Gunny G's Marines History and Traditions: The Relief Of Wake Island 1941

Gunny G's Marines History and Traditions: The Relief Of Wake Island 1941:

The Rescue Attempt

"Finally, as day was breaking over Makalapa, the
decision was reached. At 0811, Hawaiian time,
some two and a half hours before Wake was to
surrender, Task Force 14 was recalled.

Aboard the Astoria, Saratoga, and Tangier,
reactions varied from astonishment to shame and
anger. There were even some staff officers who
counseled Admiral Fletcher to disregard orders
and make a dash in to Wake. They did not know that
at this very moment, some four enemy heavy
cruisers (Cruiser Division 6) were patrolling
east of Wake, separated from any Japanese carrier
air support by hundreds of miles,[14] a sitting
target for the airmen of the Saratoga; nor did
they know that the Japanese attack force was
disposed about Wake with no apparent measures for
security against surface attack. Had all this
been known, the story of Wake might have been
very different.

But it was not known, and Task Force 14, which
might have relieved Wake, spent most of 23
December refueling its cruisers, and that night
retired on Midway.

Ref
http://users.ev1.net/~gpmoran/WakeDefense1.htm