Japanese aircraft might try to catch Force Z in port, but Singapore presents a harder torpedo-attack environment than Pearl Harbor. Its shallower, more constrained waters complicate the attack problem that Japanese planners already had to solve in Hawaii. By January, Indomitable and shore-based fighters could also reinforce the local air-defence network. A raid remains possible, but it is not a simple substitute for the missed strike at sea.
Notable Point · 1:10:50-1:12:03
Why Singapore is a difficult Pearl Harbor target
Shallow, constrained waters and repaired fighter coordination make a carrier raid on the base less straightforward.