056 - Naval Battle of the Java Sea

A MATTER OR AIR SUPERIORITY 

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As February came to a close, Japan’s First Fleet prepared for their biggest attack since December 7^th. Japanese Aircraft Carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu led an attack fleet of over sixty ships and steamed towards the Dutch East Indies. They needed to seize Java and its massive supply of petroleum and fuel oil. In fact, the Royal Dutch Shell Oil refineries were the world’s 4^th largest oil producer, lagging behind only the United States, Iran, and Romania.

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To counter the Japanese attack, the Combined ABDA Force would have to rely on a fleet of 2 Battle Cruisers, 7 Light Cruisers, 22 Destroyers, and 41 Submarines. However, there would be no Aircraft Carriers in the entire ABDA Force and a small group of land-based planes.

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From the 27^th of February through to the 1^st of March, several Allied ships from various countries were destroyed. The Dutch Destroyer Kortenaer was torpedoed and sunk. A Japanese Destroyer Squadron sunk the Destroyer HMS Exeter in a massive battle of guns and torpedo fire. The Destroyer HMS Jupiter exploded violently when it struck a mine. It quickly sank. Japanese Nell Bombers attacked and sunk the Seaplane Tender USS Langley. In addition, a whole host of Allied escorts and specialty ships were destroyed in the last days of battle 

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By March 1st, ABDA Forces were severely depleted and the Japanese Invasion Force was moving south through the Java Sea. As Cruisers USS Houston and HMS Perth fought off attacks by air and sea, Japanese Scout planes flew overhead and radioed exact positions of the Allied Fleet. This proved fatal to both ships, which were besieged with bomb hits and sunk.
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The only American Capital Ship to survive the Battle of the Java Sea was the USS Marblehead, an old Cruiser dating back to the First World War. In the aftermath of the naval onslaught, the Japanese Army quickly overran the ABDA Army, capturing the Dutch East Indies on March 1^st. It became a major port, ship building, and refueling port for the Japanese Fleet throughout most of World War II.

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