27 February 1942
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and the war effort in the Pacific, experienced a grim time in 1942. The Japanese advance south into the Netherlands East Indies seemed unstoppable.
Several RAN vessels were recalled from the European theatre to combat the more immediate threat to Australia. HMAS Perth returned to Australia from the Mediterranean towards the end of 1941, before Japan’s entry into the war. From December 1941, the light cruiser was involved in escort and patrol operations in the south-west Pacific.
On the night of 27 February 1942, an Allied force of 14 ships, including Perth, engaged Japanese naval forces in the disastrous Battle of the Java Sea. Attempting to prevent the Japanese invasion of Java, 5 Allied ships (3 Dutch and 2 British) were lost in the engagement. Perth and USS Houston were lucky to survive. The Japanese invasion of Java went ahead on the 28th, delayed by just one day.
After surviving the battle, Perth and Houston proceeded to Tanjong Priok. They received orders to continue on to Tjilatjap via the Sunda Strait. Air intelligence had identified a large enemy invasion force north-east of Batavia (Jakarta). however, it was thought that the convoy escort would be unlikely to interfere with the passage of Perth and Houston through the Sunda Strait.
The two Allied cruisers were already low on fuel and ammunition. They encountered the Japanese escort late on 28 February, north of Banten Bay, Java, and immediately engaged.
Perth received its first hit at 11:26pm, followed by 2 more hits in quick succession. Ammunition was reduced to a few 6-inch practice shells and some star shells. Perth’s commanding officer, Captain Hector ‘Hec’ Waller, decided to attempt to force a passage through the strait. He ordered full speed and altered course for Toppers Island.
Perth had barely steadied on course when it was struck on the starboard side by a torpedo at 5 minutes after midnight. A second torpedo hit, prompting Captain Waller to give the order to abandon ship. Perth sank at approximately 00:25am having received two further torpedo hits.
Of the 681 personnel aboard, 353, including Captain Waller, did not survive the sinking. Four later died having managed to reach shore on Java, and 106 died in captivity. Just 218 survived to be repatriated to Australia.
Houston was also struck by several torpedos and sunk shortly after Perth. Of its complement of 1,061, only 368 survived the sinking. A further 77 later died in captivity.