Editing Battle of the Java Sea (section)

{{Short description|1942 naval battle on the Pacific campaign of WWII}}
{{coord|5|0|S|111|0|E|display=title}}{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of the Java Sea
| image             = Haguro-1942.jpg
| image_size        = 300px
| caption           = The heavy cruiser [[Japanese cruiser Haguro|''Haguro'']] pictured during the battle
| partof            = [[World War II]], [[Pacific War]]
| date              = 27 February 1942
| place             = [[Java Sea]], [[Dutch East Indies]]
| result            = Japanese victory
| combatant1        = {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Dutch government-in-exile|Netherlands]]<br/> {{flag|United States|1912}}<br/>{{flag|United Kingdom}}<br/> {{flag|Australia|1913}}
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}
| commander1        = {{flagdeco|Netherlands}} [[Karel Doorman]]{{KIA}}<br/>{{flagdeco|Netherlands}} [[Conrad Helfrich]]<ref name="Klemen">{{cite web|first=Klemen|last=L |url= https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/doorman.html |title= Rear-Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman  |date=1999–2000 |work=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942}}</ref>
| commander2        = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[Takeo Takagi]]<ref name="Klemen"/>
| strength1         = 2 heavy cruisers<br/>3 light cruisers<br/>9 destroyers
| strength2         = 2 heavy cruisers<br/>2 light cruisers<br/>14 destroyers<br/>10 transports
| casualties1       = 2 light cruisers sunk<br/>3 destroyers sunk<br/>2 heavy cruisers damaged (one badly)<br/>2,300 sailors killed
| casualties2       = 3 destroyers damaged<br/>1 transport damaged by air raid<br/>36 sailors killed
}}
{{Campaignbox Pacific 1941}}
{{Campaignbox Netherlands East Indies}}

The '''Battle of the Java Sea''' ({{langx|id|Pertempuran Laut Jawa}}, {{langx|ja|スラバヤ沖海戦|Surabaya oki kaisen|'''Surabaya open-sea battle'''}}) was a decisive<ref>{{cite book|last=Morison|first=Samuel Eliot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=piEUmkf8o_cC&dq=decisive+battle+java+sea&pg=PA332 |title=History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: The rising sun in the Pacific|page=332|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=2001|isbn=978-0-252-06973-4 }}</ref> [[naval battle]] of the [[Pacific War|Pacific campaign]] of [[World War II]].

[[Allies of World War II|Allied]] navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] on 27 February 1942 and in secondary actions over successive days, starting when the main [[American-British-Dutch-Australian Command|ABDA]] fleet strike force of 2 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, and 9 destroyers, led by ABDA fleet's main commander, Admiral [[Karel Doorman]], attempted to intercept a Japanese troop convoy in the [[Java Sea]], only to be intercepted by the convoy's better equipped escort force. The battle started off as a stalemate, but the heavy cruiser ''[[Japanese cruiser Haguro|Haguro]]'' changed the course of the battle when she crippled the heavy cruiser [[HMS Exeter (68)|HMS ''Exeter'']] with gunfire, then torpedoed and sank the Dutch destroyer ''[[HNLMS Kortenaer (1927)|Kortenaer]],'' sending Doorman's fleet into a chaotic frenzy. A gunfight between allied and Japanese destroyers then resulted in the sinking of [[HMS Electra (H27)|HMS ''Electra'']], before Doorman's force made a false retreat, ending the daylight engagement.

However, under the cover of night, Admiral Doorman's ships attempted another attack, during which the destroyer [[HMS Jupiter (F85)|HMS ''Jupiter'']] accidentally hit a Dutch mine and sank, but the Japanese immediately caught on to their plan, prompting the ''Haguro'' and her sistership ''[[Japanese cruiser Nachi|Nachi]]'' to ambush the allied fleet with a stealthy long range torpedo attack. One of ''Nachi's'' torpedoes hit the Dutch light cruiser ''[[HNLMS Java (1921)|Java]]'', which was instantly blown apart and sank with almost all hands. One of ''Haguro's'' torpedoes then hit the allied flagship, the Dutch light cruiser ''[[HNLMS De Ruyter (1935)|De Ruyter]]'', which sank to progressive flooding over several hours, killing Admiral Doorman.

The aftermath of the battle included several smaller actions around Java, including the smaller but also significant [[Battle of Sunda Strait]], which saw the sinking of the heavy cruiser [[USS Houston (CA-30)|USS ''Houston'']]'','' the light cruiser [[HMAS Perth (D29)|HMAS ''Perth'']], and the destroyer [[HNLMS Evertsen (1926)|HNLMS ''Evertsen'']], and the [[Second Battle of the Java Sea|second battle of the Java Sea]], where the still crippled ''Exeter'' and her escorting destroyers were sunk by a Japanese cruiser destroyer squadron, including ''Haguro''. 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 [[Dutch East Indies]].