Operation Crimson

Operation Crimson was a British naval operation in World War II, the objective being simultaneous naval bombardment and aerial strikes on Japanese airfields in the Indonesian cities of Sabang, Lhoknga and Kutaraja, to be launched from aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean on July 25, 1944.

Unlike some earlier operations which had used small forces for harassment and diversion of the Japanese, Operation Crimson was "a full-blooded operation" designed to "make a mess of the air base and harbour installations and wreck any vessels found sheltering there."

Sailing from Trincomalee, under the command of Admiral James Somerville, two aircraft carriers (HMS Victorious (R38) (pictured right) and Illustrious) were escorted by battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth (1913), HMS Valiant (1914), HMS Renown (1916), and the French battleship Richelieu, as well as six cruisers (HMS Ceylon (30), HMS Cumberland (57), HMS Gambia (48), HMS Nigeria (60), HMS Phoebe (43), Tromp), and ten destroyers (HMS Quality (G62), Quickmatch, HMS Quilliam (G09), HMS Racehorse (H11), HMS Raider (H15), HMS Rapid (H32), HMS Relentless (H85), HMS Rocket (H92), HMS Roebuck (H95), HMS Rotherham (H09)). A report of the raid states:

After the aircraft carriers had launched their early-morning aerial attacks, carried out by thirty-four Vought F4U Corsair fighters, decimating the Japanese air power, the ships Tromp, Quality, Quickmatch, and Quilliam entered the harbor at Sabang and shelled Japanese positions. The Japanese attempted to fight back, but British forces took relatively few losses, suffering damage to the Tromp and two destroyers, and the loss of two Corsairs.

Operation Crimson was the final event of Admiral Somerville's military command before concerns about his health forced his transfer to diplomatic duty.