Battle of the Java Sea

Battle of the Java Sea
Part of World War II, Pacific War
HMS Exeter sinking, taken from Myōkō's floatplane.
Date 27 February-1 March 1942 Location Java Sea, Dutch East Indies Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
Allies Netherlands United States United Kingdom Australia	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Karel Doorman † Conrad Helfrich	Takeo Takagi
Strength
2 heavy cruisers 3 light cruisers 11 destroyers	6 heavy cruisers 3 light cruisers 25 destroyers 60 transports
Casualties and losses
2 heavy cruisers sunk 3 light cruisers sunk 6 destroyers sunk 1 destroyer damaged 3,500 killed	5 convoy ships sunk by friendly fire 1 heavy cruiser damaged 6 destroyers damaged 1 transport damaged 47 killed

The Battle of the Java Sea (Indonesian: Pertempuran Laut Jawa, Japanese: スラバヤ沖海戦, romanized: Surabaya oki kaisen, lit. 'Surabaya open-sea battle') was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and nine destroyers of ABDA fleet attempted to intercept a Japanese invasion convoy destined for the Dutch East Indies. However, upon being engaged by the convoy's escorts, 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and 14 destroyers, they suffered a disastrous defeat which ended ABDA fleet as a fighting force. Starting just after 16:00, the first half hour of the battle was something of a stalemate, with both sides consistently missing their shots. However, the Japanese heavy cruiser Haguro changed the course of the battle when she crippled the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter with an 8-inch (203 mm) shell hit that cut her speed to 5 knots, then sank the destroyer Kortenaer with one of the longest ranged torpedo hits from 22,000 yards. The destroyer Asagumo and others then sank the destroyer HMS Electra, resulting in the allied fleet retreating from the engagement.

While underway, the destroyer HMS Jupiter hit a mine and sank, but otherwise it seemed the fleet was safe. However, heavy cruisers Haguro and Nachi caught the force in a long range night ambush and attacked with torpedoes to great success. One of Nachi's torpedoes hit the light cruiser Java, which blew up and sank instantly, while one of Haguro's torpedoes sank the allied flagship, the light cruiser De Ruyter, killing Admiral Karel Doorman, who had overall command of ABDA fleet.

The remaining allied ships attempted to retreat, but were caught by Japanese shipping and destroyed in several smaller scale engagements still part of the overall battle of the Java Sea. The heavy cruiser USS Houston, light cruiser HMAS Perth, and destroyer Evertsen snuck through the Sunda Strait, only to be caught by the escorts for another Japanese troop convoy and overwhelmingly sunk, although Houston and Perth managed to damage the heavy cruiser Mikuma and several destroyers before going down in what became the battle of Sunda Strait.

Ending off the crushing Japanese victory, the Exeter, still crippled by Haguro's shell hit, escorted by the destroyers HMS Encounter and USS Pope, managed to run into a Japanese cruiser force and tangled in a long range night fight. Over 2 hours, both sides consistently missed their shots, shells landing several thousand yards away from each other. Eventually, Haguro and Nachi joined the battle, scoring their first hit 4 minutes later. A flurry of 8-inch (203 mm) gunfire left Exeter dead in the water and disabled her remaining guns and electrical power and set her on fire, finally leading to her crew scuttling the cruiser. Haguro and Nachi, almost completely out of ammo, finally withdrew, while Encounter found herself in a gunfight with the heavy cruisers Myōkō and Ashigara and destroyers Kawakaze and Yamakaze and sank in a blaze of glory. Pope temporally escaped, but within two hours was crippled by the light carrier Ryūjō and finished off by Myōkō and Ashigara in what became known as the second battle of the Java Sea.

Throughout the course of the battle, allied warships failed to sink a single Japanese ship. The only Japanese losses were the result of a friendly fire incident from the heavy cruiser Mogami, having launched a torpedo spread at the battle of Sunda Strait which accidentally sank a Japanese minesweeper and four troop transports.

While the battle of the Java Sea ended officially after this point, its outcome resulted in devastating consequences in the immediate time following the battle. The engagement completely destroyed ABDA fleet as a capable fighting force, with much of its remainder desperately fleeing the Dutch East Indies for friendly ports in Australia. Many of these ships were hunted down and destroyed by Japanese forces. Even more devastatingly, this battle led to the Dutch navy mass scuttling its fleet at Surabaya as the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies became increasingly more successful. Several of these ships were raised and recommissioned into Japanese service. Untouched Japanese troop convoys successfully landed and wreaked havoc on the remaining allied forces, ultimately culminating when the Japanese successfully captured the Dutch East Indies and its crucial oil fields on 8 March 1942.

Background

The Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies progressed at a rapid pace as they advanced from their Palau Islands colony and captured bases in Sarawak and the southern Philippines. They seized bases in eastern Borneo and in northern Celebes while troop convoys, screened by destroyers and cruisers with air support provided by swarms of fighters operating from captured bases, steamed southward through the Makassar Strait and into the Molucca Sea. To oppose these invading forces was a small force, consisting of Dutch, American, British and Australian warships—many of them of World War I vintage—initially under the command of American Admiral Thomas C. Hart.

On 23 January 1942 a force of four American destroyers attacked a Japanese invasion convoy in Makassar Strait as it approached Balikpapan in Borneo. On 13 February the Japanese captured the major port of Palembang in eastern Sumatra. On the night of 19/20 February, an Allied force attacked the Japanese eastern invasion force off Bali in the Battle of Badung Strait. Also on 19 February, the Japanese made two air raids on Darwin, on the Australian mainland, one from carrier-based planes and the other by land-based planes. The destruction of Darwin rendered it useless as a supply and naval base to support operations in the East Indies.

Battle

First battle of the Java Sea
Location Java Sea
Strength
2 heavy cruisers 3 light cruisers 9 destroyers	2 heavy cruisers 2 light cruisers 14 destroyers
Casualties and losses
2 light cruisers sunk 3 destroyers sunk 2,200 killed	3 destroyers damaged 1 transport damaged 36 killed

Prelude

The light cruiser De Ruyter anchored shortly before the battle, Admiral Doorman's flagship

The Japanese amphibious forces gathered to strike at Java, and on 27 February 1942 the main Allied naval force, under Rear Admiral Karel Doorman, sailed northeast from Surabaya to intercept a convoy of the Japanese eastern invasion force approaching from the Makassar Strait. The Allies eastern strike force, consisted of two heavy cruisers (HMS Exeter and USS Houston), three light cruisers (Doorman's flagship HNLMS De Ruyter, HNLMS Java, HMAS Perth), and nine destroyers (HMS Electra, HMS Encounter, HMS Jupiter, HNLMS Kortenaer, HNLMS Witte de With, USS Alden, USS John D. Edwards, USS John D. Ford, and USS Paul Jones). On paper, this sounded like a formidable force, but the training of this force was questionable. Belonging to several different navies, the ships had practically no experience in each other's naval doctrine and fighting styles, and most crucially there was a language barrier between the Dutch speaking Karel Doorman and the English-speaking US, UK, and Australian ships, horrifically hindering communications.

The heavy cruiser Nachi, Admiral Takagi's flagship

However, upon departing, the force was immediately spotted by a Japanese floatplane launched from the convoy's main protection force, commanded by Rear Admiral Takeo Takagi. The main group consisted of the heavy cruisers Haguro and Nachi (the latter of which served as Takagi's flagship launched the floatplane), and the destroyers Kawakaze, Yamakaze, Ushio, and Sazanami. This was supported by second group led by Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura, consisting of the light cruisers Naka and Jintsū and the destroyers Yūdachi, Samidare, Murasame, Harusame, Minegumo, and Asagumo. Upon learning of the opposing force's movements from Nachi, both groups sailed aside each other at 30 knots to intercept and destroy the opposing force. The Japanese heavy cruisers were much more powerful, armed with ten 8-inch (203 mm) guns each, and superb torpedoes. By comparison, Exeter was armed only with six 8-inch guns and only six of Houston's nine 8-inch guns remained operable after her aft turret had been knocked out in an earlier air attack. While underway, Nishimura's group was joined by the nearby destroyers Yukikaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, and Tokitsukaze, before being attacked by land based Dutch aircraft and B-17 bombers but avoided damage due to the aircraft's poor marksmanship. Captain Tameichi Hara aboard Amatsukaze noted the planes attacked the Japanese warships, confirming their goal was to mow through the protection force before attacking the convoy and believing it to have been a mistake by the planes to have not attacked the troopships.

Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze. Her captain, Tameichi Hara, became a notable primary witness to the battle

The next day was spent anxiously as Doorman's force was tracked by Nachi's floatplane, which radioed their every move to the Japanese fleet, which rigorously practiced in preparation for engaging the enemy. Updates via Nachi's floatplane anxiously worried the Japanese command as Doorman's ships were in a position to pounce on the vulnerable transport ships, but in preparation themselves Doorman ordered his fleet to turn South to refuel at Surabaya. However, upon learning reports of the Japanese fleet, Doorman immediately turned his ships back to attack the enemy. These actions, perhaps somewhat misunderstood, came to the relief of Admiral Takagi, who Captain Hara recalled saying "The enemy ships were staying clear of our air raids on Surabaya, the enemy is in no shape to fight us" as he pitifully laughed. He ordered the convoy to turn around and the escort ships to line into fighting formation.

Afternoon battle

At 15:48 on 27 February 1942, Amatsukaze's chief spotter Shigeru Iwata located Doorman's fleet at 31,600 yards. Captain Hara viewed through his binoculars, clearly recognizing De Ruyter's masts as the fleet quickly became visible to the other ships. Admiral Doorman aboard De Ruyter in turn located the presence of the enemy force, but could not make out any specific targets as the allied optics were vastly inferior to the Japanese, and only one of his ships, the Exeter, carried any form of radar, and a language barrier prevented effective communication between those two ships. Still, Doorman ordered his ships to turn west, hoping to prevent the Japanese fleet from crossing his T. Ironically, this came to the excitement of Admiral Takagi, with both fleets sailing in a parallel course, Haguro and Nachi, which were training behind the other ships, could catch up to Nishimura's group.

By 16:00, spotters on the Electra noticed Jintsū, leading Yukikaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Tokitsukaze, at 16,000 yards, and her 4.7-inch (12 cm) guns fired the first shots of the battle, closely followed by all the cruisers and several destroyers. Every ship aimed their guns at Jintsū, straddling her several times, but not a single shell made its mark. The Naka and her group of destroyers returned fire at 24,000 yards, and their shells were equally ineffective in striking their mark. Both sides rapidly closed the distance, and frustrated by the ineffective gunfire, Nishimura ordered Naka and his destroyers to fire torpedoes at 15,000 yards, letting out 43 torpedoes. A few exploded after running a few thousand yards, while the rest all missed their target. Nishimura's hastiness to engage at long range was later criticized by Japanese admiralty due to the sheer amount of ammunition the Japanese wasted for little if any hits in the initial stages of the battle. Recognizing this flaw, Takagi ordered all ships to close the range and charge the enemy as he watched his heavy cruisers blast away at long range.

First hits are scored

On the allied side, Exeter, Houston, and Perth all fired on Haguro, which they reported to have blown up and sank with intense gunfire. In turn, Haguro was not even straddled as she and Nachi began to score the actual first blood of the battle. Haguro focused her gunfire on De Ruyter, striking her with an 8-inch (203 mm) shell that blasted apart her axillary motor room, starting a fire that killed one crewman and injured six others. A second 8-inch (203 mm) shell from Haguro punched through De Ruyter's unarmored portions without exploding. Meanwhile, Admiral Takagi's flagship focused her fire on Houston, which Nachi succeeded in hitting with two 8-inch (203 mm) shells, one punching through her bow and the other holing her stern. Even when their shells didn't directly hit, near miss and straddle damage continued to swarm their opponents, much to the dismay of Admiral Doorman.

In turn, a cluster of Japanese destroyers, Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Yamakaze, Kawakaze, and Ushio close the range as Takagi ordered in the hopes of a torpedo actually making its mark. In turn, Electra switched fire to the cluster as 5.9-inch (15 cm) shells from De Ruyter continued to rain on the collum. One of Electra's 4.7-inch (12 cm) shells hit Tokitsukaze, causing thick white smoke to burst out of the ship, blinding Amatsukaze behind her. A near miss from De Ruyter then lightly damaged Amatsukaze's hull and dashed water on her bridge. However, neither destroyer was critically damaged. In turn, the destroyers engaged in a gunfight with De Ruyter, although no shells hit their mark. Yukikaze and Tokitsukaze let out 16 torpedoes at 6,000 yards, followed by Amatsukaze, then the four other destroyers behind her. 56 torpedoes were aimed at the enemy, yet not a single hit was made.

Haguro changes the course of the battle

However, what the torpedoes did accomplish was force the allied fleet to maneuver, causing Haguro to switch fire from De Ruyter to the Exeter, and Exeter responded back. Engaging each other at 22,000 yards, Exeter's gunnery was extremely poor, only managing a straddle by the 8th salvo. Haguro proved to be more fortunate, scoring her first 8-inch (203 mm) shell hit, which turned out to be a dud. However, Haguro fired another salvo at Exeter, which registered a devastating hit. One of Haguro's 8-inch (203 mm) shells gouged into Exeter's engine. It exploded and destroyed six of Exeter's eight boilers. 40 men were dead as Exeter's speed dropped to 5 knots, sending Doorman's fleet into a series of chaotic maneuvers as when Exeter began to retreat, Houston, Perth, and Java all followed her assuming they had missed a command form Doorman, leaving De Ruyter charging at the enemy fleet by herself before being forced to join the other cruisers. Simultaneously, Haguro fired a spread of 8 torpedoes and continued to engage. The British destroyers Jupiter, Encounter, and Electra came to assist the crippled Exeter as Doorman's cruisers began to turn away, laying a smokescreen in an attempt to hide the disorganized formation.

Up to this point, the battle of the Java Sea had been something of a stalemate, with both sides missing their shots due to extreme range. Even when shells did hit, such as Haguro and Nachi's hits to De Ruyter and Houston or Electa's hit on Tokitsukaze, no significant damage was inflicted as said ships continued to fight on. However, Haguro's hit on Exeter sent Doorman's fleet into a flurry. In an ironic twist, the only Japanese torpedo to make its mark during the course of the afternoon battle was one of Haguro's launched at extreme range. 15 minutes after leaving the cruiser, one of Haguro's torpedoes found its mark on the Dutch destroyer Kortenaer. Within an instant, the destroyer broke apart and sank with the loss of 66 men. Launched from a distance of 22,000 yards, this would award Haguro with probably the longest ranged torpedo hit ever fired in naval history.

Destroyer on destroyer action

The four American destroyers, Alden, John C Edwards, John C Ford, and Paul Jones, fired their torpedoes at Haguro and Nachi, but as expected none made their mark. Simultaneously, the British destroyers attempting to cover the crippled Exeter were engaged by the Japanese destroyers Asagumo and Minegumo. Minegumo stayed at long range and took part in a 1v2 against Jupiter and Encounter, lightly damaging them near misses but failed to score any direct hits. Asagumo in contrast closed to point blank range as she and Electa engaged in the naval equivalent of aa point-blank knife fight. Asagumo took on several 4.7-inch (12 cm) shells, temporarily leaving her dead in the water, killing 5 sailors and injuring 16 others. In turn, Asagumo inflicted far more damage than she received, a hellfire of 5-inch (127 mm) gunfire destroyed Electra's A and X turrets, engine room, communications, and electrical power, and set the destroyer on fire. Electra desperately let out a spread of eight torpedoes at her opponent, but none hit, and in response Minegumo switched fire from the other destroyers and joined Asagumo in pounding the already crippled Electra. Western sources sometimes credit Jintsū with assisting Asagumo in her take down, but Japanese records do not support this. Electra's remaining guns were destroyed, flooding overwhelmed damage control, and fires burst out of control under Asagumo and Minegumo's bombardment, and her crew finally abandoned ship and left the destroyer to sink. Encounter and Jupiter had been repelled by Minegumo's gunfire and retreated to assist Exeter.

Allied retreat

After almost two hours of fighting, Doorman's ships had not come even close to the Japanese troop convoy. One of his cruisers was crippled, two more were damaged, and he suffered two destroyers sunk, and in turn had only managed to moderately damage one destroyer and lightly damage two others with atrocious gunnery. Doorman decided to cut his losses and retreat back to Surabaya. He still wanted to attack the convoy, but recognized that he simply could not under the current conditions, and retreated back to the direction of Surabaya. The limping Exeter broke off from the force, taking Encounter and Witte De With to escort her. While underway, they passed through the former battleground, rescuing survivors from Kortenaer and Electra. The rest of the force headed in the direction of their home port, successfully fooling Admiral Takagi into thinking the allied ships had retreated to port. However, after the cover of night fall his ships turned back and steamed towards the convoy.

Loss of all allied destroyers

However, the plan immediately began to backfire. The four American destroyers were running dangerously low on fuel. They had completely expended their torpedoes, and were limited to gun armament, and these factors combined resulted in the American destroyers detaching from Doorman's fleet to retire for Surabaya. Admiral Doorman still decided to absorb the losses and continued to charge on. However, at 21:25, Doorman's lone remaining destroyer, the Jupiter, hit a mine and sank with the loss of 84 men. Rather tragically, the mine that sank Jupiter is generally thought to have not been Japanese, but rather planted by the Dutch minelayer Gouden Leeuw, making Jupiter's sinking a probable example of friendly fire. With Jupiter's sinking, Doorman had not a single destroyer in his force, only his remaining heavy cruiser Houston and light cruisers De Ruyter, Java, and Perth. Despite all of his losses, Doorman still continued to charge on, still somehow confident he could score a victory.

Night ambush

Unknown to Doorman, Haguro's floatplane had been tracking his force the entire time. Rewinding time back, Admiral Takagi believed he had secured a victory as his ships made post battle reformations. Asagumo's crew conducted temporary repairs following her gunfight with Electra, getting the engine back up and running as she regained speed, retiring from the engagement and taking Minegumo to escort her. Haguro and Nachi stopped in the water to recover their floatplanes, which had been catapulted shortly before the battle, but while this was being conducted, one of Haguro's floatplanes still in the air noticed Doorman's fleet was turning back, much to Takagi's shock.

Nachi anchored off Ōminato on 13 November 1943

Haguro and Nachi instantly picked up speed and raced to engage the enemy yet again. Haguro's floatplane this time tracked Doorman's every movement, acting far more predictably than earlier in the battle. It was just before midnight that their optical systems picked up the enemy force at long range. Steaming at maximum speed, Haguro and Nachi closed to 16,000 yards. Low on ammunition for their main guns, they instead opted for a stealthy torpedo attack, Nachi unleashed 8 torpedoes, while Haguro launched 4.

It was at 23:32 that the attack immediately scored a victory. De Ruyter rapidly turned to evade Nachi's torpedoes, evading damage, but one of Nachi's torpedoes continued on and gouged into the Java's stern. The torpedo ignited the magazines to Java's 5.9-inch (15 cm) main battery, and a massive explosion burst out of the ship which blew the cruiser apart in an instant. In under two minutes, Java rapidly slipped beneath the waves, and out of her crew of 526, only 19 survived.

Haguro under refit in 1936

Four minutes later, Nachi was upstaged when one of Haguro's torpedoes hit none other than Admiral Doorman's flagship. All power was destroyed as the De Ruyter stopped dead in the water with significant flooding, and a massive fire broke out and enveloped the cruiser in flames. Haguro's torpedo hit killed much of her damage control crew, and the loss of all power disabled much of De Ruyter's damage control equipment, meaning the massive fire could not be put out and spread throughout the ship. Simultaneously, flooding slowly overwhelmed damage control and De Ruyter increasingly listed. Over a period of 3 hours, fires and flooding overwhelmed De Ruyter as she capsized and sank with the loss of 367 men. Admiral Doorman and Captain Eugène Lacomblé were among the dead.

Banzai shouts could be heard from Haguro and Nachi's decks, crew members leaped in joy and hugged each other in excitement. Admiral Takagi chose not to attack with gunfire afterwards, knowing Java and De Ruyter were already fatally damaged. The pair steamed out of the area to reinforce the invasion convoy. Depending on the source, they were either undetected, or spotted but allied gunfire was ineffective as usual. With Doorman dead, Houston and Perth abandoned the mission and retreated. Meanwhile, as the US destroyers evacuated the battlefield they ran into Amatsukaze and Hatsukaze. Both sides exchanged fire, but no hits were scored and the US destroyers continued on their path while Amatsukaze and Hatsukaze regrouped with the fleet.

HMS Electra

At this moment, the battle of the Java Sea was guaranteed as a victory for the Japanese. With almost all of their ships sunk or damaged, the remaining allied warships halted all offensive actions and desperately attempted to flee the vicinity, leaving the Dutch East Indies to the wolves as the invasion convoys pushed through to Surabaya unmolested besides an air raid which damaged a single troopship. The only sort of strategic victory for the allies was giving the troops on Java a one-day respite, which ultimately changed nothing. Perth and Houston proceeded for Tanjung Priok, arriving later that day. However, oil shortages meant they could only be half fueled, and they received no new ammunition.

Throughout the entirety of the first battle of the Java Sea, not a single Japanese ship was sunk, and besides Electra, not a single allied ship even managed to hit a Japanese ship.

Battle of the Sunda Strait

Battle of the Sunda Strait
Location Sunda Strait
Strength
1 heavy cruiser 1 light cruiser 1 destroyer	2 heavy cruisers 1 light cruiser 9 destroyers
Casualties and losses
1 heavy cruiser sunk 1 light cruiser sunk 1 destroyer sunk 1,100 killed	1 heavy cruiser damaged 3 destroyers damaged 5 convoy ships sunk by friendly fire 11 killed

Main article: Battle of the Sunda Strait

Houston and Perth continued their journey and desperately fled through the Sunda Strait in an attempt to depart for the safety of Tjilatjap, joined by the Dutch destroyer Eversten. Miraculously, throughout the day of the 28th, the trio were not spotted by Japanese intelligence and sailed smoothly for the time being, gaining the respect of Tameichi Hara during his writings of the battle in his memoirs. However, later that night, they ran into another troop convoy and its escorts, the Japanese destroyers Fubuki, Harukaze, and Hatakaze.

USS Houston off Port Darwin on 15 February 1942

Houston and Perth engaged in a gunfight with the destroyers, but as usual the Japanese scored first blood. Fubuki missed with her torpedo spreads and gunfire, but the 4.7-inch (12 cm) guns of Hatakaze managed to strike Perth two times, neither of which caused notable damage. However, odds shifted in the favor of the Japanese when a second and much larger group of convoy escorts engaged the allied ships, consisting of the light cruiser Natori leading the destroyers Shirayuki, Hatsuyuki, Murakumo, Shirakumo, and Asakaze. Shirayuki and Hatsuyuki engaged the cruisers with a spread of 18 torpedoes, none of which hit, and in turn Perth gouged Shirayuki with a 6-inch (152 mm) shell hit that exploded in her bridge, killing one of her officers and injuring 11 others. Asakaze fired 6 torpedoes, while Natori unleashed 29 5.5-inch (14 cm) shells and four torpedoes, none of which had a noticeable effect.

Suddenly, large shell pillers lifted around Houston. These came from the heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma, which were supporting a nearby troop convoy when intelligence informed them of the engagement with Houston and Perth, prompting the duo, joined by the destroyer Shikinami, to rush for the battle and bring their firepower to bare. Houston responded with her own gunfire, and the battle initially wasn't completely one sided, Houston hit Mikuma with several 8-inch (203 mm) shells which temporarily disabled electrical power, killing 5 men. However, she still lost the gunfight, 8-inch (203 mm) shell hits from Mogami and Mikuma set her on fire and destroyed two of her boilers, limiting her speed to 15 knots. Two of Mogami and Mikuma's torpedoes then made their mark, leaving Houston dead in the water. A stray 8-inch (203 mm) shell also hit Perth, though it did little damage.

Simultaneously, the Harukaze and Hatakaze closed to 4,200 yards and together launched 12 torpedoes. Perth turned to respond, and hit Harukaze with a three 6-inch (152 mm) shells to her bridge, engine room, and rudder respectively. However, these hits turned out to be duds as only 3 men were killed. In turn, one of Harukaze's torpedoes hit Perth in the forward engine room as her speed significantly dropped. Immediately afterwards, Murakumo and Shirakumo launched 18 torpedoes and escaped without damaged, then when Shikinami attempted to do the same near misses from Perth damaged her rudder and forced her away. However, the cruiser's fight was futile when one of Murakumo's torpedoes punched a giant hole beneath her bridge, followed by two of Shirakumo's torpedoes which completely flooded her stern. The abandoned ship order was quickly issued as Perth's surviving crew left the ship to sink.

Meanwhile, Houston listed heavily to port as over 30 8-inch (203 mm) shell hits from Mogami and Mikuma destroyed all of her main guns, disabled her secondary battery, and left her damage control crew fighting heavy fires and flooding. Dead in the water and nearly defenseless, Shikinami approached the crippled cruiser and inspected the battered but barely afloat near hulk, before Houston engaged with machine gunfire. In response, Shikinami fired just one torpedo at her target, which gouged into Houston amidships and served as the coup de grace as her crew quickly jumped into the water. After 2:00 on 1 March 1942, both Perth and Houston had capsized and sank with the loss of 353 and 645 men respectively.

Immediately after the cruisers sank, Murakumo and Shirakumo continued on, and located the destroyer Evertsen, which had spotted Houston and Perth under fire and cowardly steamed away to avoid the action. Murakumo and Shirakumo blasted Evertsen, at least seven 5-inch (127 mm) shell hits set her on fire to her ammunition storage and caused her crew to beach the destroyer. Evertsen's crew abandoned ship, and right after the evacuation was completed fire damage ignited her aft magazines and she fully sank in the strait.

During the battle, the Japanese lost the minesweeper W4 and four troop transports, including the flagship of Lieutenant General Imamura. Three of these transports were later refloated, and they had already landed their troops, meaning very little, if any, lives were lost. This was not the result of enemy action, with Houston and Perth focusing their fire on their attackers. Instead, it appears to have been the result of a torpedo spread launched from Mogami which missed the allied cruisers and accidently sank friendly vessels. This ironically would be the most successful torpedo spread in history in terms of enemy ships sunk numerically.

Second battle of the Java Sea
Location Java Sea
Strength
1 badly damaged heavy cruiser 2 destroyers	4 heavy cruisers 4 destroyers
Casualties and losses
1 heavy cruiser sunk 2 destroyers sunk 100 killed	None

Second battle of the Java Sea

Main Article: Second battle of the Java Sea

Rounding off the overall battle of the Java Sea, the Exeter, still crippled by Haguro's shell hit, desperately limped across the Java Sea for safety in Colombo, escorted by the destroyers Encounter and USS Pope. However, shortly after 11:50, mere hours after the action at Sunda Strait, they ran into the Japanese heavy cruisers Myōkō and Ashigara and the destroyers Inazuma and Akebono. Myōkō and Ashigara quickly opened fire on Exeter at ranges exceeding 22,000 yards, and Exeter responded back. Shots on both sides missed their opponents by several thousand yards, and the ships only began to achieve straddles by their dozenth salvos.

Myōkō firing her 8-inch (203 mm) guns at HMS Exeter

Almost an hour later at 12:45, Exeter had still not been hit and vice versa under atrocious and inaccurate gunnery when Haguro and Nachi joined the battle, accompanied by the destroyers Kawakaze and Yamakaze, having learned of the battle and rushed to engage. Opening fire at 22,000 yards, they scored their first hit 5 minutes later as an 8-inch (203 mm) shell crucially disabled Exeter's electrical power, and followed up with more hits which destroyed Exeter's remaining boilers, leaving her dead in the water. Myōkō and Ashigara finally began to score hits on the disabled opponents as a hellfire of 8-inch (203 mm) gunfire destroyed Exeter's guns and set her on fire. Exeter's crew then scuttled the cruiser and abandoned ship. As Exeter rolled over to port and sank, she was further torpedoed by Inazuma.

Haguro's bridge and forward facing 8-inch (203 mm) gun turrets shortly before engaging Exeter again. These guns both crippled Exeter and helped to finish her off

Simultaneously, the Encounter was engaged by Kawakaze and Yamakaze, with 5-inch (127 mm) shell hits destroying her rudder and causing the destroyer to lose speed. As Myōkō and Ashigara joined in, the four ships bombarded and sank Encounter in a one-sided duel. Pope managed to hide behind a rain squall and steamed away from the battlefield. However, about an hour later she was rediscovered by six B5N bombers from the Japanese light carrier Ryūjō. No hits were scored, but near misses left Pope dead in the water. The disabled Pope was then hunted down by Myōkō and Ashigara, which proceeded to shell and finish her off.

With Pope's sinking, the battle was finally over. By this point, Haguro and Nachi were almost entirely out of ammunition, Nachi in particular only had enough ammunition for seven salvos and just four torpedoes left. The pair left the scene and arrived at Kendari two days later, neither ship took any damage throughout the entire slug match in spite of their heavy involvement. Besides the victims of Mogami's friendly fire, all Japanese troop transports proceeded to the Dutch East Indies and landed at four points, having not been engaged by an enemy surface combatant. Over 40,000 troops were landed.

Aftermath

The end of ABDA fleet

Equally as devastating as the battle of the Java Sea's tactical victory was its strategic importance after the fighting was officially over. The battle completely ended ABDA fleet as a competent fighting force, ending any naval threat to the increasingly successful Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies. ABDA fleet was dissolved on 1 March by Admiral Conrad Helfrich, and the remaining destroyers and smaller vessels formerly of ABDA fleet departed Surabaya in an attempt to flee for Australia. Among this mass evacuation were the only allied survivors of the battle of the Java Sea, the American destroyers John D. Edwards, John D. Ford, Alden, and Paul Jones. Their travel was not without interruption, in the night of 1 March they happened to run into the Japanese destroyers Hatsuharu, Nenohi, Wakaba, and Hatsushimo in the Bali Strait. The eight ships engaged each other with gunfire, but no hits were scored on either side as the American destroyers escaped, reaching the safety of Fremantle on 4 March.

However, several of these escaping ships were not as lucky, several were located and destroyed by Japanese surface combatants, either immediate veterans of the Java Sea battle still thirsty for blood after their victory or nearby forces assisting in the war effort. Captain Tameichi Hara wrote of three victories his destroyer Amatsukaze scored immediately after the battle, starting on 28 February when Amatsukaze assisted in capturing the hospital ship SS Op Ten Noort as she rescued survivors from sunken allied ships, escorting Op Ten Noort to Singapore where she was converted into a prison ship. On 1 March, Amatsukaze blasted the Dutch submarine K-10 with gunfire before attacking with depth charges, damaging K-10 so badly she was scuttled the next day. Two days later, Amatsukaze assisted in finishing off the crippled submarine USS Perch.

On 1 March, the destroyers Fubuki and Hatsuyuki hunted down and sank the Dutch oil tanker Augustina and the British minesweepers HMS Rahman and HMS Sin Aik Lee, while the destroyers Kasumi, Shiranui, and Isokaze sank the Dutch freighter Modjokerto. Most famously, the destroyer USS Edsall accidentally ran into the battleships Hiei and Kirishima, and survived nearly an hour of gunfire, only to be crippled by D3A dive bombers launched from the aircraft carrier Sōryū and finished off by the battleships. Sōryū proceeded to sink the oil tanker USS Pecos, while land-based aircraft sank the seaplane tender USS Langley. On 5 March, the heavy cruiser Chikuma and the destroyer Urakaze sank the Dutch freighter Enggano.

Most famously, the heavy cruisers Takao, Atago, and Maya and the destroyers Nowaki and Arashi conducted a multiple day raid on allied ships fleeing the Dutch East Indies, starting on 1 March when Nowaki and Arashi sank the Dutch cargo ships Parigi and Tomohon, then assisted Takao in sinking the British minesweeper Scott Harly and the Dutch freighter Toradja, and capturing the Dutch freighter Bintoehan. On 2 March, Maya, Nowaki, and Arashi sank the destroyer HMS Stronghold, then later that night Takao and Atago sank the destroyer USS Pillsbury, then the next day Nowaki and Arashi sank the gunboat USS Asheville. Finally on 4 March, the entire force raided a convoy, sinking the sloop HMAS Yara, the oil tanker Francol, the depot ship Anking, the minesweepers M-3 and M-51, and capturing the cargo ships Tjsarora and Duymaer Van Twist.

Scuttling of the Dutch navy

Nachi anchored off Kendari days after the battle, 6 March 1942

Even more devastatingly, the Japanese invasion began to reach Surabaya almost immediately after the battle of the Java Sea, leaving many Dutch ships unable to escape the port in time. Rather than risk capture by Japanese forces, the Dutch instead scuttled their navy in harbor, amounting to over 50 ships self-sunk in Surabaya waters, including 3 destroyers, 3 submarines, and countless smaller warships and cargo vessels, notably none other than Witte De With, which had been damaged by an air raid during the battle of the Java Sea and rendered unable to leave harbor. Several of these ships were raised by the Japanese and recommissioned into their service.

Surrender

The land forces on the Dutch East Indies were no match for the Japanese invasion. Two days later, major resistance by allied forces was mostly over as the Japanese marched throughout the former Dutch territories, and on 8 March 1942, the remaining political command fully surrendered to the Japanese. This was a crucial victory as the Japanese now had access to the critical and rich oil fields of the Dutch East Indies, which would allow their fleet to effectively operate. 

Finally, the battle of the Java Sea had one last strategic importance. The Commander of the USS Alden, Ernest E Evans, was distressed by the American destroyers abandoning the rest of Admiral Doorman's force right before De Ruyter and Java were sunk by Haguro and Nachi, feeling as if he abandoned his allies. This later inspired him at the battle off Samar (part of the overall battle of Leyte Gulf), where he took command of his destroyer, the USS Johnston, and charged a massive 23 ship Japanese center force attempting to intercept the Leyte Gulf landings. With the help of other surface vessels and air attacks, Johnston was sunk and commander Evans killed, but the center force was successfully chased off and the troop convoys were protected in a reverse of fate from the battle of the Java Sea.

Wrecks

As of 2002 the location of the wreck of only one of the eight ships sunk during the two so-called Java Sea Battles, HMS Jupiter, was known and plotted on an Admiralty chart. However, given her location in very shallow water so close to shore she had already been heavily salvaged.

In December 2002 the wrecks of HNLMS Java and HNLMS De Ruyter were discovered by a specialist wreck diving group aboard the dive vessel MV Empress. Empress then went on to discover the wrecks of HMS Electra in August 2003; HNLMS Kortenaer in August 2004; and HMS Exeter and HMS Encounter in February 2007. When discovered these wrecks were all in a very well-preserved state, save for battle damage. In late 2008, Empress discovered remnants of the last wreck, USS Pope, which had already been largely removed by illegal salvage diving operations.

Although the MV Empress team kept the locations of their discoveries secret, by 2017 all eight ships had been reduced to remnants or even entirely removed by illegal commercial salvage operations.'

References

• Morison, Samuel Eliot (2001) [1958]. The Rising Sun in the Pacific 1931 – April 1942, vol. 3 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Castle Books. ISBN 0-7858-1304-7.

Further reading

• Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-914-X.
• Burchell, David (1971). The Bells of the Sunda Strait. Adelaide, Australia: Rigby.
• Cain, T. J. (1959). HMS Electra. London: Futura Publications.
• D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X.
• Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
• Gill, G. Hermon (1957). "Chapter 15: Abda and Anzac". Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy. Vol. I. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 848228.
• Gill, G. Hermon (1957). "Chapter 16: Defeat in Abda". Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy. Vol. I. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 848228.
• Gordon, Oliver L. (1957). Fight It Out. William Kimber.
• Grove, Eric (1993). Sea Battles in Close-Up: World War II, vol. 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-7110-2118-X.
• Hara, Capt. Tameichi (1961). Japanese Destroyer Captain. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-02522-9. Firsthand account of the battle by the captain of the Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze.
• Holbrook, Heber (1981). U.S.S. Houston: The Last Flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. Dixon, CA, USA: Pacific Ship and Shore.
• Hornfischer, James D. (2006). Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors. Bantam. ISBN 0-553-80390-5.
• Hoyt, Edwin P. (1976). The Lonely Ships: The Life and Death of the Asiatic Fleet. New York: David McKay Company.
• Kehn, Donald M. (2009). A Blue Sea of Blood: Deciphering the Mysterious Fate of the USS Edsall. Zenith Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-3353-2.
• Lacroix, Eric; Linton Wells (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-311-3.
• McKie, Ronald (1953). Proud Echo: The Great Last Battle of HMAS Perth. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.
• Parkin, Robert Sinclair (1995). Blood on the Sea: American Destroyers Lost in World War II. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81069-7.
• Payne, Alan (2000). HMAS Perth: The Story of a Six-Inch Cruiser, 1936–1942. Garden Island, NSW, Aus: The Naval Historical Society of Australia.
• Schultz, Duane (1985). The Last Battle Station: The Story of the USS Houston. St Martins Press. ISBN 0-312-46973-X.
• Spector, Ronald (1985). Eagle Against the Sun: The American War With Japan. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-394-74101-3.
• Thomas, David A. (1968). The Battle of the Java Sea. New York: Stein & Day. ISBN 0-330-02608-9.
• van Oosten, F. C. (1976). The Battle of the Java Sea (Sea battles in close-up; 15). Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-911-1.
• Visser, H. (September 2017). "Question 25/53". Warship International. LIV (3): 189–190. ISSN 0043-0374.
• Whiting, Brendan (1995). Ship of Courage: The Epic Story of HMAS Perth and Her Crew. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-653-0.
• Winslow, Walter G. (1984). The Ghost that Died at Sunda Strait. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-218-4. Firsthand account of the battle by a survivor from USS Houston.
• Winslow, Walter G. (1994). The Fleet the Gods Forgot: The U.S. Asiatic Fleet in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-928-X.

External links

• Niek Koppen (Director) (1995). Slag in de Javazee, De (The Battle of the Java Sea) (Documentary film). Netherlands: NFM/IAF. – 135-minute documentary of the battle. Won the "Golden Calf" award for "Best Long Documentary" at the 1996 Nederlands Film Festival.

• To the Java Sea: The Diary, Letters and Papers of Henry E. Eccles

• "CombinedFleet.com: Tabular history of Japanese ships involved in the battle". Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2006.
• Vincent P. O'Hara. "Battle of the Java Sea: 27 February 1942 by Vincent P. O'Hara". Archived from the original on 12 April 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2006.
• "Battle of Sunda Strait: 28 February-1 March 1942 by Vincent P. O'Hara". Retrieved 31 May 2006.
• "Details on the battle and sunken ships from a diving site". Archived from the original on 30 April 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2006.
• "Details on the battle and the report from the captain of HMS Exeter". Retrieved 17 May 2006.
• "US Navy report of the battle from 1943". Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2006.
• L, Klemen. "The Japanese Invasion of Dutch West Timor Island, February 1942". The Netherlands East Indies 1941–1942.
• "Navweaps.com order of battle". Archived from the original on 17 May 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2006.
• "Australian War Memorial description of the battle with some pictures". Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2006.
• "Fall of the Dutch East Indies". Animated histories of Pacific battles of World War II. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2006.
• United States Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific): Naval Analysis Division (1946). "Chapter 3: The Japanese Invasion of the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, and Southeast Asia". The Campaigns of the Pacific War. United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
• O'Hara, Vincent (2009). Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-648-3.