It was December 10, 1941. Three days earlier, the Americans had suffered a heavy blow at Pearl
Harbor, and the Empire of Japan was now wiping out British and Dutch garrisons in the Pacific.
The proud Royal Navy soon deployed Force Z, a small but formidable task force, to Singapore,
reckoning it would be enough to deter Japanese aggressions along the Malayan coast.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill was confident his superb HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales
battleships could overcome any obstacle the Japanese may erect on their paths.
However, Force Z would face a much superior Japanese naval force that fateful morning…
Tensions in the Pacific
After the end of World War 1, the Empire of the Rising Sun expanded rapidly across Asia.
With Korea under its control, Japan turned its attention to
the crumbling Chinese regime and invaded Manchuria in 1931.
When war broke out in Europe in 1939, the Empire opted to continue expanding in Asia at the cost
of British, Dutch, and American colonial possessions, namely Singapore and Malaya.
Then, in the fall of 1941, the British government, led by seasoned war veteran Winston Churchill,
sought to bolster its military presence in the region as a deterrent to Japanese aggression.
Subsequently, two strategies were put on the table. The offensive strategy had the
objective of defending British interests in China,
while the defensive strategy aimed to protect communication lines in the Indian Ocean.
As such, the Royal Navy chose Singapore as its main naval base in the region,
a crucial spot in which the British could set
up an appropriate defense or attack against the Japanese Imperial Navy.
Over 90,000 men and 140 aircraft were always ready to fight the enemy in case of a surprise attack.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom kept fighting the Axis in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean,
and the North Sea, and few warships were available to reinforce the garrison in the Pacific.
As time would tell, the Royal Navy failed to consider the consequences
of having most of its fleet fighting so far away…
Force Z
As the Admiralty debated over what to do next, some believed the Japanese
would not dare attack the United Kingdom and decided that sending just four older
battleships would be more than enough to deter any attack. Others, such as Churchill,
took the situation more seriously and opted to send a smaller but more prepared task force.
As such, the Royal Navy began sending reinforcements to the Far East in two
phases. And on December 2, 1941, the British dispatched Force Z to reinforce Singapore.
The force comprised the battleship HMS Prince of Wales,
battlecruiser HMS Repulse, and destroyers Electra, Express, Encounter, and Jupiter.
HMS Prince of Wales, under the command of Admiral Sir Thomas S. Phillips,
was one of the newest vessels in the Royal Navy, with Churchill adding that: (QUOTE) "A King George
V class battleship exercises a vague general fear and menaces all points at once. It appears,
and disappears, causing immediate reactions and perturbations on the other side."
Churchill had given orders that Prince of Wales could destroy any Japanese ship that
dared open fire against her. But even though Force Z was small and powerful,
it lacked a vital asset: an aircraft carrier. The task force was originally going to be
joined by the carrier HMS Indomitable, but she was damaged and left behind for repairs.
Soon, Force Z arrived in Singapore and received a warm welcome,
but the fear of war still loomed on the horizon.
Get On Without It
Admiral Phillips visited Manila in early December to discuss the operation with his American
counterparts. He then departed on December 7, right before the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
War had officially begun in the Pacific, and Philipps braced for the inevitable.
Sooner or later, the Japanese were coming for him.
On December 8, Philipps received reports of Japanese landings at Kota Bharu in Malaya,
and Singora, in Thailand. The admiral decided it was time to get on the offensive
and go after the Japanese before they disembarked more troops in Southeast Asia.
Force Z then set sail toward the north to meet the enemy at Malaya's eastern coastline,
where Admiral Phillips decided to sortie and engage the Japanese invasion fleet.
Philipps knew that air support was essential for combat at sea,
but he said to his men: (QUOTE) "We must get on without it."
Rain and fog allowed Force Z to hide from enemy reconnaissance
aircraft and submarines as it approached Malaya.
Then, while at sea, Philipps received a message about Japanese landings at Kuantan.
Upon his arrival, he noticed it was a false alarm. A lone
submarine spotted Force Z and fired five torpedoes, completely missing.
Unfortunately, Force Z had lost the element of surprise and was now compromised.
Thanks To Providence
Vice-Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa, the commander of the Japanese invasion fleet, received four
additional heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, and four destroyers to strengthen his already
formidable force of two battleships, seven heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and 12 destroyers.
It was now time to intercept Force Z and eliminate it.
At daybreak on December 10, the British task force was scouting Kuantan with no luck. But as
Phillips deviated east to monitor suspicious activity, Japanese raiders found him first.
At 11:07am, Captain William G. Tennant from Repulse warned the crew: (QUOTE):
"Enemy aircraft approaching. Action stations!"
As the signal replicated aboard the entire fleet, all ships sped up to 25 knots and opened fire.
By the time the first wave of bombers swooped down from the
southeast, the swift British vessels were displaying outstanding evasive maneuvers.
From 12,000 feet, the swarm of Japanese aircraft
managed to score one minor hit on Repulse, which remained in action.
The bombers then gave the battered fleet a short respite, but immediately after they left,
a second wave of torpedo aircraft arrived. The swarm split in two to
chase after both major ships and then launched their torpedoes from 400 feet.
Calmly, Captain Tennant maneuvered his battlecruiser out of harm's way and informed
his superior that: (QUOTE) "We have dodged 19 torpedoes so far, thanks to Providence."
Even so, the flagship had been less lucky. Enduring a torpedo hit on her port side,
Prince of Wales soon began flooding,
and her speed relented to 15 knots as she listed about 11 degrees to port.
Wounded Pride
The power loss left Prince of Wales with almost no means of communication,
either internal or external; many of her turrets were frozen in place,
and most of her anti-aircraft guns were ineffective.
As pumps stopped working, Captain John C. Leach hoisted: (QUOTE) "Not Under Control."
In less than half an hour and with a single hit,
the Japanese had irreversibly wrecked the pride of the British Navy.
As there was no response from the flagship, Repulse approached Prince
of Wales to offer assistance, but the Japanese suddenly struck from the east.
The blemished ship endured another three hits on her starboard while
Repulse dexterously evaded attacks from all directions until her luck ran out.
Hit amidships, Repulse was not able to avoid another wave of aircraft,
and after taking four successive hits,
Tennant had his crew abandon the ship as she rolled over and sank 33 minutes past noon.
Meanwhile, the flagship continued struggling,
but the last Japanese bombing had scored one definitive hit, ending her hopes of survival.
Many men were able to board Express, and Prince of Wales finally sank at 1:20pm.
No more than 85 Japanese aircraft had sunk two of Britain's capital ships in less than three
hours while only losing three warplanes. By the end of the battle, the Japanese aircraft had
crushed the entirety of the British naval power in the Far East in a single stroke.
End of an Era
The loss of Force Z is considered by many historians to have had a
more considerable impact than the attack on Pearl Harbor.
It was the first time capital ships were sunk
solely by aircraft in the open seas while conducting an active defense,
and the effect on the morale of the British Empire in the Far East was crippling.
The fact that large ships could be overtaken by small aircraft proved that battleships were
vulnerable to minor disruptions. Both vessels were not only fast and robust
warships but markedly agile. Regardless, they fell victim to superior Japanese air power.
Moreover, as many modern analysts ponder, it was not an isolated circumstance that settled the fate
of Force Z that morning as much as the unforeseen impact of a sudden technological revolution.
Admittedly, British officers were perhaps too cautious when employing surface ships
during the daylight in the early years of the war.
Besides, it would be fair to acknowledge an element of luck on the part of the Japanese,
who would never be able to replicate such an attack with carrier-based aircraft.
The fact that the Japanese took the British off guard also played a crucial role in the outcome,
especially considering British heavy gunfire was
more than effective and Japanese vessels would not have resisted a frontal attack.
Still, the Japanese Long Lance torpedoes might have given them a crucial advantage.
The events of December 10, 1941,
cemented the narrative for many months during the Pacific War. But above all,
they marked the transition from the era of the battleship to that of the aircraft carrier.
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