Force 67 was the first element of the Eastern Fleet to sail, departing on 30 April.
Forces 65 and 66 sailed on 6 May. The Allied ships proceeded to Exmouth Gulf on a course which kept them at least 600 miles (970 km) from Japanese airfields.
They arrived at Exmouth Gulf on 14 and 15 May. While his ships were refuelling, Somerville met with the commander of the United States Seventh Fleet, Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, Rear Admiral Ralph Waldo Christie who commanded the fleet's submarines, and the Naval Officer In Charge Fremantle, Commodore Cuthbert Pope, to discuss the most recent intelligence.

The Eastern Fleet departed Exmouth Gulf on the afternoon of 15 May and proceeded north.
It arrived at the flying off point at 6:30 am local time on 17 May without being detected by the Japanese.
One British and seven American submarines also took up positions near the southern entrance to the Strait of Malacca and the Bali, Lombok and Sunda Straits to support the Eastern Fleet; the boats were tasked with attacking Japanese warships and rescuing downed Allied pilots.

The aircraft launched by the carriers were organised into two strike forces.
Force A was made up of nine Avengers from Illustrious, twelve Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Saratoga and an escort of eight Vought F4U Corsair fighters from the British carrier.
It was tasked with attacking the oil refinery and other industrial facilities in the Wonokromo area.
Force B was to attack shipping and dock facilities in Surabaya's port.
It comprised twenty-one Avengers and six Dauntlesses escorted by eight British Corsairs and twelve American Grumman F6F Hellcats.
All of the aircraft were launched and formed up with the rest of their force by 7:20 am.

The attack on Surabaya commenced at 8:30 am.
The Japanese had not detected the aircraft as they approached, and were taken by surprise.
The two forces made a well synchronised attack, with Force A approaching Wonokromo from the south and Force B attacking the port from the north.
No Japanese fighter aircraft were encountered, and the anti-aircraft guns were largely ineffective.
One of Saratoga's Avengers was shot down.
The Allied pilots believed that they had inflicted heavy damage.

After the strike force completed landing on the carriers at 10:50 am, the Eastern Fleet withdrew to the south-west in an attempt to obscure the fact that it was headed for Exmouth Gulf.
Somerville's staff had not requested a debriefing from the American strike leader upon his return.
As a result, they were unaware that many worthwhile targets, including Japanese submarines, remained in Surabaya's port until 3 pm when photographs taken by one of Saratoga's photo reconnaissance aircraft were dropped onto Queen Elizabeth.
Somerville later regretted not ordering a second strike during the afternoon of 17 May.
On the night of 17/18 May Allied heavy bombers based near Darwin in northern Australia struck Surabaya.
Force 67 was the first element of the Eastern Fleet to sail, departing on 30 April. Forces 65 and 66 sailed on 6 May. The Allied ships proceeded to Exmouth Gulf on a course which kept them at least 600 miles (970 km) from Japanese airfields. They arrived at Exmouth Gulf on 14 and 15 May. While his ships were refuelling, Somerville met with the commander of the United States Seventh Fleet, Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, Rear Admiral Ralph Waldo Christie who commanded the fleet's submarines, and the Naval Officer In Charge Fremantle, Commodore Cuthbert Pope, to discuss the most recent intelligence. 
The Eastern Fleet departed Exmouth Gulf on the afternoon of 15 May and proceeded north. It arrived at the flying off point at 6:30 am local time on 17 May without being detected by the Japanese. One British and seven American submarines also took up positions near the southern entrance to the Strait of Malacca and the Bali, Lombok and Sunda Straits to support the Eastern Fleet; the boats were tasked with attacking Japanese warships and rescuing downed Allied pilots.
The aircraft launched by the carriers were organised into two strike forces. Force A was made up of nine Avengers from Illustrious, twelve Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Saratoga and an escort of eight Vought F4U Corsair fighters from the British carrier. It was tasked with attacking the oil refinery and other industrial facilities in the Wonokromo area. Force B was to attack shipping and dock facilities in Surabaya's port. It comprised twenty-one Avengers and six Dauntlesses escorted by eight British Corsairs and twelve American Grumman F6F Hellcats. All of the aircraft were launched and formed up with the rest of their force by 7:20 am.
The attack on Surabaya commenced at 8:30 am. The Japanese had not detected the aircraft as they approached, and were taken by surprise. The two forces made a well synchronised attack, with Force A approaching Wonokromo from the south and Force B attacking the port from the north. No Japanese fighter aircraft were encountered, and the anti-aircraft guns were largely ineffective. One of Saratoga's Avengers was shot down. The Allied pilots believed that they had inflicted heavy damage.
After the strike force completed landing on the carriers at 10:50 am, the Eastern Fleet withdrew to the south-west in an attempt to obscure the fact that it was headed for Exmouth Gulf. Somerville's staff had not requested a debriefing from the American strike leader upon his return. As a result, they were unaware that many worthwhile targets, including Japanese submarines, remained in Surabaya's port until 3 pm when photographs taken by one of Saratoga's photo reconnaissance aircraft were dropped onto Queen Elizabeth. Somerville later regretted not ordering a second strike during the afternoon of 17 May.
On the night of 17/18 May Allied heavy bombers based near Darwin in northern Australia struck Surabaya.
Operation Transom