Indian Ocean raid
In March 1942, "Dorsetshire" was transferred to the Eastern Fleet to support British forces in the recently opened Pacific Theatre of the war. At the end of the month, the Japanese fast carrier task force—the "Kido Butai"—launched the Indian Ocean raid. On 5 April, Japanese aircraft spotted "Dorsetshire" and her sister while en route to Colombo; a force of dive bombers then attacked the two ships and sank them. More than 1,100 men were rescued the next day, out of a combined crew of over 1,500.