@ bo7341: Going into battle against a superior enemy force, with the outcome unknown and the stakes high, calls for a special kind of courage and fortitude. It is brave-enough to go into battle when the odds and preponderance of forces favor your side, but it is another matter entirely when the odds are against you, and you know that you may be embarking on a one-way journey. Those were very brave men.
USS Houston, HMAS Perth, De Ruyter, Java, all brave brave men, sacrificed in a battle they couldn't win, in what is now a blip in history. My granddad was a stoker on HMS Encounter, which tried to escape Java, with USS Pope and HMS Exeter of Graf Spee fame, on 2nd March. They were all sunk, and my grandfather, along with many others, died in captivity as a POW on Jan1st 1944, at Fukuoka Camp B. Never forgotten. Men who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The ABDA force is not much remembered, but it is here and I hope too in the USA, Australia and the Netherlands. Men on an impossible task. The Battle of the Java Sea is not much mentioned- those involved deserve it to be remembered ! "Deeds not Words" motto of H 10, HMS Encounter, RN 'E' class destroyer, sunk 2nd March 1942. If you look at HMS Jupiter - Class destroyer - what a ship. God bless 'em all.
Not quite an impossible task. In ships, the Japanese force was not significantly greater than the ABDA force. The ABDA force just got out-foxed by the Japanese and caught with their pants down. The Japanese were expertly trained night fighters, the ABDA force were not. The way that the ABDA forces were deployed played into the Japanese attack allowing the Japanese force to attack the ABDA force in parts instead of all at once. The Japanese achieved complete surprise. Ships were already eating torpedoes and sinking before the ABDA force even realized they were being attacked. Even after one group of ABDA ships was burning and sinking, the rest, some distance away, still didn't know that they were in a battle. The HMAS Australia, a heavy cruiser, and the Phoenix are believed to have been within under 20k yards of the battle without realizing that it was going on. They never fired a shot. USS Chicago, a heavy cruiser, never fired a shot from her main battery. After nearly having her bow blown off by a torpedo, she fled. The ABDA organization and training weren't up to the level of the Japanese and they were way overconfident. If success for the ABDA force was an impossible task, it was only because of that. May all the brave sailors who lost their lives in that battle RIP. Their loss was not in vain, lessons were learned. The Japanese never scored such a smashing success again.
My uncle served on board her as a scout plane pilot. He survived the sinking ,spent 3 years as a Japanese POW.He wrote 2 books about the ship and the battles.His name was Walter G. Winslow.
Being ex-Australian Navy, I must say I have great respect for our US comrades, you God damned Septic Tanks. Houston was there with Perth at the Battle Sunda Strait. You were there in the Coral Sea, and in PNG. I went to Pearl Harbour a couple of times and to San Diego when I was in the Aussie Navy, always got a great reception from the Yanks.
@ Dmenace: Americans - the smart ones, anyway - know what steadfast allies Australians (the Kiwis, too) have been to the United States over the years. You lot have earned your reputation as some of the meanest, toughest fighters anywhere on earth. Glad to be on the same side, in other words.
When the USS Long Beach left the Inidan Ocean in 1976 we passed over the site of Perth and Houstons sinking. Our Caotain, Harry Scrader, gave an address on the battle over the 1MC and full honors were rendered as we passed over the site.
My father's cruiser, the USS Phoenix (CL-46) was assigned to the same convoy with which the USS Houston sailed. For some reason, when left to decide which ships he would send to escort the Langley and the others north to Javae and which ships would continue on with the convoy to Ceylon, the task force commander sent Houston with the Langley and not the Phoenix. I never quite understood why. Phoenix was less than 2 years old, a thoroughly modern light cruiser sporting 15 six-inch guns, each of which was capable of firing a round every 15 seconds. Houston, despite being a heavy cruiser that carried 9 eight-inch guns, was in need of modernization and upgrade. So the task force commander designated Phoenix as the flagship for the convoy bound for Ceylon and sent Houston, with destroyer escort, north to Ceylon with the Langley and one or two other supply ships. All of the later were sunk, with heavy loss of life. Had the task force commander decided otherwise and sent Phoenix north to Java, there's a pretty good probability that I wouldn't be boring you with this story. Such are the vagaries and vicissitudes of war.
First off: Your dad is a brave man. Second: I guess, the Task Force Command didn't consider increasing the Japanese. After all the Japanese just got Philippines and thought the Japanese cant be heading to Java. The Japanese invasion of the Philippines and Indonesia was like the German Blitzkrieg on Poland and France. No one was ready of War, Especially of a War of Movement.
CaesarInVa Ya it makes sense especially since the AA on light cruisers especially Brooklyn-class and the Cleveland-class are pretty good though why can’t it be The to just have the Langley regroup WITH the convoy?
CeaserinVa - You are not boring anyone with your story and I for one thank you for sharing it, as you say so elequently, "such is the fog of war", again thank you for the story, and for your family members service to us all in that terrible conflict.
@ CaesarinVa: I tip my hat to your father and salute his service in the Second World War. My late father also was a a navy man in that war, but he didn't become old-enough to join until 1943, the year he turned seventeen. That generation of men were very special, and did great things, both in wartime and in peace. Re: "Phoenix was less than 2 years old, a thoroughly modern light cruiser sporting 15 six-inch guns, each of which was capable of firing a round every 15 seconds." Interesting hypothesis. The U.S. Navy erred at times in sending vessels into combat which were not the most-advanced available, or on other occasions, the task force commander flew his flag in a vessel that was not the most-capable and that had repercussions. Learning how to put together a well-constructed task group or task force and with the appropriate leaders for it in the correct vessels, those were part of the lessons-learned in the early going of the war in the Pacific. Lessons bought with blood, sweat, and toil - as well as lost men and ships. Would the assignment of the U.S.S. Phoenix have made any difference - perhaps even a significant difference - in the outcome of the Battle of the Java Sea? I honestly don't know, but then I am not a specialist - historically-speaking - concerning either vessel. Did the Phoenix possess newer and perhaps better radar than the Houston? Just as importantly, did her senior officers and crew possess the technical knowledge required to make effective use of the then-new technology under operational conditions? It does little good to possess newer and better technology if the expertise and experience required to use it are absent or under-developed. Later in the war, the American lead in radar technology and the use of it were to prove decisive advantages in battle against the Imperial Japanese Navy, but early on, it was not yet sufficiently understood by most ship captains and admirals to provide the edge it did later on. Part of the problem encountered by the U.S. Navy and her allies in the Pacific - the Dutch, Australia, et al. - was that the U.S.N. and her allies were focused on gunnery as the decisive means of taking the fight to the enemy, whereas the Japanese Navy considered torpedoes to be their first-strike weapon of choice, with gunnery only commencing after any "fish" had been released. The Allies did not yet understand that Japanese surface warfare doctrine - upon meeting and identifying the enemy as hostile - was to immediately maneuver to attack with their famous and feared "Long Lance" oxygen-driven torpedoes, and only after releasing their fish, engage with gun-fire. Japanese commanders were generally given the latitude to open fire with their main and secondary batteries at the time of their choosing, but doctrine was "torpedoes first." Even many Japanese cruisers were equipped with torpedo tubes to enable them to engage in this manner. As the U.S.S. Atlanta was later to prove during the naval battles off Guadalcanal, in particular the action in which she was ultimately sunk 13 November 1942 (too heavily damaged to be saved, her captain ultimately ordered her scuttled), an American light cruiser armed primarily with anti-aircraft weapons was capable of punching well above its weight, particularly at close ranges where her main batteries would be most-effective - but since the engagement ranges during Java Sea were longer than at the 13 November 1942 battle - it remains questionable to me whether the presence of the Phoenix would have proved decisive. Particularly since she did not even carry torpedoes, if my research is correct. Of course, we are engaging in "what-if" history, also known as "alternative history," which is by definition speculative in nature. What's your take on it? Would the Phoenix have been a game-changer, and if so, how and why?
James Hornfischer's 2006 history of the incredible odyssey of the U.S.S. Houston and her crew, "Ship of Ghosts," is a well-done and worthwhile read for those interested in her fate. What her survivors endured in Japanese captivity is horrible; chilling, haunting. Many know of the Bataan Death March, but few know of Burma's "Railway of Death" - which was constructed in part by Houston crew members.
thats honestly sad the men who went down with the Perth and Houston will be remembered until the day the world ends i salute to them, and any other men in the armed forces
My great grandfather’s older brother served onboard. Eddie Paul O’Hayre, Radio Second Class, he was never found and never accounted for in any POW camps. His missing in action caused his 15 year old little brother, my great grandfather, to become a merchant marine.
Found the book at a thrift store best 1 dollar I ever spent. The 5in at shells were mostly duds and the captions skills were legendary for avoiding bombs. One plane in the formation had a single bomb hang up from its release. That's the one that hit the turret after it was freed. Those guys went through hell on earth afterwards. Great read. Ship of ghots
The Dutch destroyer Evertsen was following Houston and Perth, entered Sunda Strait and suffered a similar fate as the cruisers; all survivors captured, and some died in captivity. These early battles in 1942 were not victories but the sacrifice of the men who fought in them deserves to be remembered.
Another significant sea battle that the Navy failed to tell me and my shipmates about when I was a young, dumb seaman recruit (E1) in boot camp at Great Lakes during the winter of '73-'74. This is the kind of U.S. NAVY history that would inspire a dumb 17yr old kid to be an even better U.S. NAVY Sailor and consider reupping. Made PO3 before getting out. I'm proud of my service. And as a proud U.S. NAVY veteran I salute the brave crew of those ships. At ease gentlemen, you have fulfilled your duties. ✌🏻🇺🇸
The NHC Archaeologist didn't mention that survey showed that the Houston has been systematically plundered and, BTW, many of the other ships from the battle were also illegally salvaged and several of the wrecks are now entirely gone.
My great uncle Homer was a marine on this ship. He was the admirals guard... he went down with the ship. My grandmother donated all of his military affects to the Lexington museum in corpus christi.
My dad was on the Houston when it was sunk at Java and he said the captain of the Houston did everything to not be sunk, sometimes anyone can have a hero in there family dad or mother,sister brother just amazing, how JESUS WORKS IN OUR LIFES,LOOK UP SEE WHAT JESUS THE LORD HAS DONE
My father volunteered for and almost went to the Asiatic Fleet in 1939 or 1940. Dad missed Pearl Harbor because his ship was having work done at Mare Island, California. Otherwise, he would have been there.
I dived all these wrecks in September/October 2000, long before they claimed to have identified them in 2014... Dave Barnet did some salvege on them before that. We knew exactly what wrecks they were.
CaesarinVa I read a story about the USS Phoenix that it sailed to pearl harbor and was there in December 7, 1941 supposedly the course that the Phoenix took was hundreds of miles to the south and almost identical to the Japanese carrier strike force
The cover photo is of the Dutch light cruiser De Ruyter. She was sunk in the Java Sea with heavy loss of life. And ILLEGALLY SALVAGED in the last 10 year's. Along with several other ships sunk during this battle. Yet the U.N. has done nothing about it.
There used to be a beautifully detailed wooden model of the USS Houston, protected under a plexiglass housing, in one of the courthouses in downtown Houston. Does anyone know what happened to it? I hope it wasn't destroyed in the Hurricane Harvey flood in downtown Houston. That courthouse is just a few blocks from Buffalo Bayou which flooded the city.
My dad was on the ship as it sunk ,then my dad spent 3yrs 6month in a pow of the Japanese and my dad just couldn't cope with life BUT JESUS CHRIST LET TAKE CARE OF mom and dad I love it
They are war graves,anyone who disturbs them should be shot on site and thrown into the deep. These illegal salvage operations deserve a fate worse than pirates.
Just to share this with you, her gallant sister ship at Sunda: www.gunplot.net/perthww2/Perth.htm A battle they both gave all for to the point that the Japanese thought they were fighting a battleship group. RIP brave crews. True Service exemplified USN, RAN.
Thought I saw news some of the war graves ships in that area were salvaged for scrap iron by Malaysia and Indonesia. Guess they use the steel for all the big sky scrapers they build.
Yes I agree. Admiral Hart was a victim of political players and had a far more logical approach to fighting a stronger force than his replacement. I read he was highly regarded by those under his command and highly respected by admiral Phillips as well.
My great uncle passed away aboard the Houston. Thinking about him and the other heroes who gave everything they could on this Memorial Day.
@ bo7341: Going into battle against a superior enemy force, with the outcome unknown and the stakes high, calls for a special kind of courage and fortitude. It is brave-enough to go into battle when the odds and preponderance of forces favor your side, but it is another matter entirely when the odds are against you, and you know that you may be embarking on a one-way journey. Those were very brave men.
USS Houston, HMAS Perth, De Ruyter, Java, all brave brave men, sacrificed in a battle they couldn't win, in what is now a blip in history. My granddad was a stoker on HMS Encounter, which tried to escape Java, with USS Pope and HMS Exeter of Graf Spee fame, on 2nd March. They were all sunk, and my grandfather, along with many others, died in captivity as a POW on Jan1st 1944, at Fukuoka Camp B. Never forgotten. Men who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The ABDA force is not much remembered, but it is here and I hope too in the USA, Australia and the Netherlands. Men on an impossible task. The Battle of the Java Sea is not much mentioned- those involved deserve it to be remembered ! "Deeds not Words" motto of H 10, HMS Encounter, RN 'E' class destroyer, sunk 2nd March 1942. If you look at HMS Jupiter - Class destroyer - what a ship. God bless 'em all.
Not quite an impossible task. In ships, the Japanese force was not significantly greater than the ABDA force. The ABDA force just got out-foxed by the Japanese and caught with their pants down. The Japanese were expertly trained night fighters, the ABDA force were not. The way that the ABDA forces were deployed played into the Japanese attack allowing the Japanese force to attack the ABDA force in parts instead of all at once. The Japanese achieved complete surprise. Ships were already eating torpedoes and sinking before the ABDA force even realized they were being attacked. Even after one group of ABDA ships was burning and sinking, the rest, some distance away, still didn't know that they were in a battle. The HMAS Australia, a heavy cruiser, and the Phoenix are believed to have been within under 20k yards of the battle without realizing that it was going on. They never fired a shot. USS Chicago, a heavy cruiser, never fired a shot from her main battery. After nearly having her bow blown off by a torpedo, she fled. The ABDA organization and training weren't up to the level of the Japanese and they were way overconfident. If success for the ABDA force was an impossible task, it was only because of that. May all the brave sailors who lost their lives in that battle RIP. Their loss was not in vain, lessons were learned. The Japanese never scored such a smashing success again.
My uncle served on board her as a scout plane pilot. He survived the sinking ,spent 3 years as a Japanese POW.He wrote 2 books about the ship and the battles.His name was Walter G. Winslow.
Thank you for sharing Robert.
I hope to find copies of those books for my pacific collection.
Yes, I read about him. An amazing story.
No site USNI eu li o artigo "The nightmare night USS Houston went down". Desculpas por não escrever em inglês. Honra a todos os mortos.
I read his book, "The Ghost That Died At Sunda Strait", it was amazing. Your uncle is one of my heroes.
Being ex-Australian Navy, I must say I have great respect for our US comrades, you God damned Septic Tanks. Houston was there with Perth at the Battle Sunda Strait. You were there in the Coral Sea, and in PNG. I went to Pearl Harbour a couple of times and to San Diego when I was in the Aussie Navy, always got a great reception from the Yanks.
aussies and yanks fighting side by side soon put an end to japan winning the pacific war ps havent forgotten the kiwis either
@ Dmenace: Americans - the smart ones, anyway - know what steadfast allies Australians (the Kiwis, too) have been to the United States over the years. You lot have earned your reputation as some of the meanest, toughest fighters anywhere on earth. Glad to be on the same side, in other words.
So cool to hear from those who were actually there
My grandfather was on the Houston when it sank. He was a POW for 3 years then stayed in the Navy as a drill instructor in sandeigo .
From one sailor to your grandfather, thank U for his service to a greatful nation!
thanks for sharing foreman
My grandfather was also on the Houston and was in a POW camp as well. USMC
My great-grandfather was on the ship and was a pow also
This is a part of Australian and American naval history. The ships even after a huge battle still went on to try and do their duty
My great uncle, Joseph Hugh Faulk, CPL, USMC was on the USS Houston when it went down. He was a POW in the Nike camp.
WOW!! He was my uncle!! I'm the daughter of his brother, Sam Faulk.
Hero's everyone, thank you for your families sacrifice. "Fair Winds and Following Seas"
Indonesia peoples thanks to US armed force for helped us from japan population.
Occupation
When the USS Long Beach left the Inidan Ocean in 1976 we passed over the site of Perth and Houstons sinking. Our Caotain, Harry Scrader, gave an address on the battle over the 1MC and full honors were rendered as we passed over the site.
Thank you for this story, Mr. Brooks.
my uncle served on the USS Houston. I am very proud of all of those brave men!!! They don't make men like that anymore!!
Thanks for sharing one of the many important and mostly forgotten battles at the onset of WWII.
My father's cruiser, the USS Phoenix (CL-46) was assigned to the same convoy with which the USS Houston sailed. For some reason, when left to decide which ships he would send to escort the Langley and the others north to Javae and which ships would continue on with the convoy to Ceylon, the task force commander sent Houston with the Langley and not the Phoenix. I never quite understood why. Phoenix was less than 2 years old, a thoroughly modern light cruiser sporting 15 six-inch guns, each of which was capable of firing a round every 15 seconds. Houston, despite being a heavy cruiser that carried 9 eight-inch guns, was in need of modernization and upgrade. So the task force commander designated Phoenix as the flagship for the convoy bound for Ceylon and sent Houston, with destroyer escort, north to Ceylon with the Langley and one or two other supply ships. All of the later were sunk, with heavy loss of life. Had the task force commander decided otherwise and sent Phoenix north to Java, there's a pretty good probability that I wouldn't be boring you with this story. Such are the vagaries and vicissitudes of war.
First off: Your dad is a brave man.
Second: I guess, the Task Force Command didn't consider increasing the Japanese. After all the Japanese just got Philippines and thought the Japanese cant be heading to Java.
The Japanese invasion of the Philippines and Indonesia was like the German Blitzkrieg on Poland and France. No one was ready of War, Especially of a War of Movement.
CaesarInVa Ya it makes sense especially since the AA on light cruisers especially Brooklyn-class and the Cleveland-class are pretty good though why can’t it be The to just have the Langley regroup WITH the convoy?
CeaserinVa - You are not boring anyone with your story and I for one thank you for sharing it, as you say so elequently, "such is the fog of war", again thank you for the story, and for your family members service to us all in that terrible conflict.
Thank you for your post.
@ CaesarinVa: I tip my hat to your father and salute his service in the Second World War. My late father also was a a navy man in that war, but he didn't become old-enough to join until 1943, the year he turned seventeen. That generation of men were very special, and did great things, both in wartime and in peace.
Re: "Phoenix was less than 2 years old, a thoroughly modern light cruiser sporting 15 six-inch guns, each of which was capable of firing a round every 15 seconds."
Interesting hypothesis. The U.S. Navy erred at times in sending vessels into combat which were not the most-advanced available, or on other occasions, the task force commander flew his flag in a vessel that was not the most-capable and that had repercussions. Learning how to put together a well-constructed task group or task force and with the appropriate leaders for it in the correct vessels, those were part of the lessons-learned in the early going of the war in the Pacific. Lessons bought with blood, sweat, and toil - as well as lost men and ships.
Would the assignment of the U.S.S. Phoenix have made any difference - perhaps even a significant difference - in the outcome of the Battle of the Java Sea? I honestly don't know, but then I am not a specialist - historically-speaking - concerning either vessel. Did the Phoenix possess newer and perhaps better radar than the Houston? Just as importantly, did her senior officers and crew possess the technical knowledge required to make effective use of the then-new technology under operational conditions? It does little good to possess newer and better technology if the expertise and experience required to use it are absent or under-developed. Later in the war, the American lead in radar technology and the use of it were to prove decisive advantages in battle against the Imperial Japanese Navy, but early on, it was not yet sufficiently understood by most ship captains and admirals to provide the edge it did later on.
Part of the problem encountered by the U.S. Navy and her allies in the Pacific - the Dutch, Australia, et al. - was that the U.S.N. and her allies were focused on gunnery as the decisive means of taking the fight to the enemy, whereas the Japanese Navy considered torpedoes to be their first-strike weapon of choice, with gunnery only commencing after any "fish" had been released. The Allies did not yet understand that Japanese surface warfare doctrine - upon meeting and identifying the enemy as hostile - was to immediately maneuver to attack with their famous and feared "Long Lance" oxygen-driven torpedoes, and only after releasing their fish, engage with gun-fire. Japanese commanders were generally given the latitude to open fire with their main and secondary batteries at the time of their choosing, but doctrine was "torpedoes first." Even many Japanese cruisers were equipped with torpedo tubes to enable them to engage in this manner.
As the U.S.S. Atlanta was later to prove during the naval battles off Guadalcanal, in particular the action in which she was ultimately sunk 13 November 1942 (too heavily damaged to be saved, her captain ultimately ordered her scuttled), an American light cruiser armed primarily with anti-aircraft weapons was capable of punching well above its weight, particularly at close ranges where her main batteries would be most-effective - but since the engagement ranges during Java Sea were longer than at the 13 November 1942 battle - it remains questionable to me whether the presence of the Phoenix would have proved decisive. Particularly since she did not even carry torpedoes, if my research is correct.
Of course, we are engaging in "what-if" history, also known as "alternative history," which is by definition speculative in nature. What's your take on it? Would the Phoenix have been a game-changer, and if so, how and why?
James Hornfischer's 2006 history of the incredible odyssey of the U.S.S. Houston and her crew, "Ship of Ghosts," is a well-done and worthwhile read for those interested in her fate. What her survivors endured in Japanese captivity is horrible; chilling, haunting. Many know of the Bataan Death March, but few know of Burma's "Railway of Death" - which was constructed in part by Houston crew members.
RIP Captain Hec Waller DSO & Bar and the crew of HMAS Perth.
Apparently, 60-70% of the Perth wreck has been illegally salvaged.
Unfortunately yes, the RAN did a survey of the wrecks and quite a lot has been illegally salvaged.
The perpetrators who have ravaged our war graves should be apprehended and made to pay for this disrespectful thievery.
thats honestly sad
the men who went down with the Perth and Houston will be remembered until the day the world ends
i salute to them, and any other men in the armed forces
Very informative, thank you. And thank you to Mr. Howard Brooks for sharing his experience.
My great grandfather’s older brother served onboard. Eddie Paul O’Hayre, Radio Second Class, he was never found and never accounted for in any POW camps. His missing in action caused his 15 year old little brother, my great grandfather, to become a merchant marine.
Found the book at a thrift store best 1 dollar I ever spent. The 5in at shells were mostly duds and the captions skills were legendary for avoiding bombs. One plane in the formation had a single bomb hang up from its release. That's the one that hit the turret after it was freed. Those guys went through hell on earth afterwards. Great read. Ship of ghots
I have the same book and have read it many times. Great read
3:27 Attackers can fail 99.9% of the time, but defenders must succeed 100% of the time...
USS Houston was "Commander Shears" ship in Bridge on the River Kwai.
My Dad's Cousin Theodore Duane Daniels was killed when Japanese dive bombers hit the turret he was on got hit.He was from Sherman County Kansas.
The Dutch destroyer Evertsen was following Houston and Perth, entered Sunda Strait and suffered a similar fate as the cruisers; all survivors captured, and some died in captivity. These early battles in 1942 were not victories but the sacrifice of the men who fought in them deserves to be remembered.
Thanking those who served and gave the Ultimate Sacrifice!!!🇺🇸👍
Another significant sea battle that the Navy failed to tell me and my shipmates about when I was a young, dumb seaman recruit (E1) in boot camp at Great Lakes during the winter of '73-'74. This is the kind of U.S. NAVY history that would inspire a dumb 17yr old kid to be an even better U.S. NAVY Sailor and consider reupping. Made PO3 before getting out. I'm proud of my service. And as a proud U.S. NAVY veteran I salute the brave crew of those ships. At ease gentlemen, you have fulfilled your duties.
✌🏻🇺🇸
The NHC Archaeologist didn't mention that survey showed that the Houston has been systematically plundered and, BTW, many of the other ships from the battle were also illegally salvaged and several of the wrecks are now entirely gone.
My great uncle Homer was a marine on this ship. He was the admirals guard... he went down with the ship. My grandmother donated all of his military affects to the Lexington museum in corpus christi.
The ship in the start is the De Ruyter Dutch flagship, not Houston.
It's in the thumbnail, too. That's what I wanted to say.
Yeah, I thought that was really weird.
Nice to see lots recognition to HMAS Perth who survives went into Japanese camps as Pow’s never to see Australia again
This was very good and very interesting
My great uncle, Ralph Wienert, died on this ship. RIP.
My dad was on the Houston when it was sunk at Java and he said the captain of the Houston did everything to not be sunk, sometimes anyone can have a hero in there family dad or mother,sister brother just amazing, how JESUS WORKS IN OUR LIFES,LOOK UP SEE WHAT JESUS THE LORD HAS DONE
My great grandfathers brother served and was killed when it sank. RIP CECIL LUTHER TAYLOR.
My uncle served and was lost at sea during that battle. His name was Charles Eugene Gilmore, he went by Gene
My father volunteered for and almost went to the Asiatic Fleet in 1939 or 1940. Dad missed Pearl Harbor because his ship was having work done at Mare Island, California. Otherwise, he would have been there.
Greatest Generation indeed
I dived all these wrecks in September/October 2000, long before they claimed to have identified them in 2014... Dave Barnet did some salvege on them before that. We knew exactly what wrecks they were.
CaesarinVa I read a story about the USS Phoenix that it sailed to pearl harbor and was there in December 7, 1941 supposedly the course that the Phoenix took was hundreds of miles to the south and almost identical to the Japanese carrier strike force
The cover photo is of the Dutch light cruiser De Ruyter. She was sunk in the Java Sea with heavy loss of life. And ILLEGALLY SALVAGED in the last 10 year's. Along with several other ships sunk during this battle. Yet the U.N. has done nothing about it.
Perhaps the poster can change the cover picture so it's more relevant.
There used to be a beautifully detailed wooden model of the USS Houston, protected under a plexiglass housing, in one of the courthouses in downtown Houston. Does anyone know what happened to it? I hope it wasn't destroyed in the Hurricane Harvey flood in downtown Houston. That courthouse is just a few blocks from Buffalo Bayou which flooded the city.
My dad was on the ship as it sunk ,then my dad spent 3yrs 6month in a pow of the Japanese and my dad just couldn't cope with life BUT JESUS CHRIST LET TAKE CARE OF mom and dad I love it
American and Australian Navy Ships each fighting together side by side to the last.
Is the thumbnail pic the De Ruyter?
Indonesia respects history, has peace,is also independent of Indonesia
Well now i know that i can found some historical site of WW2 near my house
Enterprise CV-06 holds the nickname of The Galloping Ghost....
*Grey Ghost
These ships would be made from nuclear clean steel. Very valuable for making accurate geiger counters.
They are war graves,anyone who disturbs them should be shot on site and thrown into the deep.
These illegal salvage operations deserve a fate worse than pirates.
Where is the bell at now?
eternal father strong to save i knew that music was familiar
Great Video. Thanks for Sharing !
You guys could have atleast mentioned Commander George Snavely Rentz
Thats not Houston in the thumbnail
Karel Doorman is like Cahrull Dohrmahn
I can not down load this to mp3 to listen at home.
Just to share this with you, her gallant sister ship at Sunda:
www.gunplot.net/perthww2/Perth.htm
A battle they both gave all for to the point that the Japanese thought they were fighting a battleship group. RIP brave crews. True Service exemplified USN, RAN.
RIP brave sailors
Thought I saw news some of the war graves ships in that area were salvaged for scrap iron by Malaysia and Indonesia. Guess they use the steel for all the big sky scrapers they build.
Why are the Compromised treaty Crusers so highly praised? Savo, Tassforonga and most of that unpleasantness.
The thumbnail of this vedio is not the HOUSTON.. That's the Dutch DE RUYTER.
Oh look, Its a Pensacola with 2 more guns
Macintoshiba yes
The ship in the tumbnale looks like the Admiral Graf Spee xD
My grandpa survived this ship
Those brave men died fighting to protect these disgusting people now picking at their bones with no respect or gratitude.
Adm. HART would never had sent them on that final death mission
Yes I agree. Admiral Hart was a victim of political players and had a far more logical approach to fighting a stronger force than his replacement. I read he was highly regarded by those under his command and highly respected by admiral Phillips as well.
@@roboticus71 yes , he probably should have had CINPAC but Roosevelt didn’t like him, or Richardson. Kimmel was chosen as patsy.
sink in Indonesia?
Come on subtitle indonesia
E Purblis Um
Say the word indonesia in a video and watch the magic happen in the comments
Computer generated audio is HORRID
Lol why Japan want colonization my country maybe spices???
Oil. Japan had none.
The Japanese never attacked Pearl Harbour.
It was the Germans, right?
I suppose you probably think that Earth is flat as well.
aorta, I think your brain is flat.
No, It was the jews.
eaton, You are just a piece of shit.