Battle off Endau The Battle off Endau was a Second World War naval battle . It took place off Endau on 27 January 1942 . Part of the Battle of Malaya , it was the first major naval engagement since the sinking of the battleship and the battlecruiser , and the last effort by the Royal Navy to intercept Japanese convoy shipping around the Malay Peninsula . Two destroyers , HMS " Thanet " and HMAS " Vampire " were dispatched from Singapore Naval Base to break up Japanese landings at Endau . Sailing under the cover of darkness , they were able to locate the convoy anchored there without being detected by land - based bombers . Despite inflicting damage , they were repulsed by the convoy ' s naval escorts , and HMS " Thanet " was sunk . The Royal Air Force also failed to inflict significant damage , losing half of their total strength attacking the beachhead on 26 January , while the Japanese lost only 9 aircraft . Background . The sinking of " Prince of Wales " and " Repulse " left the task of intercepting Japanese convoys to only five submarines of the Royal Netherlands Navy . Royal Navy ships were absent as most were being withdrawn or were escorting convoys to and from Ceylon and the Dutch East Indies . The Dutch recorded their first success when the troopship " Awajisan Maru " was sunk off Kota Bharu on 12 December 1941 , probably by the HNLMS " K - XII " . On 24 December 1941 , the HNLMS " K XVI " sank the destroyer " Sagiri " off the coast of Kuching , Borneo , the first Japanese warship to be sunk by torpedo . Several other vessels were also damaged or sunk during the early weeks , but the cost was high for the Dutch submarines and it had little success . One American submarine , USS " Seadragon " , also intercepted Japanese convoys near Cam Ranh Bay , Indochina , but failed to sink any ships . It was not until the Japanese landed troops on Endau that the Royal Navy was ordered to commit their vessels into action , albeit only two of them . By this time , the remaining Dutch submarines had been recalled for the Dutch East Indies campaign . Endau . On 20 January 1942 , a Japanese convoy of 11 troopships departed Cam Ranh Bay , Indochina , to unload ground forces at Singora , of which two would proceed to Endau . The two transports , " Kansai Maru " and " Kanbera Maru " , were carrying troops of the 18th Division . Personnel from the 96th Airfield Battalion were also on board , assigned with bringing the airfields of Kahang and Kluang into operation . They were escorted by the Japanese cruiser " Sendai " and six destroyers , " Fubuki " , " Hatsuyuki " , " Shirayuki " , " Asagiri " , " Amagiri " , " Yugiri " and five minesweepers . An invasion of Mersing by beach landings was originally planned by the Japanese , but believing that the allied defences there were formidable , they decided to land troops on Endau instead . Although ground forces captured Endau on 21 January , their strength was insufficient to break through the allied Sungei - Mersing defence . The allied force defending the east coast of Johore was codenamed Eastforce , commanded by Brigadier Harold Taylor . Air attacks . Malaya Command was aware that the Japanese force would soon be reinforced by naval convoy , a suspicion confirmed on 26 January when two Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) Lockheed Hudson aircraft sighted them 20 miles north of Endau . Although they spotted the Japanese convoy at 0745 , their radio transmissions were jammed , and news did not reach higher command until they landed in Singapore at 0920 . The RAF decided to attack the convoy with all available aircraft . Launching of any attack was delayed , however , as the Vickers Vildebeest and Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers of 36 Squadron and 100 Squadron RAF had been carrying out raids against targets on land , meaning that an attack could not be launched until that afternoon . However , their decision to use the elderly Vildebeest biplanes against the ships in daylight came as a shock to the pilots , who had been restricted to the relative safety of night sorties following the first day of the invasion . The first air attack was carried out by the Vildebeests of 36 and 100 Squadrons and the Hudsons of 1 Squadron and 8 Squadron RAAF . Twelve Vildebeests ( three from 36 Squadron ) , together with nine Lockheed Hudson bombers took off from Singapore in the early afternoon of January 26 , with a fighter escort composed of twelve Brewster F2A Buffalo s and nine Hawker Hurricane s . Japanese landings on Endau had been in progress for over four hours by the time the planes arrived at 1500 . The Japanese naval force had air cover consisting of 19 Nakajima Ki - 27 s fighters and a single Nakajima Ki - 44 . Despite heavy opposition , the two transports were bombed , and men and equipment on the beach were strafed . Five Vildebeests were lost in the attack , including the commanding officer of 100 Squadron , while one Ki - 27 was shot down . A second wave set off from Singapore at 1615 , consisting of seven Vildebeests and three Albacores of 36 Squadron and two Vildebeests of 100 Squadron . They arrived at Endau at 1730 , but their escort of seven Hurricanes and four Buffalos were late and the British biplanes were set upon by the Japanese fighters before their escorts could reach them . Five Vildebeests , two Albacores and one Hurricane were lost from this wave . Of the 72 aircrew from 36 and 100 Squadrons who participated in both raids , 27 were killed , seven were wounded and two were captured . The returning pilots were congratulated by Air Vice - Marshal Paul Maltby , who promised them that further daylight attacks were unnecessary . A third raid , consisting of six unescorted Hudsons of 62 Squadron RAF , flying from Palembang , Sumatra , attacked shortly afterwards , losing two of their number to Japanese fighters . A fourth raid , five Bristol Blenheim s of 27 Squadron RAF set off from Palembang later in the day , but had only got as far as Singapore by sunset , so aborted the mission . Royal Navy . The Royal Navy received reports that an unescorted convoy was anchored at Endau . HMAS " Vampire " and HMS " Thanet " were tasked with intercepting the convoy and breaking up the landings . " Thanet " was under the command of Lt Cdr Bernard Davies , while " Vampire " was under Lt Cdr William Moran . The destroyers departed Singapore Naval Base at 1630 and headed north for Seribuat Archipelago where there had been reports of another anchored Japanese convoy . Arriving at Seribuat at 0200 the next morning but encountering no Japanese vessels there , the destroyers headed for Endau . Japanese naval intelligence , however , incorrectly reported them as two cruiser s , further exaggerating that there were British submarines in the area . Therefore , the convoy ' s naval escort of one light cruiser and six destroyers were recalled to intercept the ' cruisers ' ; their original task was to escort convoys to Borneo , and were not covering the landings on Endau . Battle . While approaching Endau , they engaged what they believe was a destroyer at 0237 , which was actually the Japanese minesweeper " W - 4 " . " Vampire " launched two torpedoes at the minesweeper but missed . The allied destroyers continued sailing towards Endau , while the Japanese minesweeper alerted the convoy . At 0318 , " Thanet " and " Vampire " engaged the convoy ' s naval escorts of one light cruiser and six destroyers . " Vampire " launched its remaining torpedo at " Shirayuki " but missed , while " Thanet " launched all four of her torpedoes which also missed . Both destroyers then opened fire with their 4 - inch naval guns , while " Sendai " and " Shirayuki " returned fire . The allied destroyers retired southeast at maximum speed . " Thanet " was hit in the engine and boiler rooms at 0400 . Her speed was greatly reduced and an explosion wrecked the destroyer . Dead in the water , " Thanet " listed heavily to starboard and began to sink . The " Vampire " laid a smokescreen in an effort to shield the sinking ship , but was illuminated by searchlights from " Shirayuki " and continuously attacked by " Amagiri " and " Hatsuyuki " . HMS " Thanet " sank at 0415 . The " Vampire " , still under attack and unable to pick up survivors , narrowly escaped undamaged and without casualties . Aftermath . Both troop transports , the " Kansai Maru " and " Kanbera Maru " were heavily damaged in the engagement , while one destroyer was reported beached . Although 31 survivors from HMS " Thanet " were picked up by the destroyer " Shirayuki " , they were never seen again . About 40 - 60 of the crew of 116 managed to reach shore . Joined by downed Commonwealth pilots , they made their way to Singapore . Despite Japanese troops being reinforced by the convoy , Brigadier Taylor had been given orders from Lt Gen Lewis Heath to withdraw Eastforce from Mersing on 25 January . References . Bibliography