Second Battle of the Java Sea
Encyclopedia
The Second Battle of the Java Sea was the last naval action of the Netherlands East Indies campaign, of 1941–1942. It occurred on 1 March 1942, two days after the first Battle of the Java Sea
. It saw the end of the last Allied
warships operating in the waters around Java, allowing Japanese
forces to complete their conquest of the Netherlands East Indies unhindered.
fleet defeated at the first battle, on 27 February 1942 had been dispersed or sunk by the Japanese.
The light cruiser
and heavy cruiser
had retired to Tanjong Priok, the port of the capital, Batavia
, in the west of the island. They were to withdraw via the Sunda Strait
to Tjilatjap on the south of the island and departed on the evening of 28 February; but encountering the Japanese Western Invasion Force later that night in Bantam Bay, they were both sunk. This is referred to as the battle of Sunda Strait
.
The heavy cruiser —severely damaged in the battle—had withdrawn to Surabaya
in the east, escorted by the Dutch destroyer
HNLMS Witte de With. There she was joined by , which arrived with the survivors from the destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer. Also at Surabaya were the four U.S. destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 58 (DesRon 58), which had also withdrawn there from the battle, and , which had been undergoing repairs.
On 28 February, after nightfall, , , , and of DesRon 58 departed for Australia via the Bali Strait
; after a brief encounter with a Japanese destroyer they arrived safely at Fremantle
on 4 March.
After emergency repairs, HMS Exeter also left for further repairs in Ceylon
, leaving at dusk on 28 February, and escorted by HMS Encounter and USS Pope. Witte de With was unable to leave, due to mechanical trouble, and was later bombed and sunk at Surabaya on 2 March.
As Exeter had too much draft for the Bali Strait, it was decided to go via Sunda Strait, which was thought still open; the morning of 1 March found the three Allied ships northwest of Bawean
island, heading westwards. The ships were making 23 kn (28 mph; 45.1 km/h), as much as Exeter could manage.
More ships were sighted at 07:50, bearing southwest; again, the Allied ships had to alter course to avoid them.
At 09:35, two heavy cruisers were sighted approaching from the south; these were and of the Eastern Invasion Force with three destroyers, under Admiral Takeo Takagi
, whom they had met two days previously at the battle of the Java Sea
.
Exeter and the destroyers turned northeast and increased speed, but soon sighted more ships approaching from the northwest; this was Admiral Ibo Takahashi
, with the heavy cruisers and and two destroyers.
Closing in on either side of the fleeing Allied ships, the cruisers opened fire at 10:20 as they came in range.
Encounter and Pope responded by making smoke, and later attempted a torpedo attack, while Exeter returned fire, but at 11:20 Exeter sustained a major hit in her boiler room, resulting in a loss of power and slowing her to 4 kn (4.9 mph; 7.8 km/h). As the four Japanese cruisers closed in on HMS Exeter, Encounter and Pope were ordered to make all speed for a nearby rain squall, in an attempt to shake off pursuit; wracked by gunfire, Exeter was brought to a standstill, and the destroyer closed in for a torpedo attack. Exeter sank at 11:40, 50 mi (43.4 nmi; 80.5 km) south of Borneo
.
The cruisers switched their attention to the fleeing destroyers; HMS Encounter was quickly hit by 8 in (203.2 mm) shell fire and sunk, but USS Pope was able to reach the rain squall and was lost to sight.
The respite was short-lived, however; shortly after noon she was spotted by planes from the aircraft carrier
, which was covering the Western Invasion Force; she was dive-bombed and sunk around 12:50.
There were just over 800 survivors altogether; these were picked up and imprisoned by the Japanese.
In the aftermath of the battle, the surviving Allied ships had dispersed to find safe haven, but as Java had been invaded by the Japanese, it became necessary to retire further.
Battle of the Java Sea
The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, that sealed the fate of the Netherlands East Indies....
. It saw the end of the last Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
warships operating in the waters around Java, allowing Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
forces to complete their conquest of the Netherlands East Indies unhindered.
Background
The American-British-Dutch-Australian CommandAmerican-British-Dutch-Australian Command
The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command, or ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia, in early 1942, during the Pacific War in World War II...
fleet defeated at the first battle, on 27 February 1942 had been dispersed or sunk by the Japanese.
The light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
and heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
had retired to Tanjong Priok, the port of the capital, Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, in the west of the island. They were to withdraw via the Sunda Strait
Sunda Strait
The Sunda Strait is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean...
to Tjilatjap on the south of the island and departed on the evening of 28 February; but encountering the Japanese Western Invasion Force later that night in Bantam Bay, they were both sunk. This is referred to as the battle of Sunda Strait
Battle of Sunda Strait
The Battle of Sunda Strait was a naval battle which occurred during World War II. On the night of 28 February – 1 March 1942, the Australian light cruiser and the American heavy cruiser faced a major Imperial Japanese Navy task force. After a fierce battle of several hours duration, both Allied...
.
The heavy cruiser —severely damaged in the battle—had withdrawn to Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
in the east, escorted by the Dutch destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
HNLMS Witte de With. There she was joined by , which arrived with the survivors from the destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer. Also at Surabaya were the four U.S. destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 58 (DesRon 58), which had also withdrawn there from the battle, and , which had been undergoing repairs.
On 28 February, after nightfall, , , , and of DesRon 58 departed for Australia via the Bali Strait
Bali Strait
Bali Strait is a 2.4 kilometer strait between the Indonesian islands of Bali and Java....
; after a brief encounter with a Japanese destroyer they arrived safely at Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
on 4 March.
After emergency repairs, HMS Exeter also left for further repairs in Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, leaving at dusk on 28 February, and escorted by HMS Encounter and USS Pope. Witte de With was unable to leave, due to mechanical trouble, and was later bombed and sunk at Surabaya on 2 March.
As Exeter had too much draft for the Bali Strait, it was decided to go via Sunda Strait, which was thought still open; the morning of 1 March found the three Allied ships northwest of Bawean
Bawean
Bawean is an island of Indonesia located approximately 150 km north of Surabaya in the Java Sea, off the coast of Java. It is administered by Gresik Regency of East Java province. It is approximately 15 km in diameter and is circumnavigated by a single narrow road. Bawean is dominated by...
island, heading westwards. The ships were making 23 kn (28 mph; 45.1 km/h), as much as Exeter could manage.
The battle
At 04:00 on 1 March, ships were sighted to the west; being in no condition for a battle, Exeter and her consorts reversed course, turning northwest to avoid contact.More ships were sighted at 07:50, bearing southwest; again, the Allied ships had to alter course to avoid them.
At 09:35, two heavy cruisers were sighted approaching from the south; these were and of the Eastern Invasion Force with three destroyers, under Admiral Takeo Takagi
Takeo Takagi
was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.-Biography:Takagi was a native of Iwaki city, Fukushima prefecture. He was a graduate of the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, ranking 17th of 148 cadets in 1911...
, whom they had met two days previously at the battle of the Java Sea
Battle of the Java Sea
The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, that sealed the fate of the Netherlands East Indies....
.
Exeter and the destroyers turned northeast and increased speed, but soon sighted more ships approaching from the northwest; this was Admiral Ibo Takahashi
Ibo Takahashi
- Books :...
, with the heavy cruisers and and two destroyers.
Closing in on either side of the fleeing Allied ships, the cruisers opened fire at 10:20 as they came in range.
Encounter and Pope responded by making smoke, and later attempted a torpedo attack, while Exeter returned fire, but at 11:20 Exeter sustained a major hit in her boiler room, resulting in a loss of power and slowing her to 4 kn (4.9 mph; 7.8 km/h). As the four Japanese cruisers closed in on HMS Exeter, Encounter and Pope were ordered to make all speed for a nearby rain squall, in an attempt to shake off pursuit; wracked by gunfire, Exeter was brought to a standstill, and the destroyer closed in for a torpedo attack. Exeter sank at 11:40, 50 mi (43.4 nmi; 80.5 km) south of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
The cruisers switched their attention to the fleeing destroyers; HMS Encounter was quickly hit by 8 in (203.2 mm) shell fire and sunk, but USS Pope was able to reach the rain squall and was lost to sight.
The respite was short-lived, however; shortly after noon she was spotted by planes from the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, which was covering the Western Invasion Force; she was dive-bombed and sunk around 12:50.
There were just over 800 survivors altogether; these were picked up and imprisoned by the Japanese.
In the aftermath of the battle, the surviving Allied ships had dispersed to find safe haven, but as Java had been invaded by the Japanese, it became necessary to retire further.