S. forces at Guadalcanal.
Of course, Ulmer and Donowitz killed Hitler and Goebbels in a movie theater, so what do I know?
Later years evaluation of the Santa Cruz Island campaign have a far more negative for the US connotation. We did manage to keep hold on henderson field. That was perhaps the biggest positive. The negatives were our carrier fleet in the Pacific Theater was reduced to zero as the Hornet was sunk and the Enterprise so heavily damaged as to require dry dock repair. Fortunately the Jap navy did not pursue its advantage apparently.
I did pick up one interesting comment in one of the reviews. Apparently our news services were helpful, to the Japs. They began wiring stories of an impending sea battle around Guadalcanal a few weeks before the actual battle began which alerted the Japs.