View source for Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse

{{Short description|December 1941 naval engagement in the Pacific Theater of WW2}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Sinking of ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse''}}{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Sinking of ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse''
| image       = File: HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse underway with a destroyer on 10 December 1941 (HU 2762).jpg
| image_size  = 300px
| caption     = ''Prince of Wales'' (left, front) and [[HMS Repulse (1916)|''Repulse'']] (left, behind) after being hit by torpedoes on 10 December 1941. A destroyer, HMS [[HMS Express (H61)|''Express'']], is manoeuvring in the foreground.
| partof      = the [[Pacific War]] of [[World War II]]
| date        = 10 December 1941
| place       = [[South China Sea]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|03|33|36|N|104|28|42|E|scale:3000000|display=inline,title}}
| result      = Japanese victory
| combatant1  = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
*{{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[Royal Navy]]
*{{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[Royal Australian Navy]]<!--The British White Ensign was used as the ensign of the RAN from 1911 to 1967-->
| combatant2  = {{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}
*{{flagicon|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service|Navy Air Service]]
| commander1  = {{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[Tom Phillips (Royal Navy officer)|Tom Phillips]]{{KIA}}<br /> {{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[John Leach (Royal Navy officer)|John Leach]]{{KIA}}<br /> {{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[William Tennant (Royal Navy officer)|William Tennant]]
| commander2  = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Niichi Nakanishi]]<br /> {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Shichizo Miyauchi]]<br /> {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Hachiro Shoji]]
| units1      = [[Force Z]]
| units2      = [[Genzan Air Group]]<br />[[Kanoya Air Group]]<br />[[Mihoro Air Group]]
| strength1   = 1 battleship<br />1 battlecruiser<br />4 destroyers
| strength2   = 88 aircraft<br /><small>(34 torpedo aircraft,<br />51 level bombers,<br />3 scouting aircraft)</small>
| casualties1 = 1 battleship sunk<br />1 battlecruiser sunk<br />840 killed
| casualties2 = 4 aircraft destroyed<br />28 damaged<ref name="Paul S. Dull, 2007">Paul S. Dull (2007), page 40</ref><br />2 seaplanes missing<br />18 killed<ref>3 aircraft were shot down in the attack, 1 crash-landed later, and 2 scout aircraft failed to return from their
missions.</ref>
}}
{{Campaignbox Pacific 1941}}
{{Campaignbox South-East Asian Theatre}}
{{Campaignbox Malaya}}

The '''sinking of ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse''''' was a [[naval warfare|naval engagement]] in [[World War II]], as part of the [[Pacific War|war in the Pacific]], that took place on 10 December 1941 in the [[South China Sea]] off the east coast of the British colonies of [[British Malaya|Malaya]] (present-day [[Malaysia]]) and the [[Straits Settlements]] (present-day [[Singapore]] and its coastal towns), {{convert|70|mi|nmi km|abbr=off}} east of [[Kuantan]], [[Pahang]]. The [[Royal Navy]] [[battleship]] {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|6}} and [[battlecruiser]] {{HMS|Repulse|1916|6}} were sunk by land-based [[bomber]]s and [[torpedo bomber]]s of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]. In Japan, the engagement was referred to as the {{Nihongo|'''Naval Battle of Malaya'''|マレー沖海戦|Marē-oki kaisen}}.

The objective of [[Force Z]], which consisted of one battleship, one battlecruiser and four [[destroyer]]s, was to intercept the [[Japanese invasion of Malaya|Japanese invasion fleet]] in the South China Sea north of Malaya. The task force sailed without air support. Although the British had a close encounter with Japanese heavy surface units, the force failed to find and destroy the main convoy. On their return to Singapore they were attacked in open waters and sunk by long-range torpedo bombers. The commander of Force Z, [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] [[Tom Phillips (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Tom Phillips]], elected to maintain radio silence and an alert was not sent (by the ''Repulse'') until one hour after the first Japanese attack.

With the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] only two days earlier, on the other side of the International Date Line, the Malayan engagement illustrated the effectiveness of [[aerial warfare|aerial attacks]] against even the heaviest of [[navy|naval]] assets if they were without air cover. This added to the importance for the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] of the three [[United States Navy]] [[aircraft carrier]]s in the Pacific: {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}}, {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|2}}, and {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|2}}.{{refn|name=MoS|group=N|The USN's remaining four carriers, the {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|6}}, {{USS|Ranger|CV-4|2}}, {{USS|Wasp|CV-7|2}} and {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|2}}, were still in the Atlantic, while the Royal Navy did not have any carriers attached to its [[Far East Fleet (United Kingdom)|Eastern Fleet]].}} The sinking of the two ships severely weakened the British [[Eastern Fleet]] in Singapore, and the Japanese fleet was engaged only by [[submarine]]s until the [[Battle off Endau]] on 27 January 1942. Singapore itself [[Fall of Singapore|fell to the Japanese]] on 15 February, leading to the largest surrender in British history.

==Background==
{{History of Singapore}}
{{Further|Singapore strategy}}
In meetings on 17 and 20 October, the British Defence Committee formally discussed Far East naval reinforcement in response to the fall of the moderate [[Fumimaro Konoe|Konoe]] government on 16 October. In agreement with August–September assessment of Japanese intentions, [[Winston Churchill]] and his cabinet favoured the deployment of a modern battleship for deterrent effect.<ref name="Boyd_294-295">Boyd: page 294-295</ref> The [[Royal Navy]], as part of its offensive strategy, planned to send the [[Nelson-class battleship|''Nelson''-class]] and [[Revenge-class battleship|''Revenge''-class]] battleships to Singapore, but the ''Nelson''s could not deploy. {{HMS|Nelson|28|6}} was damaged in the Mediterranean Sea in late-September.<ref name="Boyd_281">Boyd: page 281</ref> Crew [[Leave (military)|leave]] prevented {{HMS|Rodney|29|6}} from deploying until mid-December, and a gun refit scheduled from February to May 1942 was required before she could conduct further operations. With working up, the earliest either could reach the Far East was August 1942. The [[King George V-class battleship (1939)|''King George V''-class battleship]] {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|6}} was, aside from the ''Revenge''s, the only worked-up battleship that could sail east before Spring 1942.<ref name="Boyd_295">Boyd: page 295</ref> On 20 October, the Committee decided to send ''Prince of Wales'' to [[Cape Town]], [[South Africa]].<ref name="Boyd_297">Boyd: page 297</ref> Once at Cape Town, a review would decide whether to send the ship onward to Singapore;<ref name="Mahoney_Middlebrook_ch3">Mahoney and Middlebrook: chapter 3</ref> this would keep ''Prince of Wales'' available to respond to an emergency in home waters.<ref name="Boyd_311">Boyd: page 311</ref>

In December 1941, as a deterrent to Japanese territorial expansion which was recently demonstrated by the [[invasion of French Indochina]], it was proposed that a force of Royal Navy warships be dispatched to the Far East with a view to providing reinforcement for Britain's possessions there, most notably Singapore. First Sea Lord Sir [[Dudley Pound]] represented that Singapore could be adequately defended only if the Royal Navy sent the majority of its [[capital ship]]s there, to achieve parity with an estimated force of nine Japanese battleships. However, dispatching such a large British force was impractical as the British were at war with [[Nazi Germany]] and [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Fascist Italy]]. Nevertheless, Churchill appeared optimistic about the improving situation in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean; he advocated sending two capital ships along with an aircraft carrier to defend Malaya, [[Borneo]] and the [[Straits Settlements]].

Churchill has been criticised for showing "considerable ignorance" and holding an "exaggerated belief in the power of the battleship," along with "a tendency to interfere in naval matters."<ref name=stephen102>Stephen, p. 102.</ref> This may have led him to propose a squadron of three modern ships: one battleship, one battlecruiser, and one carrier.<ref name=stephen104>Stephen, p. 104.</ref> His view was that using the [[Ultra (cryptography)|Ultra]] decrypts that would give Japanese ship locations to the British, they could then use their own ships to form a "[[fleet in being]]" to deter Japanese action, as the German battleship ''[[German battleship Tirpitz|Tirpitz]]'', sister to the lost ''[[German battleship Bismarck|Bismarck]]'', was in the North Sea.<ref name=stephen104/> However, there was no firm plan for such a task.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/sinking2.html |title=Alan Matthews, "The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse", Force 'Z' Survivors Website. |access-date=29 April 2007 |archive-date=1 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201084146/http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/sinking2.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The revised British proposal allocated the ''Prince of Wales'', the veteran {{sclass|Renown|battlecruiser|1}} {{HMS|Repulse|1916|6}}, and the {{sclass|Illustrious|aircraft carrier|1}} {{HMS|Indomitable|R92|6}} for air cover, though the plan had to be revised when ''Indomitable'' ran aground in the Caribbean Sea.<ref name=stephen107>Stephen, p. 107.</ref>

The dispatch of capital ships to Singapore had been part of the Admiralty's [[Singapore Strategy|strategic planning]] since the naval base had been expanded and fortified beginning in the early 1920s. The scale of this planned deployment had been reduced during the 1930s, since Germany and Italy presented new threats to British interests in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Nevertheless, it was still assumed that a significant force of capital ships would deter Japanese expansion. Churchill's plan presumed<ref name="Willmott, H. P. 1983">Willmott, H. P. ''Barrier and the Javelin'' (Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute Press, 1983).</ref> that the United States would agree to send its [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]], including eight battleships, to Singapore in the event of hostilities with Japan, or that the British force would add to the deterrent value of the US fleet, should it stay at [[Pearl Harbor]].<ref name="forcez-survivors.org.uk">[http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/sinking1.html Alan Matthews, 2006, "The sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse" (Force Z Survivors Association)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207042346/http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/sinking1.html |date=7 February 2012 }}. Access date: 13 October 2007.</ref> Admiral of the Home Fleet [[Sir John Tovey]] was opposed to sending any of the new ''King George V'' battleships as he believed that they were not suited to operating in tropical waters. Indeed the humid climate of Malaya would negatively affect the capabilities of the ''Prince of Wales'', such as the breakdown of her [[surface search radar]]s, deterioration of her [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] ammunition, and increased crew fatigue due to the lack of [[air conditioning]].<ref name="pacificwrecks.com">{{Cite web |last=Garzke |first=William H. |last2=Dulin |first2=Robert O. |last3=Denlay |first3=Kevin V. |title=DEATH OF A BATTLESHIP LOSS OF HMS PRINCE OF WALES A Marine Forensics Analysis of the Sinking |url=https://pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/death-of-a-battleship-2012-update.pdf| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327195109/https://pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/death-of-a-battleship-2012-update.pdf |archive-date=2022-03-27}}</ref>

===Deployment===
[[File:IWM FE 487 Admirals Phillips and Palliser.jpg|thumb|Admiral [[Tom Phillips (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Tom Phillips]] (right), commander of Force Z, and his deputy, Rear Admiral [[Arthur Palliser]], on the quayside at Singapore naval base, 2 December 1941.]]

Force G, consisting of the modern battleship ''Prince of Wales'', the [[First World War]] era battlecruiser ''Repulse'', and the four destroyers HMS {{HMS|Electra|H27|2}}, {{HMS|Express|H61|2}}, {{HMS|Encounter|H10|2}} and {{HMS|Jupiter|F85|2}}, arrived at Singapore on 2 December 1941. They were then re-designated Force Z.

The new aircraft carrier HMS ''Indomitable'' was allocated to Force G, but whilst working up off Jamaica, she had run aground in the entrance to [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston harbour]] on 3 November 1941.<ref name="battleship">Martin Middlebrook & Patrick Mahoney, ''Battleship; The Loss of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse'', Penguin History, 1979, {{ISBN|0-14-023469-1}}.</ref> ''Indomitable'' required 12 days of [[dry dock]] repairs in [[Norfolk, Virginia]], and was not able to take part in the action. ''Indomitable'' carried one squadron each of [[Fairey Fulmar]]s and [[Hawker Hurricane|Hawker Sea Hurricane]]s. Another aircraft carrier, {{HMS|Hermes|95|6}} (which was with ''Prince of Wales'' at Cape Town), was on passage to Singapore to join Force Z, but was not deployed due to lack of speed.<ref name="HMS Hermes, British aircraft carrier, WW2">{{citation |title=HMS Hermes, British aircraft carrier, WW2 |url=http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-04CV-Hermes.htm |publisher=Naval-History.Net|access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref>

On 1 December, it was announced that [[Thomas Phillips (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Tom Phillips]] had been promoted to full admiral and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the [[Eastern Fleet]]. A few days later, ''Repulse'' left for Australia with {{HMAS|Vampire|D68|6}} and {{HMS|Tenedos|H04|6}}, but the force was recalled to Singapore to assemble for possible operations against the Japanese.<ref>{{cite web |first=L. |last=Klemen |url=https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/kota_bharu.html |title="Seventy minutes before Pearl Harbor" The landing at Kota Bharu, Malaya, on December 7th 1941 |date=1999–2000 |work=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942}}</ref>

Also at Singapore were the [[light cruiser]]s HMS {{HMS|Durban|D99|2}}, {{HMS|Danae|I44|2}}, {{HMS|Dragon|D46|2}} and {{HMS|Mauritius|C80|2}}, and the destroyers {{HMS|Stronghold||6}}, ''Encounter'' and ''Jupiter''. The [[heavy cruiser]] {{HMS|Exeter|68|6}}, Dutch light cruiser {{HNLMS|Java|1921|6}}, two more British destroyers ({{HMS|Scout|H51|2}} and {{HMS|Thanet|H29|2}}), and four [[United States Navy]] destroyers ({{USS|Whipple|DD-217|2}}, {{USS|John D. Edwards|DD-216|2}}, {{USS|Edsall|DD-219|2}} and {{USS|Alden|DD-211|2}}) would be there within three days.{{sfn|Womack|2015|page=89}}

Although ''Durban'' and ''Stronghold'' were available, Admiral Phillips decided to leave them at Singapore because they were not as fast as the other units. Additionally, ''Danae'', ''Dragon'', ''Mauritius'', ''Encounter'' and ''Jupiter'' were also at Singapore, but were under repair and not ready to sail.

===Japanese preparations===
Churchill publicly announced ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'' were being sent to Singapore to deter the Japanese. In response, Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] sent 36 [[Mitsubishi G4M]] bombers to reinforce the existing [[Mitsubishi G3M]]-equipped [[Kanoya Air Group]] and [[Genzan Air Group]], whose pilots began training for an attack on the two capital ships. The bomber crews, of the Kanoya Air Group of Kanoya Kōkūtai (751 Ku), Genzan Air Group of Genzan Kōkūtai (753 Ku), and the Mihoro Air Group of Mihoro Kōkūtai (701 Ku), trained in torpedo attacks at an altitude of less than 10 metres (30&nbsp;ft), and in long-range over-ocean navigation, so they could attack naval targets moving quickly at sea.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/sinking1.html |title=The sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse – page 1<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=5 May 2007 |archive-date=7 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207042346/http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/sinking1.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> Genzan Air Group was commanded by [[Lieutenant Commander|Lt Cdr]] Niichi Nakanishi, Kanoya Air Group by Lt Cdr Shichizo Miyauchi and Mihoro Air Group by [[Lieutenant|Lt]] Hachiro Shoji.<ref name="ZERO!">{{citation |title=Full text of "ZERO!" |url=https://archive.org/stream/zero001449mbp/zero001449mbp_djvu.txt |publisher=E. P. Dutton & Co. r Inc.|access-date=20 January 2010}}</ref> This was the first time in the war that a force of bombers was especially trained and equipped for “ship killing”, an unprecedented capacity, as around that time ordinary land-based bombers (particularly the Mediterranean theatre) had attacked ships at sea with limited success.<ref name="pacificwrecks.com"/>

==Hostilities commence==
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| width     = 200
| footer    = 
| image1    = G4M-50s.jpg
| alt1      = 
| caption1  = [[Mitsubishi G4M]] ''Betty''/"葉巻" Hamaki (Cigar) bombers of [[Kanoya Air Group]]
| image2    = G3M Type 96 Attack Bomber Nell G3M-8s.jpg
| alt2      = 
| caption2  = [[Mitsubishi G3M]] ''Nell'' of [[Genzan Air Group]]. The type was also operated by Mihoro Air Group
}}

On 8 December 1941,<ref>7 December in Britain and the US</ref> early in the morning, bombers of Mihoro Air Group [[Bombing of Singapore (1941)|attacked Singapore]].<ref name="ZERO!"/> ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'' responded with [[anti-aircraft]] fire; no planes were shot down, and the ships sustained no damage. The Japanese made landings on [[Kota Bharu]], Malaya, on 8 December (local time), commencing the [[Japanese invasion of Malaya]].

News arrived that [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor had been attacked]] and eight US battleships had been sunk or disabled. [[Singapore strategy#Second World War|Pre-war planning]] had explored the possibility of the United States Pacific Fleet sending major units to Singapore to reinforce the British when war broke out. That was now impossible. Phillips had concluded in an earlier discussion with US General [[Douglas MacArthur]] and Admiral [[Thomas C. Hart]] that his two capital ships were insufficient to confront the Japanese.<ref name="forcez-survivors.org.uk" /> However, with the Japanese threatening to overrun Malaya, Phillips was pressed to use his ships in an offensive role; he assembled his flotilla to try to intercept and destroy Japanese invasion convoys in the [[South China Sea]].

Phillips did not believe that the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] and other Allied air forces could guarantee [[air cover]] for his ships,{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} as they had only limited numbers of [[Fighter aircraft|fighters]].{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} However, one squadron, [[No. 453 Squadron RAAF]] with 10 [[Brewster F2A Buffalo]]s at [[RAF Sembawang]], had been designated "Fleet Defence Squadron", to provide close cover for Force Z.<ref name=stephen108>Stephen, p. 108.</ref>   The squadron's acting CO, Flight Lieutenant [[Tim Vigors]], had been advised of the radio procedures that would be used by Force Z.<ref name="Tim Vigors - Telegraph"/>

Despite his misgivings about the air cover available, Phillips elected to proceed. It is believed that four factors entered into his decision: he thought that Japanese planes could not operate so far from land, he believed that his ships were relatively immune from fatal damage via air attack, he was unaware of the quality of Japanese aircraft and [[torpedo]]es,<ref name=stephen108/> and like many Royal Navy officers, Phillips underestimated the fighting abilities of the Japanese.<ref name=stephen102/> Up to that point, no capital ship at sea had been sunk by air attack. The [[Italian cruiser Pola|Italian heavy cruiser ''Pola'']] had been disabled by a torpedo from a Fleet Air Arm [[Fairey Swordfish]] at the [[Battle of Cape Matapan]] on 29 March 1941, and was later sunk by a torpedo from the destroyer [[HMS Jervis (F00)|HMS ''Jervis'']].<ref>[[O'Hara, Vincent P.]]: ''Struggle for the Middle Sea'', Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-59114-648-3}}.</ref> These and other Royal Navy operations in the  Mediterranean theater (September  1939  –  December  1941) showed that it was risky but possible to operate in waters covered by enemy land-based  air, as German and Italian aircraft damaged but could not stop [[Malta convoys]], while no British battleships had been lost. Phillips grossly underestimated the scale of attack, and believed that the majority of enemy attack aircraft would be level bombers rather than land-based naval torpedo bombers.<ref name="Boyd_320-323">Boyd: page 320-323</ref> However the Japanese bombers that were slated to attack his ships were specially trained and equipped for "ship killing", which the British did not realize due to intelligence failures.<ref name="pacificwrecks.com"/>

His flagship, ''Prince of Wales'', had one of the most advanced naval anti-aircraft systems of the time, the [[HACS|High Angle Control System]] (HACS), which demonstrated accurate long-range radar-directed anti-aircraft fire during [[Operation Halberd]] in August and September 1941.<ref name="Mediterranean Convoys p26">''The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys''. A Naval Staff History, p. 26.</ref> However, the extreme heat and humidity in [[British Malaya|Malayan]] waters rendered her anti-aircraft fire control radars unserviceable and her [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|2 pounder]] ammunition had deteriorated as well.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Battleship: The Loss of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse'', Middlebrook.</ref> Royal Air Force technicians were called in to examine the ''Prince's'' radars but needed a week to effect repairs, and Force Z would be underway in a few days.<ref name="forcez-survivors.org.uk"/>

No. 453 Squadron RAAF, which was to provide air cover for Force Z, was not kept informed of the ships' position. No radio request for air cover was sent until one was sent by the commander of ''Repulse'' an hour after the Japanese attack began. Flight Lieutenant Vigors proposed a plan to keep six aircraft over Force Z during daylight, but this was declined by Phillips. After the war, Vigors remained bitter towards him for his failure to call for air support on time.<ref name="Tim Vigors - Telegraph">{{cite news |title=Tim Vigors – Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1447057/Tim-Vigors.html |publisher=The Telegraph |date=19 November 2003|access-date=12 June 2011}}</ref> He later commented, "I reckon this must have been the last battle in which the Navy reckoned they could get along without the RAF. A pretty damned costly way of learning. Phillips had known that he was being shadowed the night before, and also at dawn that day. He did not call for air support. He was attacked and still did not call for help."<ref>''Bloody Shambles'' Volume One, page 125; by Christopher Shores & Brian Cull with Yasuho Izawa (Grub Street, London, 1992) {{ISBN|0-948817-50-X}}.</ref> Daytime air cover off the coast was also offered by Wing Commander [[List of RAF aircrew in the Battle of Britain (A–C)|Wilfred Clouston]] of [[No. 488 Squadron RNZAF]], but his plan, "Operation Mobile", was also rejected.<ref>Clayton, Graham. ''Last Stand in Singapore'' (Auckland: Random House, 2008).</ref>

Regarding Phillips' decision to proceed without air cover, naval historian [[Samuel Eliot Morison]] wrote:
<blockquote>Those who make the decisions in war are constantly weighing certain risks against possible gains. At the outset of hostilities [US] Admiral Hart thought of sending his small striking force north of Luzon to challenge Japanese communications, but decided that the risk to his ships outweighed the possible gain because the enemy had won control of the air. Admiral Phillips had precisely the same problem in Malaya. Should he steam into the Gulf of Siam and expose his ships to air attack from Indochina in the hope of breaking enemy communications with their landing force? He decided to take the chance. With the Royal Air Force and the British Army fighting for their lives, the Royal Navy could not be true to its tradition by remaining idly at anchor.<ref name="Morison">{{cite web |url=http://forum.woodenboat.com/archive/index.php/t-43325.html |title="The Rising Sun in the Pacific" pages 188–190 |author=Samuel Eliot Morison |author-link=Samuel Eliot Morison |work=[[History of United States Naval Operations in World War II (Series)|History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War Two]], Volume III |publisher=[[Little, Brown & Company]] |date=September 1948 |access-date=4 May 2010}}</ref></blockquote>

===Departure===
{{Multiple image
| image1      = HMS Prince of Wales Singapore (041562).jpg
| alt1        = {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}} departing Singapore
| image2      = HMS Repulse leaving Singapore.jpg
| alt2        = ''Repulse'' departing Singapore
| total_width = 450
| footer      = {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}} (left) and {{HMS|Repulse|1916|2}} (right) departing Singapore on 8 December 1941
}}
After receiving word of a Japanese convoy bound for Malaya, Force Z, consisting of ''Prince of Wales'', ''Repulse'', ''Electra'', ''Express'', ''Vampire'' and ''Tenedos'', sailed from Singapore at 17:10 on 8 December. Phillips hoped to attack off [[Singora]] on 10 December; had he departed one day sooner, he might have achieved his objective without coming under air attack at all, for the Japanese squadrons had not yet arrived.<ref name="Willmott, H. P. 1983"/>

At 07:13 on 9 December, Force Z passed the [[Anambas Islands]] to the east, and turned to a new course of 330 degrees, later changing to 345 degrees. Force Z was overflown by two Japanese reconnaissance aircraft, but not reported,<ref name=stephen102/> before being spotted by Japanese submarine [[Kaidai-class submarine|''I-65'']] at 14:00 on 9 December, which shadowed the British ships for five hours, radioing their positions. Phillips was unaware he was being tracked. After this contact report, Vice Admiral [[Jisaburō Ozawa]], in command of the invasion force, ordered most of his warships to escort the empty transports back to [[Cam Ranh Bay]] in southern Vietnam.

''I-65''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s amplifying report, confirming the presence of British battleships, reached 22nd Air Flotilla headquarters two hours later. At that time, their aircraft were in the process of loading bombs for an attack on Singapore Harbour, but they immediately switched to torpedoes. The bombers were not ready until 18:00.<ref name="Pilots eye view"/> The report also prompted the Japanese [[2nd Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|2nd Fleet]], Southern (Malay) Force's Main Body, to sortie south from Indochina to intercept Force Z. The fleet consisted of the battleships [[Japanese battleship Kongō|''Kongō'']], [[Japanese battleship Haruna|''Haruna'']], three {{sclass|Takao|cruiser|4}} cruisers and eight destroyers.<ref name="IJN KONGO: Tabular Record of Movement">{{citation |title=IJN KONGO: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/kongo.htm |publisher=Nihon Kaigun|access-date=14 December 2013}}</ref> They were joined by four {{sclass|Mogami|cruiser|4}} cruisers of Cruiser Division 7 and one [[Japanese cruiser Sendai|light cruiser]], four destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 3.<ref name="IJN ATAGO: Tabular Record of Movement">{{citation |title=IJN ATAGO: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/atago_t.htm |publisher=Nihon Kaigun|access-date=15 December 2013}}</ref> The [[Japanese cruiser Chōkai|cruiser ''Chōkai'']], flagship of Vice Admiral Ozawa, was also ordered south to find Force Z.<ref name="IJN CHOKAI: Tabular Record of Movement">{{citation |title=IJN CHOKAI: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/chokai_t.htm |publisher=Nihon Kaigun|access-date=15 December 2013}}</ref>

About 17:30, just a half-hour before sunset, Force Z was spotted by three [[Aichi E13A]] seaplanes, which had been catapulted off the Japanese cruisers [[Japanese cruiser Yura|''Yura'']], [[Japanese cruiser Kinu|''Kinu'']] and [[Japanese cruiser Kumano|''Kumano'']], which were escorting the transports.<ref name="Battle of Malaya"/> These aircraft continued shadowing. At about 18:30, ''Tenedos'' was detached to return to Singapore, because she was running low on fuel, with instructions to contact Rear Admiral [[Arthur Palliser]], detailed to act as liaison to RAF in Malaya,<ref name=stephen106>Stephen, p. 106.</ref> Phillips' intention was no longer to attack Singora, although Phillips changed course at 19:00 toward Singora, to deceive the shadowing aircraft, then south toward Singapore at 20:15, when darkness covered him.<ref name=stephen106/> ''Tenedos'' dutifully reported at 20:00, thereby preserving the secrecy of Phillips' position.

A night air attack was attempted by the Japanese because they feared that the British would find the convoy,<ref name="Pilots eye view"/> but bad weather prevented them from finding the ships and they returned to their airfields at [[Thủ Dầu Một]] and [[Tan Son Nhut Air Base|Saigon]] about midnight.<ref name="Planned course of British fleet">{{citation |title=Planned course of British fleet |url=http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/31615prince/05.gif |publisher=Tamiya|access-date=20 January 2010}}</ref>

===Return to Singapore===
That night, one of the Japanese seaplanes dropped a flare over the Japanese heavy cruiser ''Chōkai'', having mistaken her for ''Prince of Wales''. After this, the Japanese force of six cruisers and several destroyers turned away to the northeast. The flare was also seen by the British force, which feared they had been identified and then turned away to the southeast. At this point, the forces were approximately 5 miles (9&nbsp;km) apart but did not sight each other, and the Japanese force was not picked up on the radar of the ''Prince of Wales''. At 20:55, Phillips cancelled the operation, saying that they had lost the element of surprise, and ordered the force to return to Singapore.

On the way back, they were spotted and reported by the Japanese submarine ''I-58'' at 03:40.<ref name="Battle of Malaya"/> ''I-58'' reported that she had fired five torpedoes and missed, and then lost sight of the force three hours later. The British force did not see the torpedoes, and never knew they had been attacked. The report from ''I-58'' reached 22nd Air Flotilla Headquarters at 03:15, and ten bombers of the Genzan Air Group were dispatched at 06:00 to conduct a sector search for the ships.<ref name="Pilots eye view"/> Many more planes, some armed with bombs and some with torpedoes, soon followed. The Genzan Air Group took off at 07:55, the Kanoya Air Group at 08:14, and the Mihoro Air Group at 08:20.<ref name="Battle of Malaya">{{citation |title=Battle of Malaya |url=http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/31615prince/04.JPG |publisher=Tamiya|access-date=20 January 2010}}</ref> They were ordered to proceed to the best-estimated position of the ships.<ref name="Pilots eye view"/>

===The Japanese air attack===
[[File:Japanese high-level bombing attack on HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse 1941-12-10.jpg|thumb|top|Japanese aerial photo of the initial attack on {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}} (top) and {{HMS|Repulse|1916|2}}. A short, thick plume of black smoke can be seen emanating from ''Repulse'', which has just been hit by a bomb and surrounded by at least six near misses. ''Prince of Wales'' can be seen to be manoeuvring. The white smoke is from the funnels as the ships attempt to increase speed.]]
At 00:50 that same morning, 10 December, Phillips had received a report from Palliser of Japanese landings at [[Kuantan]], on the east coast of Malaya, halfway between Singapore and Kota Bharu; Phillips headed in that general direction, without however signalling Palliser his intentions (which would have revealed his position).<ref name=stephen108/> Palliser failed to anticipate this and request air cover over Kuantan from Sembawang's Buffalo fighters.<ref name=stephen108/> As it turned out, not until a radio message was sent by ''Repulse'' an hour after the first Japanese attack were RAF aircraft dispatched. At 05:15, objects were spotted on the horizon; thinking they were the invasion force, Force Z turned towards them. It turned out to be a trawler towing barges. At 06:30, ''Repulse'' reported seeing an aircraft shadowing the ships. At 07:18, ''Prince of Wales'' catapulted off a [[Supermarine Walrus]] reconnaissance aircraft; it flew to Kuantan, saw nothing, reported back to ''Prince of Wales'', and flew to Singapore.

''Express'' was sent to investigate the area, but found nothing. Phillips was unaware that a large force of Japanese land-based bombers were looking for his ships, but, not having anticipated his detour to Kuantan, were searching much farther south. At around 10:00 ''Tenedos'', having been detached from the main force the previous day and now about {{convert|140|mi}} southeast of Force Z, began signalling she was being attacked by Japanese aircraft.<ref>Nicholson. ''Hostage to Fortune'', p. 219, and Tarrant, ''King George V Class Battleships'', p. 114.</ref> The attack was carried out by nine Mitsubishi G3M 'Nell' twin-engine medium bombers from the Genzan Air Corps, 22nd Air Flotilla, based at Saigon, each armed with one 500&nbsp;kg (1,100&nbsp;lb) armour-piercing bomb. They mistook the destroyer for a battleship and wasted their ordnance without scoring a hit. At 10:15, a scout plane to the north of most of the Japanese aircraft piloted by Ensign Masato Hoashi spotted Force Z and sent out a message detailing their exact position.<ref>Middlebrook and Mahoney, ''Battleship'', p. 165–170, and Marder, ''Old Friends, New Enemies'', pp. 462–464.</ref>

The remaining Japanese planes converged upon the retreating British task force. The planes had spread out to search for the British warships, so they arrived over the target in small groups. With fuel running short, the Japanese attacked as they arrived rather than forming into a large force for a co-ordinated strike. The first wave of Japanese planes, comprising eight Nell bombers from the Mihoro Air Corps, attacked at 11:13, concentrating solely on ''Repulse''. Besides seven near misses by 250&nbsp;kg (550&nbsp;lb) bombs,<ref>Middlebrook and Mahoney, ''Battleship'', p. 172, and Tarrant, ''King George V Class Battleships'', p. 115–116.</ref> they scored just one hit, which penetrated the hangar and the upper deck and exploded in the marine mess area.<ref>Marder, ''Old Friends, New Enemies'', p. 467, and Middlebrook and Mahoney, ''Battleship'', p. 177.</ref> The bomb caused no serious damage and relatively few casualties, and ''Repulse'' continued on at 25 kts (46&nbsp;km/h, 29&nbsp;mph), still in fighting trim.<ref name=stephen109>Stephen, p. 109.</ref> Five of the eight bombers were damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and two were forced to return to base.

At around 11:40, 17 Nell torpedo bombers (two squadrons from the [[Genzan Air Group]]) approached the two capital ships. Eight concentrated on ''Repulse'', while nine attacked ''Prince of Wales'', sending eight torpedoes speeding towards the flagship (one plane aborted its run on ''Prince of Wales'' and peeled off and attacked ''Repulse'').<ref>Tarrant, ''King George V Class Battleships'', p. 117–118, and Marder, ''Old Friends, New Enemies''. p. 468.</ref> One Nell was shot down and three more were damaged by the ''Prince of Wales'' anti-aircraft fire during this attack. This first wave of torpedo attackers made no hits on ''Repulse'' but managed one ultimately fatal hit on ''Prince of Wales'', right where her outer [[Port and starboard|port]] [[drive shaft|propeller shaft]] exited the hull (some historical accounts<ref name="Garzke p. 196">Garzke & Dulin, ''Allied Battleships'', p. 196.</ref> state there were two hits in this attack, but an extensive 2007 survey of the hull of the wreck by divers proved there was only one).<ref>[http://www.explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf The Explorers Club Expedition ‘Job 74’ survey report 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203117/https://explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf |date=15 October 2017 }}, pp. 9–10–11.</ref> Turning at maximum revolutions, the shaft twisted and ruptured the [[Stuffing box|glands]] that prevented sea water entering the ship via the broad shaft tunnel's interior bulkheads. The flagship promptly took in 2,400 tons of water and her speed dropped to 16 kts (30&nbsp;km/h, 18&nbsp;mph).<ref name=stephen109/>

Testimony from Lt Wildish, in command of 'B' Engine Room, indicated the shaft was stopped but upon restarting the shaft, water rushed in through the damaged shaft passage, flooding B Engine Room and forcing its evacuation.<ref>Middlebrook and Mahoney, ''Battleship'', p. 201.</ref> Also flooded from this hit were the long shaft passage itself, 'Y' Action Machinery Room, the port Diesel Dynamo Room, 'Y' Boiler Room, the Central Auxiliary Machinery Room, and a number of other compartments aft.<ref>Death of a Battleship: A Re-Analysis of the Tragic Loss of HMS Prince of Wales''. William Garzke, Robert Dulin, Kevin Denlay and members of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Marine Forensic Committee. A 2012 marine forensics analysis of the loss of HMS Prince of Wales taking all of the most recent information into account. [https://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/death-of-a-battleship-2012-update.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404175007/https://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/death-of-a-battleship-2012-update.pdf|date=4 April 2019}}, p. 7–20.''</ref>

[[File:The Sinking of HMS Prince of Wales by Japanese Aircraft Off Malaya, December 1941 HU2675.jpg|thumb|left|The crew of the sinking {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}} abandoning ship to the destroyer {{HMS|Express|H61|2}}. Moments later, the list on ''Prince of Wales'' suddenly increased and ''Express'' had to withdraw. The barrels of the 5.25&nbsp;in guns were unable to depress far enough to engage attackers due to the list.]]
The torpedo hit had devastating further effects. First, it caused an 11.5-degree list to port,<ref name=stephen109/> resulting in the [[Port and starboard|starboard]] [[QF 5.25-inch naval gun|5.25-inch anti-aircraft turrets]] being unable to depress far enough to engage low-level attackers. Furthermore, power to ''Prince of Wales''' aft<ref name=stephen109/> 5.25&nbsp;inch dual-purpose turrets was cut, leaving her unable to effectively counter further attacks. Power loss to her pumps meant an inability to pump out the in-rushing flood water faster than it was entering the breached hull. The torpedo damage also denied her much of her auxiliary electrical power, vital for internal communications, ventilation, steering gear, and pumps, and for training and elevation of the 5.25-inch and 2-pounder gun mounts. All but S1 and S2 5.25&nbsp;inch turrets were almost unmanageable, a factor compounded by the list, rendering their crews unable even to drag them around manually using chains. The crews also had difficulty bringing the heavy 2-pounder mountings into manual operation. The extensive internal flooding and shaft damage caused the shutting down of the inboard port propeller shaft, leaving the ship under the power of only the starboard engines and able to make just 15 knots at best. With her electric steering unresponsive, the ship was virtually unmanageable.

[[File:PoW stern upright by K Denlay COPYRIGHT Expedition Job 74.jpg|thumb|A schematic of the torpedo damage to the stern of HMS Prince of Wales, 10 December 1941 is shown as if the ship was upright (that is, the wreck is upside down and this image is sometimes seen 'reversed').]]
Another torpedo attack was carried out by 26 Betty bombers of the Kanoya Air Group at approximately 12:20,<ref>Middlebrook and Mahoney, ''Battleship'', p. 216.</ref> and ''Prince of Wales'' was hit by another three torpedoes on her starboard side (some historical accounts<ref name="Garzke p. 196"/> state four hits, but the 2007 survey of the hull showed there had been only three); one at the very bow, one opposite B main gun turret, and one abaft Y turret which not only punctured the hull but bent the outer starboard propeller shaft inboard and over the inner shaft, stopping it instantly.<ref>[http://www.explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf The Explorers Club Expedition ‘Job 74’ survey report 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203117/https://explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf |date=15 October 2017 }}, p. 9–21.</ref>

At the same time as this last torpedo attack commenced against ''Prince of Wales'', planes from the Kanoya Air Group also attacked ''Repulse'' from both starboard and port. ''Repulse'', which had dodged 19 torpedoes so far, was caught in a 'hammer and anvil' attack (or pincer attack) and was hit on the port side by one torpedo. Within minutes, further attacks resulted in at least three more torpedoes striking ''Repulse''.<ref>[http://www.explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf The Explorers Club Expedition ‘Job 74’ survey report 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203117/https://explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf |date=15 October 2017 }}, p. 6–7–8.</ref> She had been hit seriously and Captain [[William Tennant (Royal Navy officer)|William Tennant]] soon ordered the crew overboard; ''Repulse'' listed heavily to port over a period of about six minutes<ref>Middlebrook and Mahoney, ''Battleship'', p. 234–243.</ref> and finally rolled over and sank stern first at 12:33 with heavy casualties.<ref>Middlebrook and Mahoney, ''Battleship'', p. 330.</ref>

''Prince of Wales'' was now under power by only one propeller shaft, but was still able to fire at a high-level bombing attack which commenced at 12:41, although only with S1 and S2 5.25&nbsp;inch turrets. Although most of the bombs straddled her, one bomb penetrated her deck amidships. This bomb penetrated the upper deck and exploded amongst the wounded gathered in the Cinema Flat beneath, causing extensive casualties. Soon ''Prince of Wales'' started to capsize to port (even though she had taken more torpedo hits to starboard) and HMS ''Express'' came alongside to take off the wounded and non-fighting crew. The order to abandon ship was then given and soon after ''Prince of Wales'' rolled over to port, floated for a brief moment upside down, and then sank stern first at 13:18.<ref name="pacificwrecks.com"/>  As she rolled over, she scraped ''Express'', lying close alongside taking off survivors, with her [[bilge keel]], and very nearly took the destroyer down with her.<ref name=stephen114>Stephen, p. 114.</ref> The rumbling sound of the attacks was heard in Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/army-obituaries/9596599/Eric-Lomax.html |title=obituary:Eric Lomax |newspaper=Daily Telegraph |date=9 October 2012|access-date=10 October 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Survivors in water.jpg|thumb|Survivors from {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}} and {{HMS|Repulse|1916|2}} in the water as a destroyer moves in for the rescue.]]
The Japanese had achieved eight torpedo hits, four each on ''Prince of Wales''<ref>[http://www.explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf The Explorers Club Expedition ‘Job 74’ survey report 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203117/https://explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf |date=15 October 2017 }}, pp. 9–21.</ref> and ''Repulse'',<ref>''Bloody Shambles'' Volume One, by Christopher Shores, Brian Cull and Yasuho Izawa; direct quote from Flt Lt Plenty on page 121.</ref><ref name="explorers.org">[http://www.explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf The Explorers Club Expedition ‘Job 74’ survey report 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203117/https://explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf |date=15 October 2017 }}, pp. 6–8.</ref> out of 49 torpedoes, while losing only three aircraft during the attack itself (one Nell torpedo bomber from the Genzan Air Group and two Betty torpedo bombers from the Kanoya Air Group) and a fourth plane was so badly damaged that it crashed on landing. The 2007 survey of the two wrecks confirmed that there were four torpedo hits on ''Prince of Wales''; and could  confirm only two hits on ''Repulse'', as the amidships area where the other two hits were reported was buried beneath the seabed.<ref name="explorers.org"/>

The air cover assigned to Force Z, ten Buffalo fighters of No. 453 Squadron RAAF,<ref name="Pilots eye view">{{citation |title=Pilots eye view |url=http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/pilot.html |publisher=forcez-survivors.org.uk|access-date=29 July 2007|archive-date=29 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129161014/http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/pilot.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> arrived over the battle area at 13:18,<ref name=stephen114/> just as ''Prince of Wales'' sank. They encountered a scouting aircraft piloted by Ensign Masato Hoashi, who had discovered Force Z earlier,<ref>Middlebrook and Mahoney, ''Battleship'', p. 257, and Marder, ''Old Friends, New Enemies'', p. 479.</ref> but it managed to escape the Buffalos and returned to confirm the sinkings.<ref name="Pilots eye view"/> Had it been shot down, the Japanese might have assumed that the two ships had survived the attack, and struck again.<ref name="ZERO!"/>

===After the action===
The destroyers ''Electra'' and ''Vampire'' moved in to rescue survivors of ''Repulse'', while ''Express'' rescued those from the ''Prince of Wales''. 840 sailors were lost: 513 in ''Repulse'' and 327 in ''Prince Of Wales''. After they were rescued, some survivors of the ''Repulse'' manned [[action stations]] to free ''Electra'' sailors to rescue more survivors. In particular, ''Repulse'' gunners manned 'X' and 'Y' 4.7-inch (120&nbsp;mm) mounts, and ''Repulse''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s dentist assisted ''Electra''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s medical teams with the wounded. In total nearly 1,000 survivors of ''Repulse'' were rescued, 571 by ''Electra''. ''Vampire'' picked up nine officers, 213 ratings, and one civilian war correspondent from ''Repulse'', and two sailors from ''Prince of Wales''.

Of the high-ranking officers on ''Prince of Wales'', [[Tom Phillips (Royal Navy officer)|Admiral Phillips]] and Captain [[John Leach (Royal Navy officer)|John Leach]] chose to [[The captain goes down with the ship|go down with their ship]], and the senior survivors were Lt Cdr A. G. Skipwith, the ship's [[First Lieutenant#Royal Navy|First Lieutenant]], and Cdr.&nbsp;(E) L. J Goudy, the chief engineer, who were rescued by ''Express''. Captain William Tennant of ''Repulse'' was rescued by ''Vampire''.

According to the ''[[London Gazette]]'' report by Vigors
{{blockquote|It was obvious that the three destroyers were going to take hours to pick up those hundreds of men clinging to bits of wreckage and swimming around in the filthy, oily water. Above all this, the threat of another bombing and machine-gun attack was imminent. Every one of those men must have realised that. Yet as I flew around, every man waved and put up his thumb as I flew over him. After an hour, lack of petrol forced me to leave, but during that hour I had seen many men in dire danger waving, cheering and joking, as if they were holiday-makers at [[Brighton]] waving at a low-flying aircraft. It shook me, for here was something above human nature.<ref name="Frank Owen 1">Frank Owen (2001), page 63</ref>}}

On the way back to Singapore with the survivors, ''Express'' passed ''Stronghold'' and the four American destroyers heading north. ''Express'' signalled the action was over, but the ships proceeded to search the area for more survivors. None were found. While returning to Singapore from this search, ''Edsall'' boarded the fishing trawler sighted by Force Z that morning. The trawler was identified as the Japanese vessel [[MV Krait|''Kofuku Maru'']], and was taken to Singapore, where the Japanese crew was interned.

While the Japanese bombers were returning to their airfields in French Indochina, a second wave was being prepared for another attack on Force Z. They had not been given accurate information on the progress of the battle. The attack was called off as soon as they received confirmed reports of the sinkings from Ensign Hoashi.<ref name="ZERO!"/> The next day, Lt Haruki Iki flew to the site of the battle, dropping two wreaths of flowers into the sea to honour combatants from both sides who had died in the battle. One was for the fellow members of his Kanoya Air Group, while the other was for the British sailors whose display of bravery in defence of the ships had gained them the utmost admiration from all pilots in his squadron.<ref name="forcez-survivors.org.uk"/>

==Effects of the sinking==
[[File:HMS POW Bell.jpg|thumb|The bell raised from {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}}]]
The morning after the battle, Churchill received a phone call at his bedside from Sir Dudley Pound, the First Sea Lord.
{{cquote|Pound: Prime Minister, I have to report to you that the ''Prince of Wales'' and the ''Repulse'' have both been sunk by the Japanese – we think by aircraft. Tom Phillips is drowned.<br />Churchill: Are you sure it's true?<br />Pound: There is no doubt at all.<br />''Churchill hangs up''

In all the war, I never received a more direct shock... As I turned over and twisted in bed the full horror of the news sank in upon me. There were no British or American ships in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific except the American survivors of Pearl Harbor, who were hastening back to California. Across this vast expanse of waters, Japan was supreme, and we everywhere were weak and naked.''<ref name="Frank Owen 2">Frank Owen (2001), page 65</ref>}}

Churchill delivered news of the sinking to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] before noon on 11 December, which was followed by a full review of the situation in Malaya the next day.<ref name="Frank Owen 2"/> Singapore had essentially been reduced to a land base after both capital ships were lost, being turned into a land fortress, something it was never intended to be, rather than a base from which to project naval power. The Eastern Fleet spent the remainder of the invasion withdrawing their vessels to [[British Ceylon|Ceylon]] and the [[Dutch East Indies]].<ref name="Paul S. Dull, 2007"/> They were not reinforced by battleships until March 1942, with the arrival of {{HMS|Warspite|03|6}} and four ''Revenge'' class battleships.<ref name="HMS Revenge, British battleship, WW2">{{citation |title=HMS Revenge, British battleship, WW2 |url=http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-01BB-Revenge.htm |publisher=Naval-History.Net|access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref> Although all five battleships survived the [[Indian Ocean raid]], their service in the Pacific was uneventful and they were later withdrawn to East Africa and the Mediterranean.<ref name="HMS Warspite, British battleship, WW2">{{citation |title=HMS Warspite, British battleship, WW2 |url=http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-01BB-Warspite.htm |publisher=Naval-History.Net|access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref>

The ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'' were the first capital ships actively defending themselves to be sunk solely by air power while steaming in the open sea. Both of them were relatively fast ships compared to the slower [[Standard type battleship|US battleship]]s that were caught at anchor at Pearl Harbor. Furthermore, ''Prince of Wales'' was a new battleship with passive and active anti-aircraft defences against contemporary aircraft, being equipped with the advanced HACS, although it was largely inoperable during the battle.<ref name="forcez-survivors.org.uk"/><ref name="Mediterranean Convoys p26"/><ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Combined with the earlier raid on Pearl Harbor, this left the Allies with only three operational capital ships in the Pacific Theatre: the three aircraft carriers {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}}, {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|6}} and {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|6}}. However, these events did prompt the Allies and the US Navy in particular to realise the potency of aircraft, and their carriers were instrumental in the counterattack.

The sinking of the ''Prince Wales'' and ''Repulse'' caused a massive loss of morale that would end up causing unrest in the British colonies in Asia, resulting in mutinies such as the  [[Cocos Islands mutiny|Cocos Island mutiny]], which was done  by the local Sri Lankan garrison of the island, but it was ultimately stopped and its leaders were executed for mutiny, making them the only Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the war.

==The ships today==
The wrecks of the two ships were found after the war, ''Repulse'' in 183 feet (56 m) of water, and ''Prince of Wales'' in 223 feet (68 m). Both are in a nearly upside-down position. Buoys were attached to the propeller shafts, and flags of the Royal Navy are attached to the lines and are regularly changed by divers. These Royal Navy wrecks are Crown property. ''Prince of Wales''' bell was removed from the wreck in 2002 by an authorised team of Royal Navy and British civilian divers in response to fears it would be stolen by unauthorised divers. The bell is now on display at the [[Merseyside Maritime Museum]] in Liverpool. It is a tradition for every passing Royal Navy ship to perform a remembrance service over the site of the wrecks.<ref name="Rasor1998">{{cite book |last=Rasor |first=Eugene L. |title=The China-Burma-India campaign, 1931–1945: Historiography and Annotated Bliography |url=https://archive.org/details/chinaburmaindiac00raso|url-access=limited |year=1998 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn |isbn=0-313-28872-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/chinaburmaindiac00raso/page/n118 98]}}</ref>

In May 2007, a survey of the exterior hull of ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'' was conducted.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite web |url=https://explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf |title=EXPEDITION ‘JOB 74’ |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-date=15 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203117/https://explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> The expedition's findings sparked considerable interest among naval architects and marine engineers around the world, because they detailed the nature of the damage to ''Prince of Wales'' and the location and number of torpedo hits for the first time. The findings contained in the initial expedition report<ref name="ReferenceB"/> and later supplementary reports<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/pow-stern-damage.pdf |title=HMS ''Prince of Wales'' – Stern Damage Survey |author=Denlay, Kevin |publisher=Pacific Wrecks.com |access-date=18 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/pow-hull-damage.pdf |title=Description of the Lower Hull Indentation Damage on the ''Prince of Wales'' |author=Denlay, Kevin |publisher=Pacific Wrecks.com |access-date=18 May 2012}}</ref> were analysed by the SNAME (Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers) Marine Forensics Committee and a resultant paper was drawn up entitled "Death of a Battleship: A Reanalysis of the Tragic Loss of HMS ''Prince of Wales''<ref>For latest version see – https://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/death-of-a-battleship-2012-update.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404175007/https://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/death-of-a-battleship-2012-update.pdf |date=4 April 2019 }}</ref> This paper was subsequently presented at a meeting of RINA (Royal Institution of Naval Architects) and IMarEST (Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology) members in London by William Garzke.

In October 2014, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' reported that ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'' were being "extensively damaged" with explosives by scrap-metal dealers.<ref name="Ryall2014">{{cite news |last1=Ryall |first1=Julian |last2=Gunter |first2=Tokyo |last3=Gunter |first3=Joel |date=25 October 2014 |title=Celebrated British warships being stripped bare for scrap metal |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/11187603/Celebrated-British-warships-being-stripped-bare-for-scrap-metal.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=WebCite®|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025171230/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/11187603/Celebrated-British-warships-being-stripped-bare-for-scrap-metal.html|archive-date=25 October 2014|url-status=live|access-date=8 January 2015}}</ref>

==Memorial==
[[File:National Memorial to the Prince of Wales and Repulse.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The ships memorial at Alrewas]]
A memorial was dedicated on 10 December 2011 at The [[National Memorial Arboretum]], the UK's national site of remembrance at [[Alrewas]], near [[Lichfield]], [[Staffordshire]].  The memorial was dedicated in the presence of the few surviving former crew members of the ships.

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=N}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last=Burton |first=John |year=2006 |title=Fortnight of Infamy: The Collapse of Allied Airpower West of Pearl Harbor |publisher=US Naval Institute Press |isbn=1-59114-096-X}}
*Jack Greene, ''War at Sea, Pearl Harbor to Midway'', 1988. (The Malayan Campaign). Combined Books. {{ISBN|0-8317-1257-0}}.
*Horodyski, Joseph M. "British Gamble in Asian Waters." <u>[[Military Heritage]]</u>. December 2001. Volume 3, No. 3: 68–77 (sinking of the British battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse by Japanese on 10 December 1941 upon US entry into World War II).
*Richard Hough, ''The Hunting of Force Z: the brief, controversial life of the modern battleship and its tragic close with the destruction of the "Prince of Wales" and "Repulse"''.
*Stephen, Martin. ''Sea Battles in Close-up'', p.&nbsp;99–114. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan, 1988.
*Alan Matthews, ''Sailors' Tales: Life Onboard HMS Repulse During World War Two'' {{ISBN|0-9531217-0-4}}.
*[[Martin Middlebrook]] and Patrick Mahoney, ''Battleship: The Sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1979. Contains details of the attack and damage sustained, and tables of survivors and losses.
*[[Samuel Eliot Morison]], ''[[History of United States Naval Operations in World War II]]'', Volume III, "The Rising Sun in the Pacific".
*V. E. Tarrant, ''King George V class Battleships'', Arms and Armour Press, 1991, {{ISBN|1-85409-524-2}}.
*William Garzke and Robert Dulin, ''Battleships. Allied Battleships in World War II''. United States Naval Institute. 1980. {{ISBN|0-87021-100-5}}. Detailed analysis of the sinking using the data available at the time.
*Arthur Nicholoson. ''Hostages to Fortune''. Sutton Publishing. 2005 {{ISBN|0-7509-3948-6}}.
*Survey report compiled after Expedition 'Job 74', May 2007.
*Paul S. Dull, ''A battle history of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945'', Naval Institute Press, 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-59114-219-5}}.
*Frank Owen, ''The Fall of Singapore'', Penguin Books, 2001, {{ISBN|0-14-139133-2}}.
*{{cite book |last=Boyd |first=Andrew |year=2017 |title=The Royal Navy in Eastern Waters |location=Barnsley |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |isbn=978-1-4738-9248-4}}
*{{cite journal| last=Hein|first=David| title=Vulnerable: HMS ''Prince of Wales'' in 1941| journal=Journal of Military History|volume=77|issue=3|date=July 2013| pages=955–989|ISSN=0899-3718| url=http://www.smh-hq.org/jmh/jmhvols/773.html}}
*{{cite web |first=Klemen |last=L |date=2000 |title=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942 |url=https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/index.html}}
*{{cite book |last=Womack |first=Tom |title=The Allied Defense of the Malay Barrier, 1941–1942 |location=Jefferson NC |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-47666-293-0}}
*{{cite book |last=Young |first=Donad J. |year=1998 |title=First 24 Hours of the War in the Pacific|publisher=Burd Street Press |isbn=1-57249-079-9}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse}}
*[http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Force-Z.htm Order of battle]
*[http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/ Force Z Survivors Association] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010175752/http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/ |date=10 October 2018 }}
*[http://www.microworks.net/pacific/personal/pow_repulse.htm Personal Reports by Crew]
*[http://www.fepow-community.org.uk/Research/London_Gazette_1948/Force_Z/ London Gazette Officers reports] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060105022237/http://www.fepow-community.org.uk/Research/London_Gazette_1948/Force_Z/ |date=5 January 2006 }}
*[http://www.explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf Link to a survey report compiled after Expedition 'Job 74', May 2007 ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203117/https://explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_118_-_Kevin_Denlay_-_Update.pdf |date=15 October 2017 }}
*[http://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/pow-hull-damage.pdf Description of lower hull indentation damage on wreck of HMS Prince of Wales]
*[http://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/pow-stern-damage.pdf Description of lower stern indentation damage on wreck of HMS Prince of Wales]
*[https://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/hms/prince_of_wales/death-of-a-battleship-2012-update.pdf 2012 update analysis of the loss of HMS Prince of Wales, by Garzke, Dulin and Denlay]
{{Dec41attacks}}
{{Portal bar|British Empire|Singapore}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinking Of Prince Of Wales And Repulse}}
[[Category:British Malaya]]
[[Category:1941 in British Malaya]]
[[Category:Military history of Singapore during World War II]]
[[Category:Military history of Malaya during World War II]]
[[Category:South-East Asian theatre of World War II]]
[[Category:World War II naval operations and battles of the Southeast Asia Theatre|Prince of Wales and Repulse]]
[[Category:Naval aviation operations and battles|Prince of Wales and Repulse]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Japan|Prince of Wales and Repulse]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom|Prince of Wales and Repulse]]
[[Category:History of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:December 1941 events]]
[[Category:History of the South China Sea]]