Singapore was a large logistics complex rather than a symbolic destination for the battle fleet. Its value lay in stocks, machinery, repair capacity, and access to supply routes from Australia, India, and Europe. Those routes could run through the Mediterranean and Suez Canal or around Africa if the shorter route was unavailable. That strategic logic also made the inadequate defence of Singapore and Malaya a serious weakness once Japan gained a springboard in Indochina.
Chapter · 24:41-26:38
Singapore's role as a fleet-support arsenal
Singapore mattered because it could store fuel and supplies and provide the workshops needed to restore a modern fleet.