The Battle of Kuantan

**Outcome**:

* Richard F.J. Onslow (POW)
* 20 Aircraft

1 Battleship
1 Battlecruiser
1 Cruiser
4 Destroyers
1 Light Carrier
3 Heavy Cruisers
1 Light Cruiser
12 Destroyers
5 Submarines
* All 20 Aircraft

1 Battleship
1 Battlecruiser
2 Destroyers
1 Cruiser and 1 Destroyer damaged
* 2,352 Killed
* 186 Captured
* 305 Wounded
5 Aircraft destroyed
28 Aircraft damaged

***The Battle of Kuantan*** was a brief but very important naval battle that occurred on December 4th, only one day after the beginning of hostilities between Britain and Japan. The engagement was between the British *Far East Fleet* garrisoned in Malaya, and the *Imperial Japanese Navy.* A British garrison composed of the light carrier *HMS Hermes*, battleship *HMS Ramilies*, battlecruiser *Repulse*, and light cruiser *HMS Ajax,* was ambushed by an exceedingly more superior Japanese fleet that included two Fleet carriers, one light carrier, and four cruisers. The battle quickly became a disaster for the British fleet, which was immediately mauled, outgunned, and routed within hours of engagement. The battle itself is one of the worst naval defeats in British naval history, and was a sobering wake-up call to the change of naval warfare.

In conjunction with the Japanese declaration of war on Britain and the Netherlands on December 3rd, one of Japan's chief goals was the swift and quick decimation of the small but still threatening British *Far East Fleet.* A large naval task-force, equipped with state of the art carriers and cruisers, was sent to destroy the smaller, but more out-dated and obsolete British force. The original plan was to ambush and destroy the fleet as it left port on a routine departure on December 3rd, but unbeknownst to the Japanese the British fleet had already departed a day before to begin its tests early. Nonetheless, the British fleet was followed and intercepted off the coast of Kuantan during mid-day of December 4th, at 1:23pm.

From the beginning, the battle was a massacre. The British force, which contained only 20 aircraft aboard the *Hermes,* was engaged at full-force by the 188-strong air-fleet of the IJN. The few fighters aboard the *Hermes* fought a brave and spirited sortie in a desperate attempt at a heroic defence, but they were quickly overpowered and shot down. Japanese Zero Fighters downed the majority of the British planes while Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" twin-engine medium bombers began to bomb the surface ships. Over the course of two hours, the light carrier *HMS Hermes*, battleship *HMS Ramilies*, and the battlecruiser *HMS Repulse* have all been sunk with catastrophic losses of life. The *Ramilies* claimed the lives of all but four of its crew of 967 sailors, while the *Repulse* claimed the lives of its entire crew of 936 men. About half of the *Hermes's* crew, around 290 men, went down with the ship as it sank. Of the surviving 276 men, about a third, 92 men, were rescued by destroyers, while the other two-thirds, about 184 men, would later be picked up by Japanese warships and interned as prisoners of war.

The two commanding officers of the British force, Admiral *Sir Tom Philips*, the admiral of the British *Far East Fleet,* and captain Richard F.J. Onslow, the reputable commander of the *HMS Hermes,* were both casualties in the battle. Admiral Philips, who was in command of the battleship *HMS Ramilies,* his flagship, died going down with his ship. The four survivors of the ship's demise, picked up by British ships, would later commend Philips for his selfless heroism in attempting to organize an emergency abandon ship order after the ship suffered a massive magazine explosion. Philips would posthumously receive the Victoria Cross for his actions, and would remain the highest ranking British officer to be ever killed in action in the war. Captain Richard F.J. Onslow of the *HMS Hermes* however managed to survive the sinking of his ship, and was later picked up Japanese warships. His injuries, rank, and honourable code of conduct earned him some respect from his Japanese captors and he would receive some preferable and reasonable treatment, though would remain a Japanese prisoner of war for the remainder of the entire war.

The battle had a scarring and traumatic impact on British morale, and sent a cold shiver down the back of the *Royal Navy*. Though the ships that were lost were ageing and old, their loss was a hit to British prestige and was nonetheless a large hit on Britain's immediate naval capability in the Far East. The annihilation of the fleet handed over Japan almost complete naval superiority of the seas for the next few months. The loss of the fleet jeopardized Britain's naval position in the region, and the arrival of the *Grand Fleet* would be met with the Royal Navy having to fight back into their previous positions. For the Japanese, the annihilation of the *Far East Fleet* gave them a significant advantage in the ***First Battle of Hong Kong,*** emboldened Japanese planners, and lead to early Japanese successes in the ***Dutch East Indies Campaign.*** However, the arrival of a part of the much larger and much more modern *Grand Fleet* a couple months later would help reset the naval situation and stabilize the *Dutch East Indies* theatre.

## Background

### **Britain**

The British *Far East Fleet,* barely a fleet, was the part of the British navy responsible for the defence of chiefly *British Malaya* and *Singapore*, but was ultimately also responsible for the supervision of *Hong Kong* and the coast of *British Burma.* However, due to inter-war budget cuts and the strains of the *Great Depression*, the *Far East Fleet* stagnated since the mid 30's as a continually outdated combat force. It's capital ships were a mix of *Great War* and mid 1920's warships, including the light carrier *HMS Hermes,* commissioned in 1924, and the Great War era battleship *HMS Ramilies* and battlecruiser *HMS Repulse,* both commissioned in 1917 and 1916 respectively. The only mostly-modern ship in the fleet was the Light Cruiser *HMS Ajax*, which was also the the only capital ship to survive the battle. Though Britain possessed more modern warships such as the brand new battleship *King George V* and the brand new *Illustrious-Class* fleet carriers, the *Far East Fleet* remained a badly neglected portion of the Royal Navy. The continual rise in Japanese aggression did prompt Britain to attach the *HMS Hermes* and *HMS Ajax* to the fleet in 1939, but this would prove too little.

In practice, the presence of the warships in the Singapore was meant to act as a *"Fleet in Being",* a deterrent force for any significant Japanese aggression in the area. However, as of December 3rd, Britain had done little to prepare its Far East Colonies for a full-blown Japanese invasion, having not expected Japan to make war so soon and so decisively. The capability of the Japanese navy was, perhaps by mistake, grossly underestimated by British admirals, who believed the *Far East Fleet* was strong enough to deter any committed attack upon it until superior British reinforcements could arrive.

The Admiral of the Far East Fleet, *Sir Tom Philips,* was responsible for the defence of British Malaya and the waters of Hong Kong with the warships and aircraft he had at his disposal. Philips, who observed Japanese naval and air power throughout 1940 as they washed over China, despaired at how poorly-equipped and undermanned his forces were should they be attacked by this force. His outdated aircraft carrier, which carried only twenty aircraft, was hopelessly outmatched by the highly superior fleet carriers of Japan, most of whom could carry up to 70 aircraft each, and his surface ships were also Great War era warships and would not fare well against most of their contemporary Japanese equivalents. As a result, Philips realized that most theoretical engagements with the Japanese would be a hopeless affair, and hoped to have a non-confrontation strategy against the Japanese and keep his fleet near port at all times while a hypothetical, much more modern British fleet could arrive as reinforcements. His tactic hinged on using land-based aircraft posted in *British Malaya* as his main defence against a Japanese naval attack on his forces. Given his circumstances, contemporary historians after the war would provide an analysis that supports Philip's actions, stating that given his odds, his strategy was sound and sensible, though ultimately irrelevant due to the sheer strength of the IJN.

On December 2nd, Philips decided to sail out with his fleet on routine sea trials and patrol, leaving a day early of scheduled leave due to early great weather. Several destroyers were left behind in port as they were fuelled and refitted, planned to sail two days later to meet up with the fleet. On December 3rd, Japan declared war on Britain. Upon receiving these news, Philips was instructed to defend Singapore by his superiors, and provide relief to Hong Kong if possible. In accordance with these orders, he turned his ships around north of Kuantan and began heading back to Singapore, where he was intercepted on the way by the Japanese navy, which was hunting his forces.

### **Japan**

For Japan, the declaration of war against Britain and the Netherlands on December 3rd was intended to go along with several, multi-pronged attacks that would serve to disable the naval capabilities of both nations. The *Battle of Kuantan* ocurred just a day after the *Bombing of Batavia,* where the Japanese managed to conduct a daring air raid and heavily damaged the Dutch fleet based in the city's port, resulting in several destroyers and cruisers being either damaged or sunk. The Japanese intended to do the same to the British *Far East Fleet* on the same day, but the British fleet was out at sea and had to be hunted down the following day just off the coast of Kuantan.

The Japanese fleet consisted of two fleet carriers, one light carrier, three heavy and one light cruisers, as well as twelve destroyers and five submarines. The fleet was vastly superior to the British naval presence in Singapore, and was estimated to have been able to aptly and easily deal with the British forces. Success in defeating the British fleet, particularly its one battleship and one light carrier, would allow Japan much more freedom and breathing room for naval operations in the South China Sea and southwest pacific. Though it's fleet had more concentrated strength, Japan knew that it's navy was still, as far tonnage and number of ships was considered, smaller than the *Royal Navy*. Japan had to secure early naval dominance of the waters in the area if it hoped to achieve a strong foothold in the region and resist the eventual industrial and naval might of not just Britain, but also that of its European and American allies.

As of December 3rd, 1940, the British Royal Navy possessed 13 battleships and 5 battlecruisers compared to Japans 10 battleships, with all of Japans battleships being Great War era ships whereas Britain had already built three more modern battleships with four more in construction. Japan possessed 36 cruisers, 18 light and 18 heavy, while Britain possessed over 66 cruisers of varying types, with over 23 being laid down compared to Japans 6. Britain also possessed an overwhelming amount of 186 destroyers, half of whom were modern, compared to Japan's 95 destroyers. However, Japan did possess more submarines, around half a hundred compared to Britain's 60, an advantage that would be immediately rendered irrelevant after the arrival of the German submarine fleet. The one clear strength, however, of the Japanese navy was it's carrier fleet, which consisted of 6 fleet carriers and 9 light carriers, with 5 more fleet carriers and 10 escort carriers under construction, against Britain's 6 fleet carriers, of which 3 were of an older mid to late 20's design, and 3 even more obsolete light carriers from the early 20's and late 10's.

Japan had to score early decisive naval victories in the war as a result to even out the odds as much as it could. If Japan could sink one battleship, one battlecruiser, one light carrier, a cruiser, and several destroyers on the opening of hostilities without suffering any casualties in kind, it would gain a brief naval advantage in the region. As a result, the eventual decisive Japanese victory at Kuantan was a major gain in Japanese war planning for the rest of 1940 and for much of early 1941.

## Course of Battle

### **The Search**

The British Far East Fleet received communication from high command in the afternoon of December 3rd, notifying Admiral Sir Tom Philips of the official beginning of hostilities between Japan and Britain. He was instructed to sail back to Singapore and return to being a *"Fleet in Being",* to await reinforcements before commencing any official manoeuvres against the IJN. Philips turned his ship around at 6:23pm at December 3rd, and began sailing down the eastern coast of Malaya back to Singapore.

Simultaneously, the Japanese fleet reached the extreme outskirts of Singapore only to find that the British fleet wasn't in the harbour. The Japanese admiral, Isoroku Yamamoto, correctly concluded that the fleet had to have left port early. He immediately turned his fleet north and began sailing up well-off the eastern coast of Malaya as well. Scouting and surveillance fighters based out of the carriers searched for the British force for most of the day, before returning empty handed before dark.

The next day, on December 4th, the Japanese began their search again. The ships were spotted by British surveillance outposts along the coast as well as by British surveillance aircraft, resulting in the British fleet being alerted of a possible Japanese naval presence in their vicinity. A handful of fighters left the Hermes to begin scouting for the Japanese force. Philips, worried that his fleet was about to be engaged, put land-based aircraft at Kuantan on high alert. The British fleet was organized into battle formation, with the four destroyers taking up a place at each point of the fleet's four flanks and the Hermes falling into the centre, protected by *HMS Ajax.* This formation would initially prove useful at first contact, as the destroyers could provide anti-aircraft fire and disorientate bombers before they could reach the capital ships in the centre.

On 1:22pm, a fighter from the Hermes spotted the Japanese fleet. Almost immediately a handful of Zero fighters spotted it in kind and began to swoop in to intercept. The fighter turned tail and began to flee back to the British fleet. The pilot managed to relay to the fleet the position of the Japanese fleet, relative size, and danger, before being hurried and shot down by three zero fighters.

*[WIP]*

At 1:34pm, twelve minutes after the beginning of combat, the battleship *HMS Ramilies* was struck by three armour piercing bombs that fell square on-top of its front batteries. A massive fireball erupted as the bombs pierced into *Ramilies'* ammunition hold and caused a massive explosion. *Ramilies's* entire front bow ruptured and buckled, causing the battleship to violently dip forward and sink in just a few short minutes. Out of the *Ramilies'* crew of 967 sailors, only four men survived. The *Ramilies* was the flag ship of Admiral *Sir Tom Philips,* the admiral of the *Far East Fleet*, who survived the initial explosion but ultimately died going down with the ship trying to organize an abandon ship order.

Only a couple minutes after *Ramilies* had fully capsized, the light carrier *HMS Hermes* and battlecruiser *HMS Repulse* both came under heavy torpedo attack. *Repulse* managed to evade 19 torpedoes but was eventually hit on her port side, which caused a large hole and heavy flooding, causing the ship to develop a heavy list to port and rendering it's anti-air guns unable to continue firing. Around the same time, the *Hermes* was hit twice by two torpedoes, one which hit it's backside and destroyed the propellers, and a second which opened a large hole in the ships starboard side, likewise causing heavy flooding. The *Repulse* and the *Hermes* both continued to develop a list to port as more torpedoes continued to attack them. The *Repulse* was sunk when a torpedo penetrated the ships hull and exploded inside the fuel bay, causing a massive explosion. The fire blast broke the ships back and caused it to quickly sink, taking all of its 936 crew members down with it.

The *Hermes* continued to list for several minutes after Repulse disappeared beneath the water. Its commanding officer, *Richard F. J. Onslow*, acknowledged his ship's dire situation. At 2:13pm, *Onslow* ordered the HMS Ajax to