It is February 1942. In a rapid military campaign, the Japanese Empire overwhelmed large parts in Asia, including the Dutch East Indies. After two disastrous naval battles, the combined Allied fleet decided to abandon its headquarters in the region and seek refuge elsewhere. Among the ships leaving the region were famous USS Houston and HMAS Perth.
Their vessels battered from previous engagements and their crews exhausted, but relieved they were close to leaving the violent waters. As the ships navigated the Sunda Strait, the cruisers were alarmed when a lookout on Perth spotted an unidentified ship against the horizon.
The unknown ship responded incorrectly, prompting Captain Hector Waller to recognise the threat and order General Quarters. In fact, this Japanese destroyer escorted a large convoy of transports, and it wasn't alone. The destroyer Harakaze shot a red flare to alert its fleet. The Allies, now on high alert, were about to face battle once again.
Following the fall of Singapore to the Japanese on February 14, 1942, Allied forces defending the Dutch East Indies struggled against a strong Japanese offensive. The Japanese employed aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, aircraft and well-trained special naval landing forces in a coordinated assault.
Abder's defences, led by poorly coordinated contingents from Britain, the United States, Australia and the Netherlands, faced difficulties under the command of Field Marshal Lord Archibald Wavell. Commander Wavell departed for Ceylon, anticipating the fall of the Dutch East Indies. Conrad Helfrich took over command of the Allied forces in the region. Despite strong resistance, the Allies could not withstand the Japanese forces.
Dutch Rear Admiral Carol Dorman's flagship was sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea on February 27th, leading to the dissolution of the multinational command. With heavy cruisers damaged and key leaders killed, the senior British and American admirals decided to pull their ships out. The heavy cruisers, particularly HMS Exeter and USS Houston, faced challenges with severe damage and shortages, including burned-out gun turrets and ammunition shortages.
The deteriorating condition of the warships, once prestigious vessels, was worrisome. Its crews were not looking any better. Exhausted and sleep-deprived, they had not rested for 30 hours, constantly defending against air and sea attacks. Captain Albert Rooks had not changed his uniform in three days. Aboard the Leander-class light cruiser Perth, conditions were much the same. Both vessels had to evacuate Java to avoid the Japanese invasion heading for Australia. However, the need to navigate with limited supplies did not bode well for their journey.
Javanese fuel quality did not meet naval standards, causing tank issues. Despite limited ammunition, the ships aimed to escape the Japanese threat by heading west through the Sunda Strait at night, refueling on Java's south shore and making a high-speed run to Australia, capitalizing on the Japanese lack of radar. Despite the weariness and challenges faced by the crews of USS Houston and HMAS Perth, the news of their withdrawal to Australia lifted their spirits.
Captain Hector Waller was the de facto senior officer for the journey. Many expressed relief and optimism at the prospect of leaving the perilous situation in the Java Sea. On February 28th at 6.30pm, the two cruisers left the harbour, cautiously avoiding Dutch mines. Once clear, they increased speed to 22 knots, heading west towards the Sunda Strait. 22 knots, heading west towards the Sunda Strait. The exhausted crews, respecting their skipper, manned their stations as the ships moved into the dusk under a clear sky and a full moon, unaware of a small ship following them.
Unbeknownst to the Allied forces, the small ship was the Japanese destroyer Fubuki, part of a convoy with 56 transports heading for West Java's Bantam Bay. Accompanying them were four heavy cruisers armed with deadly long-lance torpedoes, outranging those on Perth, and a light cruiser, Notori, also equipped with long-lance torpedoes. also equipped with long-lance torpedoes.
The Japanese ships, manned by well-trained crews experienced in night fighting, were under the command of Rear Admiral Takeo Kurita, with a mission to land Lieutenant General Hitoshi Inamura's 16th Army at Bantam Bay for the conquest of Java. The cruisers were alarmed when a lookout on Perth spotted an unidentified ship.
Perth signaled using their Aldis lamp, but the unknown ship respondeder Harukaze, escorting the transports, heeled away emitting smoke and revealing its full silhouette. The Japanese destroyer launched a red flare to alert its fleet. Houston's alarm bells rang calling the crew to general quarters. As the fleeing Allied cruisers passed Babi Island, they unexpectedly found themselves amid a vast Japanese convoy surrounded by 27 transports, the Mogami-class heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma, Nagara-class light cruiser Notori, and seven destroyers, all under the command of Rear Admiral Kenzaburo Hara. These lay dispersed to the northwest.
Hara mistakenly believed the fleeing cruisers were heading in the opposite direction, failing to guard the transports, their primary mission. The Japanese neglected to intercept Perth and Houston, allowing the Allied ships to slip by Fubuki, which issued a warning too late. Panic broke out amidst the Japanese ranks, as ships to the west scrambled to take their position and prepare for battle. Japanese Admiral Kurita held back his cruisers and destroyers, leaving the chaotic battle to Hara.
The two battered cruisers engaged 27 vulnerable transports, sailing to the west with their guns blazing. The Hatakaze and Harukaze sailed northwest, laying a smokescreen in an attempt to hide the transport ships. Amphibious landings were the most vulnerable situation for the transports. However the scarcity of allied forces, the exhausted crews and depleted ammunition hindered their potential success in exploiting this advantageous situation.
Initially, the Fubuki was the only vessel attempting to block the Allied ships, trailing them at a distance. The damage sustained to Houston's turret during previous aerial raids meant the heavy cruiser couldn't shell Fubuki when the Japanese destroyer launched torpedoes at 11.14pm. The torpedoes missed their targets and Fubuki retreated behind a smokescreen.
Intent on escaping through Sunda Strait, the cruisers maneuvered to unmask their batteries against the transports. The cruisers maneuvered to unmask their batteries against the transports. Then, the destroyer Hatakaze came in range and opened fire. Within ten minutes, most of the Japanese ships appeared and opened fire. The ensuing battle became a chaotic melee under the full moon, with Japanese destroyers attacking the Allied cruisers from their starboard sides. Harukaze and Perth suffered hits in various areas, with casualties reported.
In an attempt to avoid the barrage, Houston and Perth turned to the northwest, sheltering their starboard side with Panjang Island. As Japanese destroyers attacked in groups, Waller skillfully navigated Perth, employing salvo-chasing tactics. Japanese ships attempted another torpedo attack, but their torpedoes, set at a lower depth, missed the Allied cruisers, with the Japanese mistakenly believing they were engaging battleships.
In a last desperate effort, the Allied cruisers engaged the overwhelming Japanese forces. Despite being surrounded and running out of ammunition, the cruisers fought bravely against the Japanese convoy, including heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma.
Amidst the smoke and chaos, the Mogami launched torpedoes hitting their own transport ships. Four transport ships were hit, sinking to the depths of the sea. Among these transport ships was the Sakura Maru, with General Imamura on board. The explosion threw him in the oil-polluted water. As the Japanese destroyers closed in, the exhausted Allied crews continued firing.
At 11.42 p.m, Perth suffered torpedo hits and began sinking, with Captain Hector Waller refusing to abandon ship. The Australian cruiser went down 45 minutes later, taking a significant number of sailors with her. Meanwhile, USS Houston, witnessing Perth's demise, turned to confront the Japanese forces, engaging in a brave but ultimately futile fight. She had been hit several times by shells and torpedoes.
Houston used every available weapon, including a Marine shooting out a searchlight with his rifle. In a renewed barrage, the Japanese cruisers Mikuma and Mogumi targeted USS Houston, hitting the aft engine room and wardroom. The latter, doubling as a dressing station for wounded men, suffered casualties from ruptured steam lines. Another shell struck a turret's faceplate, causing sparks that forced Captain Rooks to flood the forward magazines to prevent an explosion. With both forward turrets now silent, Rooks relied on the secondary 5-inch guns, engaging the Japanese at point-blank range.
A Japanese torpedo struck Houston on the starboard side under the bridge, sealing her fate. In the armoured conning tower, Rooks, fatally wounded by shrapnel, instructed Marine bugler Jack Lee to sound abandon ship. With the captain's death imminent, Executive Officer Commander David Roberts took command of the ship, now burning and healing. Despite Houston's inevitable sinking, the Japanese fired torpedoes until 1229.
As the cruiser rolled to starboard and plunged beneath the waves, Roberts, fearing not all had heard the order, instructed signalman William Stafford to sound abandon ship once more. A poignant final note as Houston sank. Captain Rooks perished with his ship. As the Houston was sinking, a sudden explosion among the troop ships shocked the Japanese.
A minesweeper was hit by a torpedo, leading to an enormous explosion and its subsequent sinking. Amidst the wreckage of the USS Houston, there were 368 survivors, including the ship's chaplain, Commander George Rents, who a year shy of retirement, sacrificed himself by jumping off his raft, giving his life jacket to a younger shipmate, and offering a prayer before swimming off to his unseen fate. Rents was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his selfless act. In total, over 1,000 Allied troops were killed. 675 were captured.
The Japanese lost one mine layer, four transport ships, and suffered damage to one cruiser and three destroyers. Their troop losses were light, with 10 killed and 37 wounded. Another survivor, General Inamura, spent time floating in the water on a piece of wood before reaching Bantam Bay. A Japanese Navy officer apologised to Inamura for sinking his ships, but the general, showing chivalry, replied, The Dutch Admiral-class destroyer Evertson had left port at Cilat Jap two hours after Houston and Perth. Evertson had left port at Chilat Jap two hours after Houston and Perth.
Noticing the battle from a distance, she attempted to join the fight while evading the main Japanese force. However, she was no match for the Japanese flotilla and two Fubuki-class destroyers engaged her, leading to its crew grounding Evertson on a reef. The surviving crew surrendered to the Japanese over a week later. The fall of Singapore, Bangka and Java, coupled with the successful overland march to capture Rangoon and the strategic acquisition of Andaman, Nicobar and Sumatra by the Japanese, solidified the establishment of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, necessitating protective measures for the newly acquired territories.
