Battle of Makassar Strait

Battle of Makassar Strait
	Part of World War II, Pacific War
	; USS Marblehead in February 1942, showing bomb damage received in the battle
Date	4 February 1942
Location	Java Sea, Dutch East Indies
Result	Japanese victory
Belligerents
Netherlands; United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Karel Doorman	Nishizō Tsukahara
Strength
4 cruisers; 7 destroyers	37–45 planes (Allied estimate); 60 land based bombers (Japanese reports)
Casualties and losses
70 sailors killed; 2 cruisers damaged	4+ planes destroyed

The Battle of Makassar Strait, also known as the Action of Madura Strait, the Action North of Lombok Strait and the Battle of the Flores Sea, was a naval battle of the Pacific theater of World War II. An American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) fleet—under Schout-bij-nacht (Rear Admiral) Karel Doorman—was on its way to intercept a Japanese invasion convoy reported as bound for Surabaya (its destination was actually Makassar), when it was attacked by 36 Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty" and 24 Mitsubishi G3M2 "Nell" medium bombers, which forced the fleet to retreat.

The battle occurred on 4 February 1942 in the Java Sea, closer to the Kangean Islands than to Makassar Strait. This battle should not be confused with the Battle of Balikpapan, which occurred over a week earlier on 24 January 1942, which is also sometimes referred to as the "Battle of Makassar Strait".

Background

At the end of January, Japanese forces had conquered the north and west coast of Borneo and large parts of Maluku (Moluccas). On Borneo's east coast, Japanese forces occupied the oil facilities and ports of Balikpapan^[1] and Tarakan,^[2] and on Celebes the cities of Menado^[3] and Kendari^[4] had also fallen. To gain full control of Makassar Strait, the Japanese needed to capture the cities of Makassar and Banjarmasin.

On 1 February, Allied commanders received word from a reconnaissance plane: at Balikpapan, a Japanese invasion force—consisting of 20 troop transport ships, three cruisers and 10 destroyers—was preparing to sail. On 2 February, Admiral Thomas C. Hart, Vice-Admiraal (Vice Admiral) Conrad Helfrich, Rear Admiral William A. Glassford and (Commodore) John Collins, RAN met at Palembang; Helfrich's suggestion that a strike force be formed was approved.^[5] It was formed the following day under Schout-bij-nacht (Rear Admiral) Karel Doorman, and began taking on supplies at the Gili Islands, south of Madura.

The ABDA force consisted of four cruisers (HNLMS De Ruyter, which was the flagship, Tromp and USS Houston, and Marblehead) escorted by seven destroyers (HNLMS Banckert, Piet Hein, Van Ghent, USS Barker, Bulmer, John D. Edwards, and Stewart).^[6]

Battle

On the morning of 3 February, the ABDA combined strike force was being refueled by the USS Pecos (AO-6) in Bounder Roads, when they were spotted by seven Japanese bombers. Though they circled several times, the Japanese bombers did not attack the ABDA ship as they dispersed into open water, but instead continued on with their planned attack of Surabaya. Yet, Doorman's element of surprise was lost, a disadvantage coupled with his lack of fighter cover.^[7]

On 4 February, at midnight, the Doorman's strike force sailed east from Bounder Roads towards the south of the Kangean Islands before turning north into the Makassar Strait. At 9:35 AM, Doorman was told to expect an attack from 36 Japanese bombers spotted taking off from Kendari II Airfield. The attack began at 9:49 while Doorman's ships were 20 miles south of Kangean. The Japanese concentrated their attack on A.G. Robinson's Marblehead and Albert H. Rooks' Houston. At 10:27, Marblehead was straddled with six high explosive bombs, causing severe flooding and destroying the steering room, jamming the rudder hard to port. Marblehead listed 10 degrees to starboard as it circled doing 25 knots.^[7]

Houston was initially successfully in evading several bombs until a delayed fuse bomb penetrated the main deck near the Turret Number 3. The blast instantly killed 48, and wounded an additional 20. Quick action prevented the resultant fire from reaching the aft magazine, though the turret was no longer operational.^[7]

At about 13:00, Doorman ordered his ships to return west and signalled Hart that—without fighter protection—it would not be possible to advance to Makassar Strait, due to the threat from bombers. Houston and Tromp had already gone south through Alas Strait, and were south of the strait. Marblehead and the four U.S. destroyers went south through Lombok Strait. De Ruyter and the three Dutch destroyers also stayed with Marblehead until the Lombok Strait. Both U.S. cruisers headed for Tjilatjap, to get repairs and medical attention for their wounded.

Aftermath

Japanese aircrews reported three cruisers sunk during the attack: one "Augusta class cruiser", one Tromp-class cruiser type and one Java-class cruiser. However, no ships of the latter class were present during the attack, and only Marblehead and Houston were damaged.

At Tjilatjap, Houston and Marblehead transferred their wounded to a hospital and buried their dead. Marblehead would not fit in the dry dock, but the hole in the hull was temporarily repaired, and the ship sailed for the east coast of the U.S.—by way of Ceylon and South Africa—for repairs. Houston was able to continue service with the ABDA fleet.

The retreat of the strike force resulted in the Japanese taking control of Makassar Strait and thereby tightening their grip on the western part of the Dutch East Indies.

Notes

^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Balikpapan, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Tarakan Island, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The Fall of Menado, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The Fall of Kendari, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "Vice-Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
^ Muir, Dan. "Order of Battle, Battle of Makassar Strait 4 February 1942".
^ ^a ^b ^c Womack, Tom (2016). The Allied Defense of the Malay Barrier, 1941-1942. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 134–140. ISBN 9781476662930.

References

Bezemer, K. W. L. Zij Vochten Op De Zeven Zeeën. 5th ed. Utrecht: W. de Haan N.V., 1964. 243–247 (in Dutch)
L, Klemen (1999–2000). "Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942".
Muir, Dan Order of Battle – Battle of Makassar Strait 1942

L, Klemen (2000). "Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942".

7°30′S 115°30′E / 7.500°S 115.500°E / -7.500; 115.500

[1] L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Balikpapan, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.

[2] L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Tarakan Island, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.

[3] L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The Fall of Menado, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.

[4] L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The Fall of Kendari, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.

[helfrich-DEI-5] L, Klemen (1999–2000). "Vice-Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.

[6] Muir, Dan. "Order of Battle, Battle of Makassar Strait 4 February 1942".

[tw-7] Womack, Tom (2016). The Allied Defense of the Malay Barrier, 1941-1942. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 134–140. ISBN 9781476662930.

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