Editing Battle of the Java Sea (section)

==== 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>