In late 1941 Winston Churchill decided to send a small group of fast capital ships, along with one modern aircraft carrier to Singapore, to deter expected Japanese aggression. In November, "Repulse" which was in the Indian Ocean was ordered to Colombo, Ceylon to rendezvous with the new battleship . The carrier , which was assigned to join them, was delayed when she ran aground in the Caribbean. "Prince of Wales" and "Repulse" and their escorting destroyers comprised Force Z, which arrived in Singapore on 2 December 1941. On the evening of 8 December, Force Z departed for an attempt to destroy Japanese troop convoys and protect the army's seaward flanks from Japanese landings in their rear.