Order of Battle
Battle of the Java Sea
27-28 February 1942
Contributed by Stephen King, Jan Visser, Richard Worth and Tony DiGiulian

First created on 27 February 2000
Updated 18 May 2008


Allied Forces

ABDA Combined Striking Force
    Rear Admiral K.W.F.M. Doorman RNN

Heavy Cruisers
Houston                    Capt. A.H. Rooks USN
  Hit by dud 8in (20.3 cm) shell
Exeter                       Capt. O.L. Gordon RN
    Hit by two 8in (20.3 cm) shells

Light Cruisers
Java                         Capt. Ph.B.M. Van Straelen RNN
    Sunk by 24in torpedo, 512 crewmen killed
De Ruyter (F)          Cdr. E.E.B. Lacomblé RNN
    Hit by two dud 8in (20.3 cm) shells
    Sunk by 24in torpedo, 345 killed, including Adm. Doorman
Perth                        Capt. H.M.L. Waller RAN

Destroyer Division 58
    Cdr. T.H. Binford USN
John D. Edwards     Lt. Cdr. H.E. Eccles USN
Paul Jones                Lt. Cdr. J.J. Hourihan USN

Destroyer Division 59
    Cdr. E.N. Parker USN
John D. Ford            Cdr. Parker
Alden                         Lt. J.E. Cooper USN
Pope                          Lt. Cdr. W.C. Blinn USN

British Destroyers
    Cdr. C.W. May, RN
Electra                      Cdr. C.W. May
    Sunk by gunfire, 54 survivors rescued by USS S-38
Jupiter                       Lt. Cdr. N.V.J.T. Thew, RN
    Sunk by what is believed to have been a Dutch mine
Encounter                 Lt.Cdr. E.V. St. J. Morgan, RN

Destroyer Group 3
Evertsen                  Lt. Cdr. W.M. de Vries RNN

Destroyer Group 1
    Lt. Cdr. F.J.E. Krips
Witte De With (F)    Lt. Cdr. P. Schotel RNN
  Lightly damage when own depth charge exploded alongside
Kortenaer                 Lt. Cdr. A. Kroese, RNN
    Sunk by 24in torpedo, 113 survivors rescued by HMS Encounter


Imperial Japanese Navy

Eastern Attack Group
    Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura

Destroyer Squadron 4
CL Naka  (F)

DesDiv 2
   Capt. Masao Tachibana
Yudachi
Samidare
Murasame
Harusame

DesDiv 9
  Capt. Yasuo Sato
Minegumo
    Hit by 4.7in (12 cm) shells, 4 wounded
Asagumo
    Hit by 4.7in (12 cm) shells, 4 killed, 19 wounded
 

Eastern Covering Group
    Rear Admiral Takeo Takagi

Cruiser Division 5
Nachi (F)
Haguro

Desron 4, Desdiv 24
Yamakaze            Lt. Comm. Shuichi Hamanaka
Kawakaze

Desdiv 7
Sazanami            Lt. Comm. Hiroshi Uwai
Ushio                    Comm. Yoshitake Uesugi

Destroyer Squadron 2
    Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka
Jintsu (F)
   Hit by a 4.7 in (12 cm) shell, one killed and four wounded

Desdiv 16
   Capt. Shiro Shibuya
Yukikaze—Comm. Kenjiro Tobita
Tokitsukaze—Comm. Giichiro Nakahara
   Hit by 4.7in (12 cm) shell, no casualties
Amatsukaze—Lt. Comm. Tameichi Hara
Hatsukaze—Comm. Kameshirou Takahashi

Notes:
1) During the first hour of action up to 1720 on 27 February 1942, the Japanese fired 1,271 8in (20.3 cm), 141 5.5in (14 cm) and 39 torpedoes.  Five 8in (20.3 cm) and one torpedo hit.
2) During the second hour of battle, the Japanese fired 302 8in (20.3 cm), 50 5.5in (14 cm), 515 5in (12.7 cm) and 98 torpedoes.  Of these, one 5.5in (14 cm) may have hit Electra.
3) During action during the night, Haguro and Nachi launched 12 torpedoes which sank DeRuyter and Java.  The Japanese cruisers also fired 46 8in (20.3 cm) rounds but none are believed to have hit anything.
 
 

Sources:
1. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. 3 by Samuel Eliot Morison
2. The Imperial Japanese Navy by Paul S. Dull
3. De koninklijke Marine in de Tweede Wereldoorlog by Bosscher
4. Verdreven doch niet verslagen
5. The US Navy Against the Axis:  Surface Combat 1941-1945 by Vincent P. O'Hara