 Nyorai kuenderera mberi kweiyi ndima - Somerville akava Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Fleet aine mureza wake mungarava yehondo HMS Warspite muna Kurume 1942 uye akasimudzirwa kuva Admiral akazara musi wa6 Kubvumbi 1942. Pashure pokuwa kweSingapore, Somerville akatamisa dzimbahwe rake kubva kuTrincomalee muCeylon kuenda kuKilindini muKenya. Muna Kubvumbi 1942 Admiral Chūichi Nagumos 1st Air Fleet Kidō Butai yakatenderedza vatakuri vashanu vekutakura ngarava yakatanga kurwisa kweIndian Ocean iyo yakakonzera kurasikirwa kwakanyanya paSomervilles fleet kusanganisira mutakuri wendege akareruka, maviri anorema cruisers, vaviri vanoparadza, imwe corvette, zvimwe zvikepe zvishanu, uye ndege makumi mana neshanu. Kukuvadzwa kwakaitwa kuRoyal Navy nemauto eCommonwealth muIndian Ocean kwakaderedzwa zvisinei, vachinyeverwa nenjere saka mauto avo anorema akafamba kubva kunzvimbo dzawo pamberi pekurwiswa nendege dzeJapan. Somerville akadzivisa kurwisana zvakananga neImperial Japanese Navy, achidzivirira ngarava mbiri dzinotakura ngarava dzeEastern Fleet uye imwe ngarava yehondo inokurumidza. 