Evening star., 1942-04-13
japanese Operating
Three Batt|eships
In Bay Of Bengal
Five Aircraft Carriers
Also in Heavy Force,
Churchill Reveals
B, tie Associated Press.

LONDON, April 13.-Prime
Minister Churchill disclosed to-
day that the japanese are oper-
ating in the Bay of Bengal with
powerful naval forces, headed by
at least three battleships and five
aircraft carriers, and including
heavy and light cruisers and sew
eral flotillaS of deStroyers.-.
Reporting to Commons on the loss
of the aircraft carrier Hermes and
the cruisers Dorsetshire and Corn
wall, whose sinking by Japanese
bombers in the Bay Of Bengal was
announced last week, the Premier
said the japanese battleships there
included at least one of the modern
lied, 16-inch gun Nagato type of
32,720 tons.
1t was against this vastly superior
force headed for Ceylon, he dis
closed, that the Hermes, Dorsetshire
and Cornwall were preparing to
make their stand when they were
sent to the bottom by Japanese
bombs.
Storms Hampered Planes.
The Premier said the commander
of the interceptor force, Admiral Sir
James Somerville, whose hastily
gathered feet of big and little ships
rescued the B. E. F. from Dun
kerque and who helped stalk the
German battleship Bismarck to her
end in the Atlantic, had done moth
ing ito weaken the confidence of
the Admiralty, in his judgment"
The appointment of Admiral
Somerville as commander in chief
of Britain's Eastern fleet was an
nounced by the Admiralty on the
heels of Mr. Churchill's statement.
Admiral Somerville, who was pro-
NOTED to full admiral only week
ago, succeeds Vice Admiral Sir
Geoffrey Layton, who had been
placed in command of defense forces
on Ceylon.
Mr.. Churchhill said thunder
storms and low-hanging clouds
which enveloped the japanese air
craft carriers and warships inter-
fered with British counterattacks by
air.
Nevertheless, he asserted, British
bombers, torpedo planes and fight
ers pressed the attack until all avail
able planes had been knocked out.
Mr.. Churchill said he could not
make any statement concerning the
disposition of the British fleet IN
this area, which is under command
of Admiral Somerville, without
disclosing information useful to the
enemy.
Quizzed on r. A. F. Attacks.
Asked whether the R. A. F. or
fleet air arm had been able to carry
out attacks against the japanese
fleet, he said:
"It is quite clear that while the
attack on Ceylon was being delivered
by the Japanese our torpedo aircraft
sailed out to attack the carrier . .
but owing to thunderstorms and low
clouds in that vicinity they did not
make contact on that day.
with regards to Trincomalee
(Ceylon naval base), very violent
attacks were made by torpedo air
craft that we possessed and also by
fighters and bomber aircraft which
were on the spot in such numbers
as were available. AS has already
been published, one of the Japanese
carriers was said to have had near
misses, but whether any damage was
done I have no knowledge.
Practically all our aircraft taking
part in the attack were knocked out,
or seriously damaged, or became
unserviceable. I think that already
has been announced"
Confidence in Somerville.
To a suggestion that the Ad-
miralty might revert to the old naval
strategy Of sending only armed raid
ers and submarines into the zone
where the enemy is known to be in
preponderant strength, Mr.. Churchill
replied:
1--WE have the Pacific Ocean and
the Indian Ocean, with the Japa-
nese occupying an intermediate po-
sition between the two. It is pos
sible to use large forces on one side
(see BENGAL, Page A-60