Tom Phillips (Royal Navy officer)

Sir Thomas Spencer Vaughan Phillips, GBE, KCB (19 February 1888 – 10 December 1941) was a British Royal Navy admiral who served during World War II. He is best known for his command of Force Z, which comprised the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, and four destroyers. Phillips made the controversial decision to proceed towards Japanese invasion convoys off the coast of Malaya without air cover, believing his ships could deter any Japanese attack. Force Z was subsequently attacked and sunk by Japanese naval aircraft on 10 December 1941, resulting in the loss of both capital ships and the death of Phillips himself.

Phillips, nicknamed "Tom Thumb" due to his short stature, held several important positions prior to the war, including Director of Plans at the Admiralty and Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff. He was a strong advocate for the development of naval aviation, although his views on the effectiveness of battleships against air power were proven tragically wrong. His decisions leading to the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse have been the subject of considerable debate and analysis.