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.Middlebrook & Mahoney, Battleship, p. 102 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.Middlebrook & Mahoney, Battleship, pp. 99–113
