The sinking of the British battleship and her escort, the battlecruiser , further demonstrated the vulnerability of a battleship to air attack, in this case while at sea without air cover. Both ships were on their way to assist in the defense of Singapore when Japanese land-based bombers and fighters found and sank them on 10 December 1941. "Prince of Wales" had the unwanted distinction of being the first modern battleship sunk by aircraft while underway and able to defend herself.