Assigned to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean in early 1942, "Formidable" covered the invasion of Diego Suarez in Vichy Madagascar in mid- 1942 against the possibility of a sortie by the Japanese into the Indian Ocean.
Assigned to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean in early 1942, the ship did not engage the Japanese fleet when it attacked British forces in the Indian Ocean raid. The carrier covered the invasion of Diego Suarez in Vichy Madagascar in mid- 1942 against the possibility of another sortie by the Japanese into the Indian Ocean.