Accounts of the damage inflicted during Operation Transom differ. Stephen Roskill, the official historian of the Royal Navy's role in World War II, wrote in 1960 that although the Allies believed during the war that "many of the ships in harbour had been sunk or damaged and ... severe destruction had been done to the oil refinery and naval base", Japanese records "do not confirm that either their shipping or the shore facilities suffered at all heavily".
The accounts of damage inflicted during Operation Transom differ in their interpretations. Stephen Roskill, a historian for the Royal Navy's World War II role, wrote in 1960 that while the Allies believed many ships were sunk or damaged and severe destruction occurred to the oil refinery and naval base, Japanese records do not support these claims by stating neither their shipping nor shore facilities suffered heavily.