In February 1942, Furuta took part in the Bombing of Darwin. In April, he participated in the Indian Ocean Raid, where he was part of the strike against the British carrier "Hermes". By the time the "Akagi" pilots' turn arrived, the leading strike formation, under Lieutenant Commander Kakuichi Takahashi, had already effectively sunk "Hermes" with numerous bomb hits. Therefore, they attacked the Australian destroyer "Vampire" instead, sinking her within ten minutes.