The fact that the Royal Navy did not hold the officers responsible for losing the invaluable armored carriers Illustrious and Formidable is attributed to their role in sinking an equal number of Japanese carriers. Furthermore, they received recognition for safeguarding the Indian Ocean from the invasion of the 1st Air Fleet. Admiral James Somerville, the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Fleet, believed so.
In the Battle of the Indian Ocean that broke out in early April, the Eastern Fleet led by three armored carriers clashed against the four carriers of the 1st Air Fleet. The Eastern Fleet lost the aforementioned Illustrious and Formidable, but they managed to sink Sōryū and Shōhō, and dealt significant damage to Hiryū by torpedoing it.
As a result, the Imperial Japanese Navy had only three available carriers: Shōkaku, Zuikaku, and the smaller Zuihō. The intelligence was aware of the existence of another carrier, Jun'yō, but it had recently entered service and was converted from a merchant ship, making its participation in the battle unlikely. Introducing a poorly defended and slow merchant-ship-converted carrier into the brutal naval aerial battles, where even regular carriers and battleship-converted carriers could be easily sunk, was considered nonsensical. Additionally, the intelligence department had also learned that the Japanese Navy disbanded the 1st Air Fleet and newly organized the Third Fleet as its carrier unit.
"Even though the enemy's carriers have reduced from four to three, the crucial thing is that the number of their carrier-based aircraft remains largely unchanged," Somerville scowled as he reviewed the estimate of the enemy's strength presented by the air staff officer on the bridge of the HMS Prince of Wales.
In the previous battle, he flew his flag on the HMS Indomitable. However, due to Prime Minister Churchill's strict orders after the easy sinking of the armored carriers Illustrious and Formidable, he had to transfer to the Prince of Wales. It was true that armored carriers excelled in defense, but that was at the carrier level. No matter how much they armored the flight deck, it could never match the invincibility attributed to the mighty Prince of Wales.
"That's right. The Shōkaku and Zuikaku are larger ships compared to Hiryū and Sōryū from the previous battle, and they may even have more than 70 aircraft on board. If Zuihō with around 30 aircraft is added, the number of carrier-based aircraft will be similar to or even greater than last time."
If the information from the air staff officer was accurate, the Third Fleet was estimated to operate around 170 aircraft, while their side had 150 aircraft, slightly inferior but still noticeable. On the other hand, with regard to carrier-based aircraft, they increased the number of fighter aircraft by 21 and decreased the number of torpedo bombers, prioritizing air superiority above all else. Therefore, they could tolerate a slight reduction in anti-ship strike capabilities.
Of course, Somerville was concerned about the inferiority of carrier-based aircraft, but he still had some leeway. This was because he was not required to achieve an absolute victory. The key was to maintain control over the Indian Ocean, and for that purpose, it didn't matter how much damage the fleet incurred. In other words, a draw or a narrow victory would suffice.
'Although it's much easier than being ordered to preserve the fleet, what should I do now?'
One significant change in the Japanese fleet from the previous battle was their aircraft carrier lineup, but Admiral Somerville had another concern.
Battleships.
In the previous battle, the Japanese side had deployed two Nagato-class battleships, but this time, they were absent. According to the intelligence department's investigation, it seemed that the slow speed of the two Nagato-class battleships had a significant negative impact on fleet operations. However, this time, the Japanese Navy appeared to intend to fill the gap left by the Nagato-class battleships by deploying a new battleship called Yamato as one of the Third Fleet's ships in the Indian Ocean. Almost everything about the mysterious Yamato, such as its displacement, speed, gun caliber, and number of turrets, remained unknown.
"Well, we should be able to figure it out once we face it in reality. We have the world's most powerful battleship, the Prince of Wales, and the Repulse alongside her. We don't know how much power this Yamato has, but even if it's two against one, we shouldn't fall behind."
With that in mind, Somerville awaited the arrival of the Japanese fleet. Although the firepower wasn't overwhelming, he believed that victory was entirely possible with the right leadership.
Eastern Fleet
- Indomitable (36 × Martlets, 18 × Albacores)
- Victorious (36 × Martlets, 18 × Albacores)
- Furious (24 × Martlets, 18 × Albacores)
- Battleship Prince of Wales
- Heavy cruisers Cornwall, Dorsetshire
- 12 destroyers
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Battering Ram of the Sea
Historical Fiction「The situation has changed. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor has been called off.」 "The British Empire is sending six battleships to maintain peace and order in Asia." Due to the unexpectedly upgraded Eastern Fleet's naval power, the attack on Pe...
