Talk:HMS Indomitable (92)

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[edit] Date Laid down

The text says she was laid down on the 10th November. The box to the right says 10th December. Anyone know which one? DaveBrit 23:11, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

All sources I can find say November. Have altered accordingly. Benea 00:07, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] HMS Indomitable: anomaly

Main article - assignment to Force Z

The aircraft carrier Indomitable may have been nominated as the air-defence component of force Z, ( the battleships Prince of Wales & Repulse ) but, given the times of events and distances involved, it seems doubtful that Indomitable would ever have been able to rendevous with the other warships at Singapore in early December of 1941. With the Indomitable in the vicinity of Kingston, Jamaica, on November 3rd, it is questionable whether it could have reached Singapore by December 10th. - even if the grounding damage to the aircraft carrier had never occurred. There may have been some preliminary planning for the Indomitable to join the Far-East task force at an unspecified later date. However, the fact that the aircraft carrier was delayed, as a result to grounding damage on November 3rd, was never a contributory factor in the eventual loss of the two capital ships on December 10th.

Using the actual voyage of HMS. Prince of Wales as a comparison, the time taken to reach Singapore, from the UK, was thirty nine days (24th. October to 2nd December 1941). The distance from the Clyde, in Scotland, to Singapore, is similar to the distance between Kingston, Jamaica and Singapore, - via the Cape of Good Hope. (the distance from Kingston is about a hundred miles more.) Allowing for the days spent at re-fueling ports en-route, the time taken for the Prince of Wales' voyage suggests that the greater part of the route was traversed at economical cruising speed. Assuming that the grounding of Indomitable never happened, and that on November 3rd. the ship received orders to proceed to Singapore, then a likely date for arrival would have been December 12th. - given that that Indomitable would have followed much the same route as that taken by the Prince of Wales.

In theory, if Indomitable had received urgent orders, the time required to reach Singapore could have been reduced - perhaps by choosing a more direct route, via either Panama or Suez. Increased speed might also have shortened the duration of the voyage. However, in the circumstances of the time, those speculative options would seem to lack credibility. (Selecting either of the canal transits would have been a gift to spies acting for Axis naval intelligence. Increased speed on the voyage would have involved very complex logistics for re-fueling points and escort vessels. )

Leaving the speculation aside, it isn't clear why Indomitable wasn't ordered to join the Prince of Wales, en-route, - long before the grounding occurred. One possibile location for a rendevous would have been at Freetown, Sierra Leone. The battleship was there about November 6th. 1941. J.Fowler —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.240.81 (talk) 10:33, 3 November 2007 (UTC)