



Raids into the Indian Ocean

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseIn early 1942, the British were attempting to re-establish a naval presence in Asia after the destruction of Z Force off Kuantan, British Malaysia at the opening of the Pacific War. Ceylon was chosen as the new main navy base, with an additional naval base established at Addus Atoll in the Maldive Islands 600 miles southwest of Ceylon. Admiral James Somerville was assigned to lead the new British Eastern Fleet. The carriers Indomitable, Formidable, and Hermes were assigned to the fleet, capable to launching over 90 planes, though most of the planes were of older models inferior to the Japanese Zero fighters. In terms of surface fighting ships, the British Eastern Fleet boasted five WW1-era battleships, two heavy cruisers, five light cruisers, sixteen destroyers, seven submarines, and various support craft. The British primary objective for securing the Indian Ocean was to aid the ground war in Burma and to safeguard Allied shipping carrying Ceylon rubber, Middle Eastern oil, troops, and war equipment.

ww2dbaseHaving effectively put an end to Allied naval strength in the South Pacific with the annihilation of the ABDA forces around Java, Dutch East Indies, the Japanese naval leadership made a plan to sail westward into the Indian Ocean to attack the new British naval concentration at Ceylon (the Japanese had not yet detected the activities at Addus) before it became a serious threat to operations in Burma and in the South Pacific. The Japanese fleet departed from Celebes in Dutch East Indies on 26 Mar 1942; the fleet was built around the carriers Akagi, Ryujo, Hiryu, Soryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku.

ww2dbaseThe Americans had intercepted Japanese communications leading up to the raid and had given Somerville warning, who ordered the bulk of the fleet to set sail for Addus Atoll.

ww2dbaseOn 31 Mar, the task force under Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa centered around carrier Ryujo struck first, sinking 23 British ships in the Bay of Bengal. On the morning of 5 Apr, Admiral Chuichi Nagumo launched his carrier aircraft (91 bombers and 36 fighters) against Colombo, Ceylon; the Japanese shot down 19 of the 42 RAF fighters that scrambled at the loss of 7. British destroyer Tenedos and armed merchant cruiser Hector were lost at Colombo. En route back to their carriers, 50 of the aircraft that had struck Colombo came upon British heavy cruisers Dorsetshire and Cornwall and sank them, killing 424. On 9 Apr, Nagumo launched an attack at Trincomalee, on the eastern side of Ceylon; the Japanese shot down 5 of the 27 aircraft that scrambled and sank one merchant ship. On the return trip, luck again struck the carrier aircraft as they came across British light carrier Hermes, Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire, British corvette Hollyhock, and two tankers, devastating them; Hermes, which sank after receiving 40 hits, suffered 307 killed alone. In the two devastating attacks at and near Ceylon, Nagumo had only lost 18 aircraft.

ww2dbaseThe British Eastern Fleet would fall back to East Africa to safeguard the remaining naval assets from further destruction at the hands of the Japanese Navy.

ww2dbaseEpilogue: Continuing Pressure in the Indian Ocean

ww2dbaseIn late Mar 1942, the German naval staff had requested the Japanese Navy to raid Allied shipping in the Indian Ocean, and by the first week of Apr several Japanese submarines were operating as far west as waters south of South Africa. Japanese operations in the Indian Ocean disrupted the important Allied shipping route along the eastern coast of the African continent and caused some concerns when the Allies invaded Madagascar. By Jun, Japanese submarines in the region were focusing on the Mozambique Channel between continental Africa and Madagascar, sinking 120,000 tons worth of shipping by mid-Jul 1942. Although this Japanese foray into the Indian Ocean was fruitful, the main focus of the war for Japan was the South Pacific, thus when the submarines were withdrawn for replenishment in the fall of 1942, they never returned in significant strength.

ww2dbaseSources:

Dan van der Vat, The Pacific War

Nihon Kaigun

Wikipedia



Last Major Update: Jul 2005

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