Action of 11 January 1944
Part of thePacific theatre of theSecond World War
Plan of the Japaneselight cruiserKuma
Date 11 January 1944 Location 10 nmi (19 km) offPenang,Malaysia,Indian Ocean 05°26′N99°52′E / 5.433°N 99.867°E /5.433; 99.867 Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Leslie Bennington[1]	CaptainSugino Shuichi
Strength
SubmarineHMS Tally-Ho	Light cruiserKuma DestroyerUranami
Casualties and losses
None	Kuma sunk 138 killed

Theaction of 11 January 1944 was a minor naval action that resulted in the sinking of thelight cruiserKuma of theImperial Japanese Navy by theRoyal Navy submarineHMS Tally-Ho.Kuma was being escorted by the destroyerUranami about 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi) north-west ofPenang,Malaya.

Tally-Ho was patrolling from her base atTrincomalee,Ceylon searching for Japanese vessels and on 9 January, sighted the Japanese light cruiserKuma off Penang.Kuma was onanti-submarine warfare exercises. She was flanked by destroyers andTally-Ho could not get within range. She was able to plot the Japanese route in and out of Penang and to take up a suitable position to intercept the cruiser.

On the morning of 11 January,Tally-Ho's commander,Leslie Bennington, spotted aMitsubishi F1M2Petefloatplane flying westwards along the route on which the cruiser that had been sighted on 9 January was to be expected. It was felt that this heralded the approach of the cruiser. Just before 09:00, theofficer of the watch sighted the masts of the cruiser on the port bow.Kuma was escorted by theUranami. Whilst 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi) north-west of Penang, at midday, Bennington fired a seven-torpedo salvo from 1,900 yd (1,700 m).Kumas's lookouts soon spotted the torpedo wakes and Sugino shifted his rudder hard over.Kuma was hit starboard aft by two torpedoes.^[2] Bennington decided to head toward the shallows along the shore. The destroyerUranami attacked with 18 depth charges but all missed the submarine. A fire raged on board theKuma and she soon began to sink by the stern. As she sank, her depth charges detonated.Uranami then picked up the survivors, including Sugino, while 138 crewmen were lost.^[3] After his success, Bennington managed to slip away and returned to Trincomalee.

• Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005) [1972].Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). London: Chatham.ISBN 978-1-86176-257-3.
• Roskill, S. W. (2004) [1961].The War at Sea 1939–1945: The Offensive Part II 1st June 1944 – 14th August 1945. History of the Second World War. United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. III (facs. repr. Naval & Military Press, Uckfield ed.). London: HMSO. pp. 202−204.ISBN 978-1-84-342806-0.

• HMS Tally-Ho

• Conflicts in 1944
• Battles and operations of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II
• Naval battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom
• Naval battles of World War II involving Japan
• Penang
• 1944 in British Malaya
• Japan–United Kingdom military relations
• January 1944 in Asia
• Maritime incidents in January 1944

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