Friday, March 08, 2013

Fullbore Friday

It's been half a decade since this FbF .... time to revisit - about 71 years ago ...

At the bottom of the post you will find a video companion to my Battle of Sunda Straight post a couple of years ago.
The Battle of the Java Sea was a major naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied navies suffered a series of disastrous defeats at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, in actions over several days in February-March 1942.
...
he ABDA force consisted of two heavy cruisers (HMS Exeter, USS Houston) and three light cruisers (HNLMS De RuyterHNLMS 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, USS Pope and USS Paul Jones. (Doorman's flagship),

The Japanese convoy was escorted by two heavy (Nachi, Haguro) and two light cruisers (Naka, Jintsu) and fourteen destroyers (Yudachi, Samidare, Murasame, Harusame, Minegumo, Asagumo, Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Yamakaze, Kawakaze, Sazanami, and Ushio) under the command of Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura. The Japanese heavy cruisers were much more powerful, armed with ten 8-inch (203 mm) guns each and superb torpedoes. The ExeterHouston was armed only with six of these guns. While the carried nine 8-inchers, only six remained operable as her aft turret had been knocked out in an earlier air attack.
...
The main ABDA naval force had been almost totally destroyed: 10 ships and approximately 2,173 sailors had been lost.
One thing I would like to see made into a movie by Clint Eastwood is the last 24 hours of the USS Houston and HMAS Perth.
HMAS Perth and USS Houston in Tandjong Priok


These ships were there as a result of Admiral Doorman's final order in the Battle of the Java Sea. They arrived in the morning of February 28th, and immediately tried to obtain oil and ammunition. The could get the first, although not without effort, but ammunition, that they so badly needed, was not available. At this time, the PerthHouston only 50 rounds. If they got into a fight, it was sure they wouldn't last long. They were battleready that night and left the harbor at about 1900 hours, and Captain Waller, the highest in rank, decided to sail directly to Sunda Strait, without making a curve around the invasion forces as Admiral Helfrich had ordered. This was the shortest way, but also the most dangerous. The Japanese had landed in the Bantam Bay on the north coast of Java, at Merak in Sunda Strait and at Eretan Ewan, east of Tandjong Priok. The two allied cruisers had to deal with the escorting squadron, which was devided into three groups: One was of the invasion force for Merak and consisted of the light cruiser Yura and four destroyers, the second was the invasion force at Bantam Bay and consisted of 1 cruiser and 11 destroyers and finally, the support group in the Java Sea, with the light carrier Ryujo, the heavy cruisers Mogami, Mikuma, Kumano and Suzuya. Mikuma and Mogami were cruising very close to the landingsite in Bantam Bay. There was also an invasion force at Eretan Ewan, but that one took no part in the final destruction of the Allied ships. The Perth and Houston, as said, sailed at top speed directly to Sunda Strait and encountered at about 22.30 the Japanese destroyer Fubuki, which guarded the Eastern approaches. She fired her 9 Long Lance torpedo's at about 3000 yards and retreated. The cruisers now saw the invasion force in the Bantam Bay and fired on the several dozen transports there. At that time, there were two destroyers in the bay and those immediately tried to make smoke screens to protect the transports. Nevertheless, the Allied cruisers scored hits on the transports, but no ship was sunk. At this time, stronger Japanese forces were closing in on the small squadron, but the only result was hits on Japanese warships and none on the Allied. This was soon to change. Japanese destroyers fired about 28 torpedoes, of which luckily none was a hit. The Perth and Houston replied which rapid gunfire and in the case of Perth, also torpedoes and managed to score several hits on the destroyers, but were themselves also slightly damaged by gunfire. But the heavy cruisers MogamiMikuma arrived at the battleground. Their 8 inch grenades surrounded the Perth and Houston and they also fired torpedoes. At about 23.20, the allied cruisers were out of ammo and now could only hope to reach safer waters by high speed. Japanese torpedoes were flying all over the battleground, and scored one hit on Perth, later followed by another two. This resulted in heavy loss of life, especially in engineering. Waller ordered to abandon ship, but the Perth received her fourth hit, which was too much for her. She sank and took half the crew with her. By this time, also the Houston had received several hits, including vital hits. A whole gun salvo hit the aft engine room where the high pressured steam killed almost everyone. The central fire control system was down along with one of the forward 8 inch-turrets. At about 00.20, the last operational turret was hit and Captain Rooks ordered to flood the forward magazines. Without the heavy batteries, she now fought a useless battle. But she still had her 5-inch guns and her machineguns and continued the fight. At about 00.30 three torpedoes hit the Houston on her starboard side. The water entered the ship from all sides and Rooks ordered to abandon ship. Captain Rooks died when he was hit by a part of a machinegun foundation. He died in the arms of his officers. Commander Roberts noticed that the Houston still had a lot of speed and decided to wait with abandoning the ship. The guns were still firing at this time, but the ship was lying dead in the water and the Japanese destroyers took the decks under fire with their machineguns. The Houston sank and took two thirds of it's crew with her. Only about 368 of a crew of over a 1000 were taken prisoner.
Gives me shivers to this day - thought I have read the account any number of times.

Besides going over the details again (you can do that some more at the links above), I would like this chance to personalize it. You need to see the very personal, one man's son's story from the HMS Exeter(you remember her). Click here to see it. Nicely done.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous13:07

    We are a group of volunteers and starting a brand new scheme in our community.
    Your site offered us with useful information to work
    on. You've performed a formidable job and our whole group can be thankful to you.

    Here is my blog post: paläodiät

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous03:44

    I viѕited many wеbsitеs but thе auԁіο fеаture foг audio
    songs сurгent at thіs ωeb sitе is genuinely еxcellent.


    Feel fгеe to surf to my web blog -
    Fastest way to lose weight

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous23:51

    Hello, all is going well here and ofcourse every one is sharing
    facts, that's in fact excellent, keep up writing.

    Feel free to surf to my website - know more

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous17:46

    Link exchange is nothing else however it is only
    placing the other person's blog link on your page at appropriate place and other person will also do same in support of you.

    Stop by my blog - click here

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous19:00

    Helpful information. Lucky me I found your site unintentionally,
    and I'm surprised why this accident did not took place in advance! I bookmarked it.

    Feel free to visit my weblog :: know more about

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous14:07

    Hey! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using
    for this website? I'm getting tired of Wordpress because I've
    had problems with hackers and I'm looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

    Here is my web page; view next

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous12:05

    This lavish search apparatus searches the on the house full-text of more than 400 online law reviews and law journals, as marvellously as chronicle repositories hosting speculative papers and correlated publications such as Congressional Research Service reports. Distinct of the law reviews and right journals (such as the Stanford Technology Law Discuss), working papers, and reports are elbow online only.

    http://czarny.zuru.com.pl/tag/prawo-k/
    http://www.pirlo.pl/biznes-ekonomia/doradztwo-konsulting/43.html
    http://whamer.pl/firmy/prawo,rodzinne,s,4783/
    http://swas.elk.pl/?p=4080
    http://www.bezkompromisowy.com/d/10265/adwokaci-sjs-skuteczny-adwokat/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous01:01

    A tooth (plural teeth) is a small, calcified, whitish build start in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and occupied to sever down food. Some animals, surprisingly carnivores, also take teeth for the purpose hunting or instead of defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are covered by gums. Teeth are not made of bone, but rather of multiple tissues of varying density and hardness.

    The general systematize of teeth is nearly the same across the vertebrates, although there is sizeable modulation in their fabric and position. The teeth of mammals be struck by profound roots, and this decoration is also create in some fish, and in crocodilians. In most teleost fish, how, the teeth are fastened to the outer surface of the bone, while in lizards they are fixed devoted to to the inner side of the jaw alongside one side. In cartilaginous fish, such as sharks, the teeth are unavailable by means of cold ligaments to the hoops of cartilage that type the jaw.

    http://www.braciaki.com.pl/strony,blogi,fora/odwiedz,www,s,534/
    http://www.milten.edu.pl/zdrowie,i,uroda/leczenie,zebow,laserem,s,1128/
    http://mercik.pl/firmy/resekcja,korzenia,s,2074/
    http://wyniuchalik.pl/firmy/zatoki,szczekowe,s,2896/
    http://szperaczka.be/firmy/implanty,s,2260/

    http://iportalik.pl/zdrowie,i,uroda/stomatolog,dzieciecy,katowice,s,4507/
    http://www.allekko.pl/zdrowie,i,uroda/odwiedz,www,s,1983/
    http://www.zielonykatalog.net.pl/zdrowie,i,uroda/strona,glowna,s,2256/
    http://wpisownia.pl/firmy/endodoncja,s,4264/
    http://katalogasy.pl/firmy/stomatolog,laser,s,2940/

    http://undulatus.suwalki.pl/zdrowie,i,uroda/ortodonta,katowice,s,2515/
    http://www.elnela.com.pl/zdrowie,i,uroda/implanty,zebow,katowice,s,4843/
    http://www.algem.pl/zdrowie,i,uroda/protezy,katowice,s,1973/
    http://magcargo.limanowa.pl/zdrowie,i,uroda/endodoncja,s,834/
    http://www.cristallo.com.pl/strony,blogi,fora/ortodonci,katowice,s,528/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10:26

    Tyya's dad won't take anything sizeable at the depend on - no ice cream, no sweets, no cookies. But when the saleslady puts a premium sticker on Tyya's nose, Daddy is done feigned to net something incorruptible

    http://www.webhunter.pl/?p=1


    http://xn--posiki-6db.net.pl/zupa-pomidorowa
    http://kwiaciarnie.profesjonalne-uslugi.pl/kwiaciarnia-calodobowa_konin_1.html
    http://dessert.pl/tag/desery/page/3
    http://falconteam.pl/tag/inwencja
    http://dobraagencjareklamowa.com.pl/?p=165

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous04:11

    I enjoy reading a post that can make people think.
    Also, thanks for allowing for me to comment!

    my web blog: raspberry ketone

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous00:58

    Аfter I οriginаlly commеnted I appear to have clicked on the
    -Notify mе when new comments are aԁdeԁ- checkbοx аnԁ from nоw on every time a cοmment
    is addeԁ Ι get 4 emails ωith the exаct sаme comment.
    There has to bе a wау you сan removе me from that service?
    Cheers!

    Feel freе to visit my blog :: iphonerepairmalaysia.jigsy.com

    ReplyDelete