she operated until May, aiding in the Allied reinforcement (Operation Lustre) and evacuation (Operation Demon). She was then deployed back to the Western Desert Campaign, operating as part of the "Tobruk Ferry Service"; ships transporting supplies and reinforcements to the Allied-controlled, besieged town of Tobruk. However, after two trips, the destroyer had to be removed from service because further engine problems were causing the ship to vibrate excessively at speeds over . The ship sailed to Singapore for major repairs, which lasted until late 1941. In September, Commander William Moran was appointed captain of Vampire. World War II – British Eastern Fleet In December 1941, she joined to the British Eastern Fleet at Colombo, Ceylon. In the first week of December, the battlecruiser started on a trip to Australia with Vampire and as escorts, but the force was recalled. Early in the morning of 8 December (Singapore time), Singapore came under attack by Japanese aircraft. Repulse and the British battleship , which were in the harbor at the time, shot back with anti-aircraft fire; no planes were shot down, and the ships sustained no damage. After receiving the reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor and invasions of Siam by the Japanese, Force Z (consisting of Prince of Wales and Repulse, escorted by Vampire, , , and Tenedos) put to sea at 17:30 hours on 8 December. At 20:55 hours, Admiral Philips cancelled the operation, and ordered the force to return to Singapore. On the way back, they were spotted and reported by . The next morning, 10 December, they received a report of Japanese landings at Kuantan, and Express was sent to investigate the area, finding nothing. That afternoon, Prince of Wales and Repulse were attacked and sunk by 85 Japanese aircraft off Kuantan by aircraft from the 22nd Air Flotilla based at Saigon. Vampire rescued 225 of the ships' 2,081 survivors from the sea, and transported them to Singapore. On 26 January 1942, following reports that an unescorted group of Japanese troopships was sailing near Endau, Malaya, Vampire and were ordered to intercept. Reaching the Japanese convoy at 02:00 the next morning, the two destroyers found the troopships were protected by the cruiser and six destroyers. The allied destroyers attempted to escape: Vampire was successful, but Thanet was sunk. On 11 February, Vampire was attached to Eastern Fleet forces operating in the Indian Ocean. At the start of