Within a week the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse would be sunk by Japanese aircraft for going on a fools mission.
One of the great “what ifs” of WW2 involves the Prince of Wales and Repulse. The British planned on sending an aircraft carrier with them, HMS Indomitable. However, on November 3 Indomitable ran aground in the West Indies during her workups, and she had to put into Norfolk for repairs.
The big question is whether an aircraft carrier would have provided the air cover to keep the slow Japanese bombers away. We can discuss more of that next week.
To be fair, no one knew that the Japanese bombers were in range, and the RAF failed to provide fighter cover.