Operation C and Somerville's missed night battle

Somerville had only recently assembled a mixed and incompletely worked-up force around Formidable and Indomitable, while imperfect intelligence initially reported fewer Japanese carriers than were present. Jamie treats the lack of work-up as a major constraint, while Alex argues that repeated fleet exercises gave many officers and senior ratings enough common practice to cooperate quickly. Nagumo's force was trying to draw out and destroy the Eastern Fleet; British message intercepts gave warning, but missed schedule information complicated Somerville's timing. Radar-equipped reconnaissance aircraft and night-qualified crews offered a way to offset Japanese numerical superiority, and the fleets came close enough for a night strike before conflicting movement reports separated them. The two Revenge-class battleships trailed in slow Force B, and limited water for their condensers further constrained their engines. Once Somerville learned that five carriers opposed him, he declined another attempt; Jamie treats that as prudent preservation, while Alex sees a failure to apply the aggressive doctrine designed for such odds. The missed engagement turned on intelligence, timing, readiness, command judgment, and doctrine together.