He told the Admiralty that had no chance against the main strength of the Japanese navy. Rounding up the force was six submarines.ĭespite the apparent might of this force, Admiral Somerville quickly grasped the impossibility of his position. The light carrier Hermes had been busily engaged in anti-submarine escort duties, while HMS Indomitable had been rushing Hurricanes to the defence of Malaysia. The remaining R-class battleships, HMS Resolution and Revenge, joined their sisters in the Maldives, along with the redeployed Indomitable and eight destroyers. The heavy cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire were already there, though the latter was undergoing a refit. Refugees from the fall of Malaya, the Dutch Heemskerck and Isaac Sweers, along with HMAS Vampire, were redeployed along with the cruisers HMS Enterprise, Dragon and Caledon. So the hero of Matapan and Calabria, HMS Warspite, was routed to Colombo via Australia after repairs in the United States. The core of his command was just the old, unmodernised battleships HMS Ramillies and Royal Sovereign.Įven as he prepared to move his flag to Colombo, Somerville was shocked at the scenario unfolding before him: ' How is it considered that two R-class under fighter cover can repel a landing? It seems to me that unless we have a balanced force we may get a repetition of Prince of Wales and Repulse'.ĭespite this realisation, Britain was simply not in a position to meet the Japanese threat head on.īut Churchill knew his political neck was on the line. If the same was to happen to Vichy-controlled Madagascar, the Cape of Good Hope could be closed.īut finding enough ships to do something about this was a cause for desperation.Īdmiral Sir James Somerville was urgently appointed as Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Fleet. The Vichy government had already handed control of French Indo-China to the Japanese, allowing them to use its airbases against Singapore.
The strategic Indian Ocean island of Madagascar was also under threat.
It was obvious an attack on Ceylon was imminent. With the fall of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands along with northern Sumatra, the narrow sea lanes to Singapore and Malaysia were severed. The need for a strong British fleet in the Indian Ocean became urgently clear in the dawning days of 1942. If Ceylon fell, there was little doubt it would bring down his battered coalition government. Just weeks earlier he'd been forced to face-down a no-confidence vote in Parliament. As a staging post, it would allow Japan to raid the resources of India and vital oil fields of the Middle East.Ĭhurchill quickly realised that, after the loss of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse, the fall of Singapore and the disaster at Darwin, this was the most dangerous moment of his political career. The fall of this, the fulcrum point of the Indian Ocean’s shipping lanes, would sever trade routes with Australia and New Zealand. On March 8, 1942, the First Sea Lord informed Prime Minister Winston Churchill that he regarded Ceylon to be Japan’s next target.Īdmiral Pound warned its loss would ‘undermine our whole strategic position in the Middle as well as the Far East' Their calculations proved almost correct. The Admiralty estimated it had just six weeks to assemble a viable defensive force for the strategic Indian Ocean island of Ceylon. Worst-case estimates projected that the Middle and Near East, the Caucasus, India and all of South East Asia would be under Axis control by September.Īll that stood in their way was the British Eastern Fleet.įour days after Singapore capitulated, the Port of Darwin in northern Australia was smashed. Moreover, the refit will expand the missile silo capacity by 50%, ensuring an increased arsenal at the ship’s disposal.That the Axis would merge at some point between India and the Middle East appeared almost inevitable. This enhancement will bolster the destroyer’s propulsion, augmenting its speed and manoeuvrability.Īdditionally, the Sea Viper anti-air missile system will undergo improvements, enabling the vessel to counter emerging threats.
#NAVAL ACTIO MADAGASCAR REFIT UPGRADE#
The forthcoming refit will incorporate the Type 45 Power Improvement Plan, an upgrade that will equip Defender with three new efficient engines, replacing the vessel’s original diesel units. Such achievements demonstrate the vessel’s dedication to maritime security and protecting international waters. The HMS Defender travelled more than 300,000 nautical miles. Defender became the first Type 45 destroyer to undertake winter operations deep within the Arctic Circle. The vessel has traversed the equivalent of 12 circumnavigations of the globe, navigating every major ocean except the Antarctic.
HMS Defender has amassed a list of accomplishments since embarking on its maiden voyage from Glasgow over a decade ago. The Royal Navy’s HMS Iron Duke, a Type 23 Frigate, recently returned to sea following a five-year refit.
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