Editing Battle of the Java Sea (section)

=== Afternoon battle ===
At 15:48 on 27 February 1942, ''Amatsukaze's'' chief spotter Shigeru Iwata located Doorman's fleet at 31,600 yards. Captain Hara watched through his binoculars, clearly recognizing ''De Ruyter's'' masts as the fleet quickly became visible to the other ships. Admiral Doorman aboard ''De Ruyter'' in turn located the enemy force, with a brief scare due to a mistaken claim of battleships in the enemy formation, which was quickly corrected. Still, the allies could not make out any targets besides ''Haguro'' and ''Nachi'' because of the inferiority of their optical systems to those of the Japanese, because only one of Doorman's ships, the ''Exeter'', carried any form of radar, and because of the language barrier on the Allied side. Still, Doorman ordered his ships to turn west, hoping to prevent the Japanese fleet from [[Crossing the T|crossing his T]]. With both fleets thereafter sailing in a parallel course, ''Haguro'' and ''Nachi'', which were training behind the other ships, could catch up to Nishimura's group.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Hornfischer (2006) Chapter 10</ref>
[[File:HMS Exeter off Sumatra in 1942.jpg|thumb|[[HMS Exeter (68)|HMS ''Exeter'']] anchored off Sumatra in preparation for the battle]]
By 16:00, spotters on the ''Electra'' noticed ''Jintsū'', leading ''Yukikaze'', ''Amatsukaze'', ''Hatsukaze'', ''Tokitsukaze'', at 16,000 yards, and her 4.7-inch (12 cm) guns fired the first shots of the battle, closely followed by all the cruisers and several destroyers. Every ship aimed their guns at ''Jintsū'', straddling her several times, but not a single shell made its mark. The ''Naka'' and her group of destroyers returned fire at 24,000 yards, and their shells, too, all missed their mark. Both sides rapidly closed the distance and, frustrated by the ineffective gunfire, Nishimura ordered ''Naka'' and his destroyers to fire torpedoes at 15,000 yards, letting out 43 torpedoes. A few exploded after running a few thousand yards, while the rest all missed their target. Nishimura's hastiness to engage at long range was later criticized by the Japanese admiralty due to the sheer amount of ammunition the Japanese wasted with few hits in the initial stages of the battle. Recognizing this flaw, Takagi ordered all ships to close the range and charge the enemy as he watched his heavy cruisers blast away at long range.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

==== First hits are scored ====
''Exeter'', ''Houston'', and ''Perth'' all fired on ''Haguro'' and initially claimed to have blown up and sunk her. In fact, ''Haguro'' was untouched, as she and ''Nachi'' scored the first hits of the battle. ''Haguro'' focused her gunfire on ''De Ruyter'', striking her with an 8-inch (203 mm) shell that blasted apart her auxiliary motor room, starting a fire that killed one crewman and injured six others. A second 8-inch (203 mm) shell from ''Haguro'' punched through ''De Ruyter's'' unarmored portions without exploding. Meanwhile, Admiral Takagi's flagship focused her fire on ''Houston'', which ''Nachi'' succeeded in hitting with two 8-inch (203 mm) shells, one punching through her bow and the other holing her stern, which managed to rupture an oil tank. Even when their shells didn't directly hit, near-miss and straddle damage still took a toll, ''Nachi's'' shells landing as little as 3 yards from ''Houston''.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=IJN HAGURO: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/haguro_t.htm}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Houston II (CA-30) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/houston-ii.html |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=public2.nhhcaws.local |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=HNLMS De Ruyter - uboat.net |url=https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/2866.html}}</ref>

A cluster of Japanese destroyers, ''Yukikaze'', ''Tokitsukaze'', ''Amatsukaze'', ''Hatsukaze'', ''Yamakaze'', ''Kawakaze'', and ''Ushio'' closed the range by Takagi's order, in the hope of enabling more accurate torpedoing. ''Electra'' switched fire to the cluster as 5.9-inch (15 cm) shells from ''De Ruyter'' continued to rain on the column. One of ''Electra's'' 4.7-inch (12 cm) shells hit ''Tokitsukaze'', causing thick white smoke to burst out of the ship, blinding ''Amatsukaze'' behind her. A near miss from ''De Ruyter'' then lightly damaged ''Amatsukaze's'' hull and dashed water on her bridge. However, neither destroyer was critically damaged. In turn, the destroyers engaged in a gunfight with ''De Ruyter'', although no shells hit their mark. ''Yukikaze'' and ''Tokitsukaze'' first let out 16 torpedoes at 6,000 yards, followed closely by ''Amatsukaze'', then the four other destroyers behind her. A total of 56 torpedoes were aimed at the enemy, yet not a single hit was made.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-02-04 |title=天津風【陽炎型駆逐艦 九番艦】その1Amatsukaze【Kagero-class destroyer】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/destroyer/amatsukaze/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref>

==== Haguro changes the course of the battle ====
[[File:FgIjbmZUUAA59ZZ.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Japanese cruiser Haguro|Haguro's]]'' steering room during the battle]]
Though the torpedoes did not hit, they prompted the allied fleet to maneuver, enabling ''Haguro'' to switch fire from ''De Ruyter'' to the ''Exeter'', with ''Exeter'' responding back. Engaging each other at 22,000 yards, ''Exeter's'' gunnery was poor, managing only a straddle by the 8th salvo. ''Haguro'' proved more effective, scoring her first 8-inch (203 mm) shell hit, which did not explode. Another salvo from ''Haguro'' registered a devastating hit on ''Exeter''. One of ''Haguro's'' 8-inch (203 mm) shells gouged into ''Exeter's'' engine. It exploded and destroyed six of ''Exeter's'' eight boilers, killing 40 men as ''Exeter's'' speed dropped to 5 knots. Doorman's fleet then maneuvered chaotically, as, when ''Exeter'' began to retreat, ''Houston'', ''Perth'', and ''Java'' all followed her, assuming they had missed a command from Doorman, leaving ''De Ruyter'' charging alone at the enemy fleet before joining the other cruisers. Simultaneously, ''Haguro'' fired a spread of 8 torpedoes and continued to engage. The British destroyers ''Jupiter'', ''Encounter'', and ''Electra'' came to assist the crippled ''Exeter'' as Doorman's cruisers began to turn away, laying a smokescreen in an attempt to hide the disorganized formation.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>Dull (2007) p 80-82</ref><ref name=":5">Grove (1993) p 92-94</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=スラバヤ沖海戦（ジャワ海海戦）／Battle of the Java Sea：1942年2月27日 |url=https://xn--ww2-523es33s4hr4hk.jp/kantaisen04.htm |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=xn--ww2-523es33s4hr4hk.jp}}</ref>
[[File:Haguro.jpg9.jpg|thumb|''Haguro'' at anchor in 1940]]
Up to this point, the battle of the Java Sea had been something of a stalemate, with both sides missing their shots due to extreme range. Even when shells did hit, such as ''Haguro'''s and ''Nachi's'' hits to ''De Ruyter'' and ''Houston'' or ''Electa's'' hit on ''Tokitsukaze'', no significant damage was inflicted as the damaged ships were able to fight on. ''Haguro's'' hit on ''Exeter'' disorganized Doorman's fleet. In an ironic twist, the only Japanese torpedo to make its mark during the course of the afternoon battle was one of ''Haguro's'' launched at extreme range and hitting home 15 minutes after firing, striking the Dutch destroyer ''Kortenaer''. Within moments of the hit, the destroyer broke apart and sank with the loss of 66 men. Launched at a distance of 22,000 yards, this hit by ''Haguro'' was probably the longest-range torpedo hit in naval history.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=PacificWrecks.com |title=Pacific Wrecks - Hr. Ms. Kortenaer |url=https://pacificwrecks.com/ship/hrms/kortenaer.html |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=pacificwrecks.com |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Asagumo.jpg|thumb|''[[Japanese destroyer Asagumo (1937)|Asagumo]]'' underway in September of 1939]]

==== Destroyer on destroyer action ====
[[File:HMS Electra.jpg|thumb|[[HMS Electra (H27)|HMS ''Electra'']] on parade]]
The American destroyers ''Alden'', ''John C Edwards'', ''John C Ford'', and ''Paul Jones'' fired their torpedoes at ''Haguro'' and ''Nachi'', but none made their mark. Simultaneously, the British destroyers attempting to cover the crippled ''Exeter'' were engaged by the Japanese destroyers ''Asagumo'' and ''Minegumo''. ''Minegumo'' stayed at a longer range and took part in a 1v2 against ''Jupiter'' and ''Encounter'', lightly damaging them with near misses, but failed to score any direct hits. ''Asagumo'' and ''Electra'', by contrast, engaged each other at point blank range. ''Asagumo'' took several 4.7-inch (12 cm) shells, temporarily leaving her dead in the water, killing five sailors and injuring 16 others. ''Asagumo'', however, inflicted more damage than she received, a hail of 5-inch (127 mm) gunfire destroying ''Electra's'' A and X turrets, engine room, communications, and electrical power, and setting ''Electra'' on fire. ''Electra'' desperately let out a spread of eight torpedoes at her opponent, but none hit, and in response ''Minegumo'' switched fire from the other destroyers and joined ''Asagumo'' in pounding the already crippled ''Electra''. Western sources sometimes credit ''Jintsū'' with assisting ''Asagumo'', but Japanese records do not support this. ''Electra's'' remaining guns were destroyed, flooding overwhelmed damage control, and fires burned out of control under ''Asagumo's'' and ''Minegumo's'' bombardment. ''Electra's'' crew finally abandoned ship and left her to sink. ''Encounter'' and ''Jupiter'' had been repelled by ''Minegumo's'' gunfire and retreated to assist ''Exeter''.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-02-03 |title=朝雲【朝潮型駆逐艦 五番艦】Asagumo【Asashio-class destroyer】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/destroyer/asagumo/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=主要兵器 |first=大日本帝国軍 |date=2018-02-03 |title=峯雲【朝潮型駆逐艦 八番艦】Minegumo【Asashio-class destroyer】 |url=https://japanese-warship.com/destroyer/minegumo/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=大日本帝国軍 主要兵器 |language=ja}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=IJN Asagumo: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/asagum_t.htm}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=IJN Minegumo: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/minegu_t.htm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=HMS Electra, destroyer |url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-21E-Electra.htm |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=www.naval-history.net}}</ref><ref name=":9">Hornfischer (2006) Chapter 11</ref><ref>Dull (2007) p 82-86</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Alden (Destroyer No. 211) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/alden.html |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=public2.nhhcaws.local |language=en-US}}</ref>