At 2055, Admiral Philips cancelled the operation and ordered the force to return to Singapore. On the way back, they were spotted and reported by the . The next morning, 10 December, they received a report of Japanese landings at Kuantan and "Express" was sent to investigate the area, finding nothing. That afternoon, "Prince of Wales" and "Repulse" were sunk off Kuantan by 85 Japanese aircraft from the 22nd Air Flotilla based at Saigon. ("See Sinking of "Prince of Wales" and "Repulse""). "Repulse" was sunk by five torpedoes in 20 minutes, and "Electra" and "Vampire" moved in to rescue survivors of "Repulse", while "Express" rescued survivors of "Prince of Wales", which sank slowly following the attacks.