How the Royal Navy organized night carrier strikes

Did the Royal Navy conduct night carrier strikes against ships during the Second World War?

Yes, especially in the Mediterranean, but successful attacks depended on accurate fixes or shadowing aircraft; a bearing error spoiled a prospective strike during the Indian Ocean raid.

Royal Navy carrier aircraft made night attacks in the Mediterranean and attacked Bismarck late in the day, while shore-based Fleet Air Arm units used the same methods. A strike normally required a shadowing aircraft or a recent positional fix before launch. During the Indian Ocean raid, confusion between bearing systems prevented the shadowing aircraft from finding the Japanese force and guiding the strike. Had the navigation worked, a radar-equipped Swordfish might have remained above the carriers into dusk and directed the attackers. Night-strike doctrine depended on reconnaissance, communications, and precise navigation as much as on the strike aircraft.