Perth Died Bravely

Author
Makin, Hon. Norman J O
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Naval Historical Review, WWII operations
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[Statement by the Minister for the Navy (the Hon. Norman J.O.Makin, M.P.) in the Australian House of Representatives, 2nd March 1945]

THIS RECONSTRUCTION of the Java Sea Battle, and of the subsequent engagement in Sunda Strait in which HMAS Perth was lost, is based on reports compiled by the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board from a variety of sources. The heavy Allied losses in the Java Sea Battle, and the fact that the only Australian ship taking part was sunk a day later, has made the task of compiling the reports long and complicated.

Fortunately, new light has been thrown on the subject by four of the personnel of HMAS Perth who were rescued from a Japanese transport which was torpedoed while en route from Singapore to Japan late last year.

These four are the only personnel of Perth in Allied hands. Their story, coupled with information pieced together from other sources, indicates that the Australian cruiser fought her two last actions with a courage and tenacity worthy of her gallant war career and of the high tradition of the Navy.

Of the Allied force which took part in the Java Sea Battle, the only ships which survived were four American destroyers. It has now been established that Perth herself sustained neither damage nor casualties in that action; but with the United States cruiser Houston she was sunk in the early hours of 1st March 1942 in Sunda Strait.

The Allied ships in the Java Sea Battle totalled two 8-inch gun cruisers (HMS Exeter and USS Houston), one 6-inch cruiser (HMAS Perth), two 5.9-inch Dutch cruisers (HNMS De Ruyter and Java), and nine destroyers (HM Ships Electra, Encounter and Jupiter; US ships John D. Edwards, John D. Ford, Alden and Paul Jones; and HNM Ships Kortenaer and Witte de With).

It has been estimated that the initial Japanese force comprised five cruisers and 13 destroyers. One enemy 8-inch cruiser and one destroyer probably were sunk by gunfire and another 8-inch cruiser and a destroyer were damaged.

On the evening of 26th February, the Allied ships sailed from Sourabaya, under command of Admiral Doorman, RNN, flying his flag in HNMS De Ruyter. Their objective was to intercept a Japanese convoy reported to be approaching north-eastern Java.

One of USS Houston’s gun turrets had already been put out of action by enemy air attack, but she sailed with the remainder of the force, and acquitted herself with distinction in the subsequent engagements with the enemy.

Enemy air attacks on the following morning were unsuccessful, and in the afternoon the Japanese cruisers and destroyers were sighted. The Allied force at once increased speed to engage the enemy, and the 8-inch cruisers of both sides opened fire at 30,000 yards. The light cruisers and destroyers followed suit as soon as range permitted.

Perth’s second salvo hit a Japanese destroyer, and the enemy flotilla retired into a smoke screen. When the smoke cleared, one enemy destroyer was on fire, and she is thought to have sunk. At that stage, too, Perth came under very heavy fire from the rearmost of the Japanese heavy cruisers.

About an hour later, HMS Exeter was damaged by an 8-inch shell, but was furnished with a smoke screen by Perth and destroyers. The Dutch destroyer Witte de With, screening Exeter, beat off a Japanese destroyer, scoring hits with two salvoes.

In the meantime HNMS Kortenaer, torpedoed amidships, broke in two and sank within a few minutes.

The flagship then led the cruisers in an attempt to get behind the enemy and attack his transports, and the Allied destroyers launched a counter-attack.

In bad visibility, HMS Electra probably scored hits with four salvoes on an enemy destroyer; but Electra herself was hit and stopped. Her guns were silenced one by one, and she sank about 6 p.m.

HMAS Perth, emerging through the smoke, was unsuccessfully attacked with torpedoes by enemy destroyers, and then joined issue with a Japanese 8-inch cruiser. The Australian ship’s opening salvoes scored direct hits and subsequent salvoes also found their mark. When her target was last seen she was on fire and stationary, with her bows in the air. She probably sank.

Darkness had fallen when HMS Jupiter was torpedoed on the starboard side. She was immobilised by the attack, and sank about four hours later.

Throughout the night, enemy aircraft shadowed the Allied force. But shortly before midnight Perth had another success when she scored hits with at least two salvoes on an enemy cruiser.

At this stage double disaster met the Allies when HNMS De Ruyter (flagship) and Java were lost - apparently as a result of torpedo attacks.

With the Allied cruiser strength reduced to his own ship and the damaged Houston, and knowing that the enemy still had at least four cruisers and 12 destroyers (besides the force, other than the initial one, which had entered the area) and a strong air reconnaissance, the Commanding Officer of Perth (Captain H. M. L. Waller, DSO, RAN) had no alternative but to order what remained of the striking force to withdraw.

HMS Encounter and the damaged Exeter succeeded in reaching Sourabaya, as had the four American destroyers and the Dutch destroyer Witte de With. Exeter and Encounter sailed from there on the night of 28th February, en route for Colombo, but the last message from them came next morning, when Exeter reported that she had sighted a force of enemy ships.

Witte de With was bombed and sunk in Sourabaya harbour.

Meanwhile Perth and Houston threw off the enemy by a feint, and reached Tandjong Priok (Batavia) on the morning of 28th February.

After embarking fuel and additional firefighting equipment and rafts, as well as 4- inch ammunition, the two ships sailed together that night, to endeavour to pass through the confined waters of Sunda Strait during darkness, en route for Tjilatjap.

About 11.30 p.m. - some three and a half hours after leaving Tandjong Priok - HMAS Perth signalled that she had sighted a destroyer near Sunda Strait. Later she amplified that signal to one cruiser.

That was the last message received from Perth or Houston. From that stage, the story is taken up by the four Perth personnel who have been interrogated.

The action was fought at night, and, naturally, the four survivors’ story is concerned primarily with what happened on board their own ship. It bears out the conclusion which had been drawn by the Naval authorities: that the two ships were sunk in a surface action against numerically superior enemy forces. It also substantiates the assumption originally arrived at by all who know the Navy’s ways: that Perth and Houston sold themselves dearly, and went down fighting to the last.

It was after 11 p.m. when one of Perth’s lookouts reported a dark object on the starboard hand, and a few minutes later the Australian cruiser’s for’ard turrets opened fire.

The action lasted about one and a half hours. The numerical strength of the enemy is indicated by the fact that enemy gunfire came from several bearings, and that at some stages Japanese destroyers passed so close to the cruiser that they could be engaged with machine-guns.

Apart from making the maximum use of her gunfire, Perth was able to fire eight torpedoes during the action; four to port and four to starboard. The exact effect of these could not be gauged, but next morning three enemy transports and one converted aircraft carrier were seen down by the stern and practically beached.

Despite the overwhelming strength of the enemy, Perth was not hit until about 20 minutes after she opened fire. The first shell to strike her passed through her forward funnel and exploded, carrying away a seaboat and doing considerable damage to the port pom-pom and flag deck.

Thereafter she suffered numerous hits, losing her aircraft and its catapult and crane, as well as the starboard pom-pom on the flag deck.

About that time, and with only 10 minutes between them, two torpedoes struck the ship on the starboard side, the second in the forward engine-room.

Some time later, a third torpedo hit was received - this time on the port side, aft.

From the time of the first torpedoing, Perth was hit repeatedly by gunfire from several bearings, and she finally sank at 35 minutes after midnight on the morning of the first of March.

USS Houston is reported to have sunk shortly afterwards.

The fate of Captain Waller is not known. He is reported to have been seen on the bridge, uninjured, after the second torpedo struck the ship. He gave the order: ‘Stand by to abandon ship’; and later: ‘Abandon ship; every man for himself’.

HMAS Perth had a distinguished career in this war. She began her good work in the West Indies and carried it on in the Middle East, where Allied soldiers from Greece and Crete knew and admired her fighting qualities. Captain Waller and his men brought that heritage with them when they went into action in the Java Sea Battle and in the darkness of Sunda Strait. And it was a heritage which they did not betray. In both these actions they left their mark on the enemy, and their ship went down fighting against overwhelming odds.

The rescue of four of Perth’s ship’s company from the Japanese has at last thrown some light on the cruiser’s last heroic action. It is a story of unflagging courage and devotion to duty. Though its end is tragedy, it is a story of which Australia and the Allies may well be proud.

Originally printed in the Naval Historical Review - June 1974 Edition

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