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Battle of the Java Sea
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<p><a href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Battle_of_the_Java_Sea¶ms=5_0_S_111_0_E_">5°0′S 111°0′E / 5.000°S 111.000°E / -5.000; 111.000</a> </p> <p>The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive <a href="/facts/Naval_battle/Wtc3fJYw">naval battle</a> of the <a href="/facts/Pacific_War/yNu6op98">Pacific campaign</a> of <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>. </p><p><a href="/facts/Allies_of_World_War_II/YzCdtjDY">Allied</a> navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the <a href="/facts/Imperial_Japanese_Navy/smLn7IyT">Imperial Japanese Navy</a> on 27 February 1942 and in secondary actions over successive days, starting when the main <a href="/facts/American-British-Dutch-Australian_Command/UN2SseQ2">ABDA</a> fleet strike force of 2 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, and 9 destroyers, led by ABDA fleet's main commander, Admiral <a href="/facts/Karel_Doorman/y0aGyq96">Karel Doorman</a>, attempted to intercept a Japanese troop convoy in the <a href="/facts/Java_Sea/dCg8w3on">Java Sea</a>, only to be intercepted by the convoy's better equipped escort force. The battle started off as a stalemate, but the heavy cruiser <i><a href="/facts/Japanese_cruiser_Haguro/8WeP6tjh">Haguro</a></i> changed the course of the battle when she crippled the heavy cruiser <a href="/facts/HMS_Exeter_(68)/nn8qWw6j">HMS <i>Exeter</i></a> with gunfire, then torpedoed and sank the Dutch destroyer <i><a href="/facts/HNLMS_Kortenaer_(1927)/LxNESmVv">Kortenaer</a>,</i> sending Doorman's fleet into a chaotic frenzy. A gunfight between allied and Japanese destroyers then resulted in the sinking of <a href="/facts/HMS_Electra_(H27)/HmLTLqh6">HMS <i>Electra</i></a>, before Doorman's force made a false retreat, ending the daylight engagement. </p><p>However, under the cover of night, Admiral Doorman's ships attempted another attack, during which the destroyer <a href="/facts/HMS_Jupiter_(F85)/9roUFhRm">HMS <i>Jupiter</i></a> accidentally hit a Dutch mine and sank, but the Japanese immediately caught on to their plan, prompting the <i>Haguro</i> and her sistership <i><a href="/facts/Japanese_cruiser_Nachi/t56wN1CI">Nachi</a></i> to ambush the allied fleet with a stealthy long range torpedo attack. One of <i>Nachi's</i> torpedoes hit the Dutch light cruiser <i><a href="/facts/HNLMS_Java_(1921)/VHHmfNq7">Java</a></i>, which was instantly blown apart and sank with almost all hands. One of <i>Haguro's</i> torpedoes then hit the allied flagship, the Dutch light cruiser <i><a href="/facts/HNLMS_De_Ruyter_(1935)/X7stGDVs">De Ruyter</a></i>, which sank to progressive flooding over several hours, killing Admiral Doorman. </p><p>The aftermath of the battle included several smaller actions around Java, including the smaller but also significant <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Sunda_Strait/NYWSFvpb">Battle of Sunda Strait</a>, which saw the sinking of the heavy cruiser <a href="/facts/USS_Houston_(CA-30)/eYhLRHqj">USS <i>Houston</i></a><i>,</i> the light cruiser <a href="/facts/HMAS_Perth_(D29)/jbKyvfyM">HMAS <i>Perth</i></a>, and the destroyer <a href="/facts/HNLMS_Evertsen_(1926)/dN97SLs9">HNLMS <i>Evertsen</i></a>, and the <a href="/facts/Second_Battle_of_the_Java_Sea/90Wbk1lN">second battle of the Java Sea</a>, where the still crippled <i>Exeter</i> and her escorting destroyers were sunk by a Japanese cruiser destroyer squadron, including <i>Haguro</i>. These defeats led to the dissolution of the ABDA fleet as a whole, the scuttling of the Dutch navy, and the Japanese occupation of the entire <a href="/facts/Dutch_East_Indies/1vl6kw8p">Dutch East Indies</a>. </p>