Battle off Endau

Battle off Endau
Part of the Battle of Malaya
HMAS Vampire, c. 1940, seen here before the application of wartime camouflage
Date 26–27 January 1942 Location off Endau, Malaya Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
Empire of Japan	United Kingdom  Australia
Commanders and leaders
Shintarō Hashimoto	William Moran
Units involved
Naval: 1st Escort Unit Air: 1st Air Squadron 11th Air Squadron	Naval: Royal Navy Royal Australian Navy Air: No. 36 Squadron RAF No. 62 Squadron RAF No. 100 Squadron RAF No. 1 Squadron RAAF No. 8 Squadron RAAF
Strength
1 light cruiser 6 destroyers 5 minesweepers 3 subchasers 4 converted patrol ships 2 troopships 2 auxiliary ships	2 destroyers
Casualties and losses
8 killed, 18 wounded	1 destroyer sunk 39 killed 33 captured

The Battle off Endau was a Second World War battle that took place off Endau on 26–27 January 1942. Part of the Battle of Malaya, it was the first notable naval engagement since the sinking of the battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse on 10 December 1941, and the last effort by the Royal Navy to intercept Japanese convoy shipping around the Malay Peninsula.

A Japanese convoy approaching Endau was detected by reconnaissance aircraft on 26 January and was ineffectually attacked multiple times by Allied aircraft as it was landing its troops. The Allies suffered heavy casualties, while the Japanese lost only a single aircraft. The Royal Navy committed two destroyers later that day to break up the Japanese landings, despite the much larger Japanese escort force. Sailing under the cover of darkness, they were able to locate the convoy anchored there without being detected, but could not find the troopships in the darkness. The ships attempted to disengage, but were fired upon by the convoy's escorts and one destroyer was sunk in the early morning hours of 27 January.

The sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse in the opening stages of the Malayan Campaign left the task of intercepting Japanese convoys in the Gulf of Siam to the submarines of the Royal Netherlands Navy as the surface ships were occupied escorting Allied convoys to and from Ceylon and the Dutch East Indies. The Dutch recorded their first success when the troopship Awazisan Maru was sunk off Kota Bharu on 12 December 1941, probably by HNLMS K XII. On 24 December, HNLMS K XVI sank the destroyer Sagiri off the coast of Kuching, Borneo. Several other vessels were also damaged or sunk during the early weeks, but losses were high for the Dutch submarines and they could do little to stem the Japanese advance.

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