An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir February 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | By JAMES SCAnnEll I n october 1941, as Japanese military planners finalised the details of their attack on the US Pacific Fleet lying at anchor at the Pearl harbour naval base in hawaii, using aircraft launched from aircraft carriers, the British decided to strengthen their forces in South- east Asia in an attempt to prevent the expansionist Japanese from entering WWII on the Axis side. to this end, the battleships HMS Repulse (laid down in 1915, armed with 6x15-inch guns, 15x4- inch guns, 2x3-inch guns, 1x12-pounder field gun, 5xmachine guns, 10xlewis machines guns, and 10x21-inch torpedo tubes) and HMS Prince of Wales (laid down in 1939, armed with 10x14-inch guns, 16x5.25-inch dual-purpose guns, between 64 and 88 two-pounder pom- pom anti-aircraft guns, 8x40mm Bofors guns, and up to 38x20mm oerlikon guns) were sent to Singapore. the two capital warships (the only ones the Allies had in the western Pacific at that time), along with with the destroyers HMS Electra, HMS Express, HMS Jupiter and HMS Encounter, were designated 'Force z'. however, the group was miss- ing the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable, which was severely damaged while completing working-up trials and had to be drydocked, thus removing the ele- ment of air cover. Five days after Force Z arrived in Singa- pore the attack on Pearl Harbour took place, and the next day, December 8th, Japanese forces began landing on the Malayan Peninsula. That evening Force Z headed north to intercept Japanese troop-transport ships reported head- ing for the north of the peninsula and planned to attack them off Kota Bharu. As he set sail, Force Z commander Admiral Tom Phillips, flying his flag on HMS Prince of Wales, commanded by Captain John Leach, was advised that his request for Hawker Hurricane fighters to provide air cover had been declined as none were available, and while at sea was informed that no air cover or aerial reconnaissance would be available due to the Japanese overrun- ning airfields in northern Malaya. By contrast, the Japanese invasion fleet was supported by 99 bombers, 39 fighters, and six reconnaissance aircraft. On the afternoon of December 9th Force Z was well inside the Gulf of Siam, encountering rainy and cloudy weather conditions, when it was spotted by the Japanese submarine I-65, and by three Japanese aircraft at dusk, eliminating their element of surprise. Admiral Phil- lips opted to return to Singapore, un- aware that the Japanese invasion fleet was only 15 miles ahead of him. On the way back, Admiral Phillips received a message (based on an incor- rect report) that Japanese troops were landing at Kuantan, midway down the east coast of Malaya. Changing course, he sailed through the night to this loca- tion, unaware that during this voyage his fleet had been spotted by Japanese sub- marine I-58 which, unable to transmit a sighting report, fired five torpedoes, all of which missed. Arriving at dawn off Kuantan, Phillips found no landings were taking place, but when the presence of a Japanese tugboat was reported to the north he decided to sail in this direction to investigate further. By this time, however, the command- er-in-chief of the Japanese invasion forces, Admiral Nobutake Konda, was re- ceiving a steady stream of reports about Force Z and ordered all available naval aircraft to attack it that morning, while his fleet of warships sailed southwards to intercept the British vessels. Operat- ing from bases in what is now Vietnam, numerous Japanese aircraft armed with torpedoes and bombs headed out over the sea searching for their quarry. Around 11am on December 10th, Force Z was spotted by a Japanese reconnais- sance aircraft 70 miles southeast of Kuantan. Very quickly Japanese war- planes headed for this location with nine twin-engine bombers mounting an attack on HMS Repulse, recording only one hit on her, which was not of any significance. Half an hour later both the Repulse and the Prince of Wales came under a sustained attack during which the latter was struck by several torpe- does, losing headway and developing a severe list. On the Repulse, Captain Wil- liam Tennant watched as vast quantities of smoke rose from the Prince of Wales, which in addition to listing to port was sailing erratically, and after trying to execute a turning manoeuvre, began to heel over as more water poured into her hull. When he saw 'ship not under con- trol' indicated by flag signals and when he received no response to his series of signals sent to the stricken warship, Cap- HMS Prince of Wales leaves Singapore on 8th December 1941.

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