Editing Battle of the Java Sea (section)

=== Night ambush ===
Unknown to Doorman, ''Haguro's'' floatplane had been tracking his force the entire time. Takagi believed he had secured a victory as his ships made post-battle reformations. ''Asagumo's'' crew conducted temporary repairs following her gunfight with ''Electra'', getting the engine back up and running as she regained speed, retiring from the engagement and taking ''Minegumo'' to escort her. ''Haguro'' and ''Nachi'' stopped in the water to recover their floatplanes, which had been catapulted shortly before the battle, but while this was being conducted, one of ''Haguro's'' floatplanes still in the air noticed Doorman's fleet turning back, much to Takagi's shock.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />
[[File:NH 73021 NACHI (Japanese Cruiser, 1927).jpg|thumb|''Nachi'' anchored off [[Ōminato Guard District|Ōminato]] on 13 November 1943]]
''Haguro'' and ''Nachi'' instantly picked up speed and raced to engage the enemy yet again. ''Haguro's'' floatplane this time tracked Doorman's every movement, which were now far more predictable than earlier in the battle. It was just before midnight that the Japanese optical systems picked up the enemy force at long range. Steaming at maximum speed, ''Haguro'' and ''Nachi'' closed to 16,000 yards. Low on ammunition for their main guns, they instead opted for a stealthy torpedo attack, in which ''Nachi'' unleashed eight torpedoes, and ''Haguro'' four.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" />

The Allied fleet detected the torpedos at 23:32 and took evasive action, but ''Java'', at the end of the [[Line of battle|battle line]], did not turn fast enough. A torpedo struck near her stern and ignited her magazine. The resulting explosion was so violent that {{Convert|100|ft|m}} of her stern was blown off and heat was felt onboard other ships in formation. Damage control was hopeless, and she sank in about 15 minutes.<ref name=":74">{{Cite book |last=Cox |first=Jeffrey |title=Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II |date=2014 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing Plc |isbn=978-1-4728-1060-1 |series=General Military |location=London}}</ref>{{Rp|page=316-317|pages=}} Only 19 crewmembers survived.<ref name=":82">{{Cite book |last=Whitley |first=M. J. (Michael J. ) |url=https://archive.org/details/cruisers-of-wwii-enciclopedia-images/page/192/mode/2up?q=%22De+Ruyter%22+ |title=Cruisers of World War Two : an international encyclopedia |date=1995 |publisher=London : Arms and Armour Press |isbn=}}</ref>{{Rp|page=190}}

[[File:Haguro-2.jpg|thumb|''Haguro'' under refit in 1936.]]
Four minutes later, one of ''Haguro's'' torpedoes hit Admiral Doorman's flagship. All power was destroyed as the ''De Ruyter'' stopped dead in the water with significant flooding, and a massive fire broke out and enveloped the cruiser. ''Haguro's'' torpedo hit killed much of ''De Ruyter's'' damage control crew, and the loss of all power disabled much of ''De Ruyter's'' damage control equipment, meaning the massive fire could spread throughout the ship. Simultaneously, flooding slowly overwhelmed damage control and ''De Ruyter'' increasingly listed. Over a period of three hours, fires and flooding overwhelmed ''De Ruyter'' as she capsized and sank with the loss of 367 men. Admiral Doorman and Captain [[Eugène Lacomblé]] were among the dead.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=encyclopedia |first=naval |date=2021-05-27 |title=HNLMS De Ruyter, Dutch KNIL light cruiser (1935) |url=https://naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/netherlands/de-ruyter.php |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=naval encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref>

Shouts of "Banzai" could be heard from ''Haguro'' and ''Nachi's'' decks as crew members leaped for joy and hugged each other in excitement. Admiral Takagi chose not to attack with gunfire afterwards, knowing ''Java'' and ''De Ruyter'' were already fatally damaged. The pair steamed out of the area to reinforce the invasion convoy. Depending on the source, they were either undetected, or were spotted but untouched by ineffective gunfire. With Doorman dead, ''Houston'' and ''Perth'' abandoned the mission and retreated. Meanwhile, as the US destroyers evacuated the battlefield they ran into ''Amatsukaze'' and ''Hatsukaze''. Both sides exchanged fire, but no hits were scored and the US destroyers continued on their path while ''Amatsukaze'' and ''Hatsukaze'' regrouped with the fleet.<ref name=":0" />

With almost all of their ships sunk or damaged, the remaining allied warships halted all offensive actions and attempted to flee the vicinity, leaving the Dutch East Indies to the invaders. The Japanese convoys continued to Surabaya unmolested, aside from an air raid that damaged a single troopship. All the Allies had accomplished was that the troops on Java received a one-day respite, which ultimately changed nothing. ''Perth'' and ''Houston'' proceeded to [[Tanjung Priok]], arriving later that day. However, oil shortages meant they could be only half fueled, and they received no new ammunition.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Hornfischer (2006) Chapter 12</ref>

In the first battle of the Java Sea, not a single Japanese ship was sunk, and besides ''Electra'', not a single allied ship even managed to hit a Japanese ship.