The sinking of the heavy cruiser Houston in the Battle of Java Sea is recalled by one of her survivors, Commander Walter G. Winslow, who spent ten hours in the water until rescued by a Japanese destroyer.
--S. E. Smith
From: The United States Navy in World War II
Preface to Part I: Chapter 9: The Galloping Ghost
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Nobutake Kondō | |
|---|---|
Admiral Nobutake Kondō
| |
| Born | 25 September 1886 Osaka, Japan |
| Died | 19 February 1953 (aged 66)[1] |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1907-1945 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Kako, Kongō Southern Force, Southern Force Main Body, 2nd Fleet, 1st NGS Division Operations, IJN 5th Fleet, Naval General Staff, IJN 2nd Fleet, 4th Cruiser Division, China Area Fleet[2] |
| Battles/wars | Second Sino-Japanese War * Hainan Island Operation * Swatow Operation World War II * Battle of Midway * Indian Ocean Raid * New Guinea campaign * Guadalcanal campaign * Solomon Islands campaign |
| Awards | Order of the Rising Sun (2nd class) Order of the Golden Kite (1st class and 3rd class) Order of the Sacred Treasure (3rd class) |
| Other work | Supreme War Council (Japan) |
In this Japanese name, the family name is "Kondō ".
Nobutake Kondō (近藤 信竹 Kondō Nobutake, 25 September 1886 – 19 February 1953), was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As commander of IJN 2nd Fleet, the Navy's principal detached force for independent operations, Kondō was regarded as second in importance only to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kondō commanded the IJN 2nd Fleet, participating in the invasions of Malaya, thePhilippines and the Dutch East Indies.[3] He was overall commander for the Indian Ocean Raid.
Kondō was appointed Deputy Commander of the Combined Fleet in October 1942 and was promoted to full admiral on 29 April 1943. He became Commander in Chief of the China Area Fleet from December 1943 until May 1945, when it was appointed to the Supreme War Council (Japan).
Java Invasion Force: Main article: Dutch East Indies campaign
On 8 December 1941, Netherlands declared war on Japan.[10] In January theAmerican-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM) was formed to co-ordinateAllied forces in South East Asia, under the commander of General Archibald Wavell.[11] In the weeks leading up to the invasion, senior Dutch government officials went into exiles taking political prisoners, family, and personal staff to Australia. Before the arrival of Japanese troops, there were conflicts between rival Indonesian groups where people were killed, vanished or went into hiding. Chinese- and Dutch-owned properties were ransacked and destroyed.[12]
The invasion in early 1942 was swift and complete. By January 1942, parts of Sulawesi and Kalimantan were under Japanese control.[13] By February, the Japanese had landed on Sumatra where they had encouraged the Acehnese to rebel against the Dutch.[13] On 27 February, the Allied navy's last effort to contain Japan was swept aside by their defeat in the Battle of the Java Sea.[14] From 28 February to 1 March 1942, Japanese troops landed on four places along the northern coast of Java almost undisturbed.[15] The fiercest fighting had been in invasion points in Ambon, Timor, Kalimantan, and on the Java Sea. In places where there were no Dutch troops, such as Bali, there was no fighting.[16] On 9 March, the Dutch commander surrendered along with Governor General Jonkheer A.W.L. Tjarda van Stankenborgh Stachouwer.[13]
Liberation from the Dutch was initially greeted with optimistic enthusiasm by Indonesians who came to meet the Japanese army waving flags and shouting support such as "Japan is our older brother" and "banzai Dai Nippon". As the Japanese advanced, rebellious Indonesians in virtually every part of the archipelago killed groups of Europeans (particularly the Dutch) and informed the Japanese reliably on the whereabouts of larger groups.[17] As famed Indonesian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer noted: "With the arrival of the Japanese just about everyone was full of hope, except for those who had worked in the service of the Dutch.
| Karel Doorman | |
|---|---|
Karel Doorman
| |
| Born | April 23, 1889 Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Died | February 28, 1942 (aged 52) Java Sea |
| Allegiance |  Netherlands |
| Service/branch |  Royal Netherlands Navy |
| Years of service | 1906–1942 |
| Rank |  Schout-bij-nacht |
| Commands held | Combined Striking Force ofABDACOM |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight of the Military William Order, 3rd class (1942) Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau War Commemorative Cross, 2nd class Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari(Poland) |
Karel Willem Frederik Marie Doorman (April 23, 1889 – February 28, 1942) was a Dutch Rear Admiral who commanded ABDACOM Naval forces, a hastily-organized multinational naval force formed to defend the East Indies against an overwhelming Imperial Japanese attack. Doorman was killed and the main body of ABDACOM Naval forces destroyed during the Battle of the Java Sea. In commemoration, the Royal Netherlands Navy named three ships after him: HNLMS Karel Doorman (1946), HNLMS Karel Doorman (1948) andHNLMS Karel Doorman (1991).
On May 16, 1940, he was promoted to Rear-Admiral and on June 13, 1940 on board the light cruiser De Ruyter, he took command of the squadron of Rear-Admiral GW Stöve[2] at Surabaya. Early 1942 he commanded the Combined Striking Force of ABDACOM,American British Dutch Australian Command. Doorman was killed in action when his ship De Ruyter was sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea. Part of the crew was rescued, but Doorman, following old navy tradition, chose to go down with his ship.[1] On June 5, 1942 he was posthumously made a Knight 3rd class in the Military William Order. The medal was awarded to the Rear-Admiral's eldest son on May 23, 1947 by Lieutenant-Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich, on board HNLMS Karel Doorman, attended by Prince Bernhard.
Between 1946 and 2006 the Royal Dutch Navy named three vessels after Karel Doorman, including a former British Colossus class aircraft carrier, the largest ship the Navy ever commissioned.
"I attack, follow me"[edit]
Karel Doorman is often honoured because he is said to have signalled "Ik val aan, volg mij" ("I attack, follow me") during the Battle of the Java Sea, which was considered very gallant. The real explanation is different.
On February 27, 1942 at approximately four in the afternoon the Japanese and the allied squadrons spotted each other.[3] The guns of the two Japanese cruisers had a longer range than the Allied guns and at about five o'clock the British cruiser HMS Exeter was hit. Twenty minutes later the Dutch destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer was torpedoed. The ship exploded and broke in two pieces. Confusion arose in the Allied squadron over the way forward, compounded by the fact that HMS Exeter could only sail at half power and wanted to return to port at Tanjung Priok on its own steam.
Remembering instructions issued by High Command, Doorman gave the order to attack at the approach of the Japanese fleet. The tactical command "I attack, follow me" as such he did not signal at the beginning of this battle in the Java Sea. It is a very free translation of the signal sent by him, "All ships - follow me", to remedy the confusion. The battle on February 27, 1942 which, with interruptions, lasted for over seven hours, ended with the almost complete destruction of Doorman's squadron. The squadron commander was killed aboard the flagship, which sank after about 1 ½ hours.
The Hague Kloosterkerk has a memorial plaque and commemorations for the Battle of the Java Sea are regularly held.
Rear-Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman
Karel Willem Frederick Marie Doorman was born on April 23rd, 1889, at Utrecht and entered the Royal Netherlands Naval College in Den Helder at the age of 17.
On August 24th, 1910, he became an officer and after serving on various ships, in the Far East as well as in the Netherlands, he went in August 1915 to the air division of the Navy at Soesterberg. In 1921, he attended a staff course at the naval staff college in the Hague. Then there followed several postings: at the naval department in Batavia, on board the armoured ship De Zeven Provincien and on the naval staff in the Hague. He served as a commanding officer on board destroyers and cruisers.
From August 17th, 1938 until May 16th, 1940, he was in command of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service in the East Indies, while on the latter date he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral and appointed commander of the Netherlands Squadron in the East. Considering Doorman had earned his wings as a young officer and had a very close connection with the naval air service, he can undoubtedly be qualified as being "air-minded" and must have been aware of the importance of an adequate air reconnaissance. Doorman was always asking for assistance from aircraft and, during the last staff conference on February 26th, 1942, he told the Naval Commander Surabaya that he sincerely hoped he could rely on the necessary information and assistance from the air. Fate would have it otherwise; there were just no aircraft available.
Furthermore, the aeroplane from the USS cruiser Houston was left behind in Surabaya as one prepared for a night action. Doorman was a very special and very difficult man, not only to others, but also to himself. He had a tropical illness which sometimes caused him much inconvenience, and which would not have made it easier for him to carry the weighty responsibility of uniting a Striking Force, which moreover changed its formation several times. Yet, it was his leadership and stubborn determination which nevertheless made this Striking Force an effective force. When the flagship was fatally hit by a Japanese torpedo Doorman and his staff could have left the ship, as there was sufficient time to get into the boats, but instead he chose to go under with the Dutch light cruiser De Ruyter.
Class: Northampton Class Heavy Cruiser
Registry: CL-30
CA-30
Launched: 7, September 1929
 USS Houston off San Diego, California, in October 1935. | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 1 May 1928 |
| Launched: | 7 September 1929 |
| Commissioned: | 17 June 1930 |
| Nickname: | "Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast" |
| Honors and awards: | 2 × battle stars, 1 × Presidential Unit Citation |
| Fate: | Sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait, 1 March 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Northampton-class heavy cruiser |
| Displacement: | 9,200 tons |
| Length: | 570 ft (170 m) (waterline); 600 ft 3 in (182.96 m) (overall) |
| Beam: | 66 ft 1 in (20.14 m) |
| Draft: | 16 ft 6 in (5.03 m) (mean); 23 ft (7.0 m) (maximum) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × Parsons geared turbines, 8 × White-Forster boilers, 4 × shafts, 107,000 ihp (80,000 kW) |
| Speed: | 32.7 kn (37.6 mph; 60.6 km/h) |
| Range: | 13,000 nmi (15,000 mi; 24,000 km) @ 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Capacity: | Fuel oil: 1,500 tons |
| Complement: | 1,100 Officers: 105 Enlisted: 995[1] |
| Armament: | 9 × 8 in (200 mm)/55 cal guns (3x3), 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 cal AA guns, 32 ×40 mm AA guns, 27 × 20 mm AA cannons |
| Armor: | |
| Aircraft carried: | 4 × SOC Seagull scout-observationseaplanes |
| Aviation facilities: | 2 × catapults |
USS Houston (CA-30) (originally designated CL-30), nicknamed the "Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast", was a Northampton-class heavy cruiserof the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship to bear the name "Houston".
She was launched by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company,Newport News, Virginia on 7 September 1929, sponsored by Elizabeth Holcombe (daughter of Oscar Holcombe, then-mayor of Houston, Texas), and commissioned as CL-30 on 17 June 1930, Captain Jesse Bishop Gay commanding. Her designation was changed to CA-30 on 1 July 1931.
Receiving word that the major Japanese invasion force was approaching Java protected by a formidable surface unit, Admiral Doorman decided to meet and seek to destroy the main convoy. Sailing on 26 February 1942 with the cruisers Houston, HMAS Perth,HNLMS De Ruyter, HMS Exeter, HNLMS Java and 10 destroyers, he met the Japanese support force under Admiral Takeo Takagiconsisting of four cruisers and 13 destroyers.
In the battle on 27 February 1942, Doorman's forces met the Japanese fleet for the first time in the late afternoon. As Japanese destroyers laid smoke, the cruisers of both fleets opened fire. After one ineffective torpedo attack, the Japanese light cruisers and destroyers launched a second and sank the destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer. HMS Exeter and the destroyer HMS Electra were hit by gunfire, Electra sinking shortly after. At 17:30 Admiral Doorman turned south toward the Java coast, not wishing to be diverted from his main purpose: the destruction of the convoy itself.
The Allied fleet dodged another torpedo attack and followed the coastline, during which time the destroyer HMS Jupiter was sunk, either by mine or internal explosion. The destroyer HMS Encounter was detached to pick up survivors from Kortenaer, and the American destroyers, their torpedoes expended, were ordered back to Surabaya. With no destroyer protection, Doorman's four remaining ships turned north again in a last attempt to stop the invasion of Java.
At 23:00 the same night, the cruisers again encountered the Japanese surface group. On parallel courses the opposing units opened fire, and the Japanese launched a torpedo attack 30 minutes later. De Ruyter and Java, caught in a spread of 12 torpedoes, exploded and sank, carrying their captains and Admiral Doorman down with them.
This battle on 27 February 1942 was the largest surface engagement since the Battle of Jutland in World War I. By the end of the day, two cruisers and 3 destroyers of the ABDA naval force had been sunk, the remaining destroyers had been ordered back to Surabaya, the cruiser Exeter had been damaged and, before his own ship was sunk, Doorman had ordered the cruisers Perth and Houston to retire.
Battle of Sunda Strait[edit]
Main article: Battle of Sunda Strait
On 28 February 1942, the day after the Battle of the Java Sea, the ABDA cruisers Perth and Houstonsteamed into Banten Bay. It is believed that they had no knowledge of the Japanese battle fleet, their last intelligence report having stated that the only Japanese warships in the area were 50 miles (43 nmi) away and headed away. It is however possible that they were hoping to damage the Japanese invasion forces there. The two ships were attacked as they approached the bay, but evaded the nine torpedoes launched by destroyer Fubuki.[citation needed]
According to ABDA post-battle reports, the cruisers then reportedly sank one transport and forced three others to beach. It is also possible and viewed in some quarters as more likely, however, that the transports were damaged by "friendly fire" in the form of some of the over 90 Long Lance torpedoesfired at the two ABDA cruisers by Japanese destroyers. A Japanese destroyer squadron blocked Sunda Strait, their means of retreat, and the Japanese heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma stood dangerously near. The Houston and Perth could not withdraw. Perth came under fire at 23:36 and in an hour had been sunk from gunfire and torpedo hits. On board the Houston, shells were in short supply in the forward turrets, so the crew manhandled shells from the disabled number three turret to the forward turrets. Houston then fought alone until soon after midnight, when she was struck by a torpedo and began to lose headway.
Houston's gunners had scored hits on three different destroyers and sunk a minesweeper, but then suffered three more torpedo explosions in quick succession. Captain Albert Rooks was killed by a bursting shell at 00:30 and as the ship came to a stop Japanese destroyers moved in, machine gunning the decks. A few minutes later, Houston rolled over and sank, her ensign still flying. Of the original crew of 1,061 men, 368 survived, including 24 of the 74-man USMC detachment, only to be captured by the Japanese and interned in prison camps.
Aftermath[edit]
Houston's fate was not fully known by the world for almost nine months, and the full story of her last fight was not told until after the war was over and her survivors were liberated from the prison camps. Before then, on 30 May 1942, 1,000 new recruits for the Navy, known as the Houston Volunteers, were sworn in at a dedication ceremony in downtown Houston, to replace those believed lost on USS Houston. On 12 October 1942 the light cruiser Vicksburg (CL-81) then under construction was renamedHouston in honor of the old ship, President Roosevelt declaring:
Captain Rooks received posthumously the Medal of Honor for his actions. Chaplain George S. Rentz, who had surrendered his life jacket to a younger sailor after finding himself in the water, was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. He was the only Navy Chaplain to be so honored during World War II.
The crew of USS Houston is honored alongside that of HMAS Perth at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia.
| Battle of the Java Sea | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II, Pacific War | |||||||
 Bombs from a Japanese aircraft falling near the Dutch light cruiser Java in the Gaspar Strait east of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, on 15 February 1942. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
Netherlands United States United Kingdom Australia | Empire of Japan | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Karel Doorman †[1] Conrad Helfrich[2] |  Takeo Takagi[3] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2 heavy cruisers 3 light cruisers 9 destroyers | 2 heavy cruisers 2 light cruisers 14 destroyers 10 transports | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 cruisers sunk 3 destroyers sunk 2,300 sailors killed | 1 destroyer damaged 4 transports sunk | ||||||
| |||||
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.
Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on 27 February 1942, and in secondary actions over successive days. The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) Strike Force commander—Rear-Admiral Karel Doorman—was killed. The aftermath of the battle included several smaller actions around Java, including the smaller but also significant Battle of Sunda Strait.
Battle[edit]
The Japanese amphibious forces gathered to strike at Java, and on 27 February 1942, the main American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM) naval force, under Doorman, sailed northeast from Surabaya to intercept a convoy of the Eastern Invasion Force approaching from the Makassar Strait. The ABDA force consisted of two heavy cruisers (HMS Exeter and USS Houston), three light cruisers (HNLMS De Ruyter(Doorman's flagship), 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).
The Japanese task force protecting the convoy, commanded by Rear-Admiral Takeo Takagi,[13] consisted of two heavy (Nachi and Haguro) and two light cruisers (Naka andJintsu) and 14 destroyers (Yudachi, Samidare, Murasame, Harusame, Minegumo,Asagumo, Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Yamakaze, Kawakaze,Sazanami, and Ushio) including the 4th Destroyer Squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura.[14] The Japanese heavy cruisers were much more powerful, armed with ten 8 in (200 mm) guns each and superb torpedoes. By comparison, Exeter was armed only with six 8 in (200 mm) guns. While Houston carried nine 8 in (200 mm) guns, only six remained operable after her aft turret had been knocked out in an earlier air attack.
The ABDA force engaged the Japanese in the Java Sea, and the battle raged intermittently from mid-afternoon to midnight as the Allies tried to reach and attack the troop transports of the Java invasion fleet, but they were repulsed by superior firepower. The Allies had local air superiority during the daylight hours, because Japanese air power could not reach the fleet in the bad weather. The weather also hindered communications, making cooperation between the many Allied parties involved—in reconnaissance, air cover and fleet headquarters—even worse than it already was. The Japanese also jammed the radio frequencies. Exeter was the only ship in the battle equipped with radar, an emerging technology at the time.
The battle consisted of a series of attempts over a seven-hour period by Doorman's Combined Striking Force to reach and attack the invasion convoy; each was rebuffed by the escort force with heavy losses being inflicted on the Allies.
The fleets sighted each other at about 16:00 on 27 February and closed to firing range, opening fire at 16:16. Both sides exhibited poor gunnery and torpedo skills during this phase of the battle. Despite her recent refit (with the addition of modern Type-284 gunery control radar), Exeter'sgun-fire did not come close to the Japanese ships, while Houston only managed to achieve a straddle on one of the opposing cruisers. The only notable result of the gunnery exchange was Exeter being critically damaged by a hit in the boiler room from an 8 in (200 mm) shell. The ship then limped away to Surabaya, escorted by Witte de With. The Japanese launched two huge torpedo salvoes, 92 in all, but scored only one hit, on Kortenaer. She was struck by a Long Lance, broke in two and sank rapidly after the hit. Electra—covering Exeter—engaged in a duel with Jintsu and Asagumo, scoring several hits but suffering severe damage to her superstructure. After a serious fire started on Electra and her remaining turret ran out of ammunition, abandon ship was ordered. On the Japanese side, only Asagumo was forced to retire because of damage.
The Allied fleet broke off and turned away around 18:00, covered by a smoke screen laid by the four destroyers of U.S Destroyer Division 58 (DesDiv 58). They also launched a torpedo attack but at too long a range to be effective. Doorman's force turned south toward the Java coast, then west and north as night fell in an attempt to evade the Japanese escort group and fall on the convoy. It was at this point the ships of DesDiv 58—their torpedoes expended—left on their own initiative to return to Surabaya.
Shortly after, at 21:25, Jupiter ran onto a mine and was sunk, while about 20 minutes later, the fleet passed where Kortenaer had sunk earlier, and Encounter was detached to pick up survivors. Doorman's command, now reduced to four cruisers, again encountered the Japanese escort group at 23:00; both columns exchanged fire in the darkness at long range, until De Ruyter and Java were sunk, by one devastating torpedo salvo. Doorman and most of his crew went down with De Ruyter; only 111 were saved from both ships. Only the cruisers Perth and Houston remained; low on fuel and ammunition, and following Doorman's last instructions, the two ships retired, arriving at Tanjung Priok on 28 February.
Although the Allied fleet did not reach the invasion fleet, the battle did give the defenders of Java a one-day respite.
Aftermath[edit]
Battle of Sunda Strait[edit]
Main article: Battle of Sunda Strait
Perth and Houston were at Tanjung Priok on 28 February when they received orders to sail through Sunda Strait to Tjilatjap. Material was running short in Java, and neither was able to rearm or fully refuel. Departing at 21:00 on 28 February for the Sunda Strait, by chance they encountered the main Japanese invasion fleet for West Java in Bantam Bay. The Allied ships were engaged by at least three cruisers and several destroyers.
In a ferocious night action that ended after midnight on 1 March, Perth and Houston were sunk. A Japanese minesweeper and a troop transport were sunk by friendly fire, while three other transports were damaged and had to be beached.
Second Java Sea[edit]
Main article: Second Battle of the Java Sea
After emergency repairs the badly-damaged Exeter left Surabaya for Ceylon; she departed at dusk on 28 February and limped toward Sunda Strait, escorted by the destroyers HMS Encounter and USS Pope. However, all three ships were intercepted by the Japanese heavy cruisers Nachi, Haguro, Myoko and Ashigara - and their attendant destroyers - on the morning of 1 March. Exeter andEncounter were sunk together around noon, while Pope escaped only to be sunk several hours later by aerial attack.
Bali Strait[edit]
Further information: USS Alden (DD-211)
The four U.S destroyers of DesRon 58—John D. Edwards, John D. Ford, Alden and Paul Jones—were also at Surabaya; they left for Australia at nightfall on 28 February. After a brief encounter with a Japanese destroyer in the Bali Strait, which they were able to evade, they reached Fremantle safely on 4 March.
Consequences[edit]
A further two American, and one Dutch destroyer were sunk as they attempted to escape to Australia. The main ABDA naval force had been almost totally destroyed: 10 ships and approximately 2,173 sailors had been lost. The Battle of the Java Sea ended significant Allied naval operations in South-East Asia in 1942, and Japanese land forces invaded Java on 28 February. The Dutch royal navy surface fleet was factually eradicated from the Asian waters and Holland would never reclaim full control of its colony. The Japanese had laid open the control of one of the most important food-producing regions, Java, and by conquering the Dutch East-Indies Japan also gained ultimate control over the sources of the fourth largest oil producer in the world in 1940.
The U.S. and Royal Air Force then started to retreat to Australia. Dutch troops aided by British remnants fought fiercely for a week. In the campaign the Japanese executed many Allied POWs and sympathizing Indonesians. Despite their logistical problems, the decisive factor in Japan's favor seems to have been air power. Eventually, the Japanese won this decisive battle of attrition and ABDA forces surrendered on 9 March.
