Sixty Sunderlands at Singapore

How should Singapore use sixty operational Short Sunderlands in December 1941?

Create a dense, persistent reconnaissance screen that also hunts submarines and punishes lightly protected Japanese aircraft.

The flying boats would serve primarily as wide-area reconnaissance aircraft, with perhaps fifteen to twenty-four airborne routinely and more during the opening crisis. Their endurance and multiple crews would sustain patrol coverage that made Japanese task groups and submarines much harder to conceal. Sunderlands were also robust and heavily armed enough to fight reconnaissance encounters with Zeros or unescorted bombers. The greatest effect would be timely warning and a much clearer operational picture for British commanders.