APPENDIX II
CONTACT REPORTS BEFORE AND DURING THE BATTLE OF JAVA SEA

(Times are -7½)

FEBRUARY 26th:

1. 1150: 30 transports, 2 cruisers, 4 destroyers. Position: lat. 04°50' S., long. 114°20' E. (near Arends Islands), course 245°, speed 10 knots. (This was sent to Admiral Doorman at 1250.)
2. 1440: 2 Isuzu class cruisers, 2 destroyers. Position: lat. 06°25' S., long. 117°13' E., course 315°, speed 10-20 knots. (Admiral Helfrich sent this report to Admiral Doorman at 1445.)
3. 1700: Dutch reconnaissance plane attacked by 2 cruiser catapult planes at lat. 06°05' S., long. 113°15' E., and lat. 05°40' S., long. 113°05' E. (Plane reports upon return at 1900; report forwarded to Admiral Doorman at once.)
4. 1830: U. S. Army bombers bomb Japanese convoy, course unknown. Position: lat. 05°30' S., long. 113°00' E. (northeast of Bawean). (This report was received at Soerabaja at 2220, after which it was forwarded to Admiral Doorman, who complained of the delay of 6-8 hours in forwarding of reports.)

FEBRUARY 27th:

5. 0255: Admiral Doorman received the following amplification of No.4: Convoy lat. 05°30' S., 113°00' E., 18 or more ships, 1 possible aircraft carrier or battleship. Six fighter planes protecting convoy reported by Dutch Navy plane at 1440/26.
6. 0510: Report of Dutch reconnaissance plane after landing broadcast to all Allied warships.
  (a) 2030/26 1 heavy transport, lat. 05°20' S., long. 113°38' E.
  (b) 2230/26 2 destroyers, lat. 05°12' S., long. 112°20' E.
  (c) 0005/27 2 transports, lat. 05°28' S., long. 112°24' E.
  (d) 0020/27 1 transport, lat. 05°42' S., long. 113°00' E.

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7.(a) 1340: 20 ships, unknown number of destroyers. position: lat. 04°45' S., long. 112°15' E., course 180°.
   (b) 1345: One cruiser. Position: lat. 04°04' 5., long. 111°07' E., course 220°.
   (c) 1350: Great fleet with 2 cruisers, 6 destroyers, 25 transports. Position: 20 miles west of Bawean, course south (Cf. report No. 10). (These reports sent to Admiral Doorman at 1445 and (c) causes him to go out for Battle of Java Sea.)
8. 1555: 3 cruisers, 5 transports. Position: lat. 06°50' S.,77 long. 112°10' E., course 190°. (This report was sent to Admiral Doorman at once.)
9.(a) 1630: 5 large ships, several small. Position: lat. 06°20' 5., long. 115° 30' E., course 315° (bombed by Allied planes).
   (b) 1757: 35 ships, including 1 cruiser, 4 destroyers. Position: lat. 05°I0' S., long. 111°35' E., course 170°. (These reports forwarded to Admiral Doorman at 1805.)
  1830: Admiral Doorman reports that the enemy is retreating and asks position of the convoy.
10. 1700: 45 transports, 3 cruisers, 12 destroyers. Position: 20 miles west of Bawean (Cf. report No. 7c). Bombed by U. S. Army bombers. (This news received unofficially at Soerabaja at 1930 and relayed to Admiral Doorman. Official report not received at Soerabaja till 2125.)
  1850: U. S. PBY-5 (PatWing 10) leaves Soerabaja to shadow enemy convoy.
11. 1955: 3 cruisers and 8 destroyers. Position: 30 miles southwest of Bawean, course north. (Seen by American PBY. Pilot believes this is our striking force and sends no report.)
12. 2235: 28 ships in two groups of 16 and 12, 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer, courses 300° and 330°. Position: lat. 06°07' S., long. 112°05' E. (This report was received at Soerabaja at 2352 and forwarded to Admiral Doorman. The De Ruyter almost certainly sank before he received it.)
  2300: Dutch Catalina Y-67 takes off. Its pilot received with his instructions a list of the above contacts and two not listed above:
13. 1800-0227: 4 cruisers and 4 destroyers. Position: lat. 05°40' S., long. 111°35' E.
14. 2100-0227: 9 destroyers: Position: lat. 06°20' 5., long. 111°50' E. (These were at the time thought to be our own, but this seems unlikely.)

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FEBRUARY 28th:

15. 0130: 2 cruisers, 4 destroyers about 25 miles distant from the convoy on course toward it. (U. S. PBY pilot at first believed this was our striking force and did not report the contact till 0150.)
  0212: U.S. PBY-5 turns back to Soerabaja.
16. 0200: Convoy position: lat. 05°40' S., long. 111°40' E.78
17. 0335: Report forwarded from Soerabaja (a composite of the reports of PBY-5 and Y-67): Convoy of 39 transports in two columns 1,500 yards apart, course north, speed 10. Three destroyers in column right flank, 1 cruiser and 2 destroyers in column left flank. Two cruisers and 6 destroyers moving toward convoy at high speed. Position as of 0212, lat. 05°56' S., long. 112°46' E.
18. 1430: Convoy position: lat. 05°55' S., long. 112°05' E. (Report of Dutch Y-60.)
19. 1552: Convoy 60 ships. Position: lat. 06°15' 5., long. 112°15' E., course 90°, speed 10. (Report of Dutch Y-60.)

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Table of Contents * Previous Chapter (Appendix 1)

Footnotes

78 This longitude may be an error for 112°40' E. Cf. report No.17. (Report of Dutch Y-60.)


Last updated: June 14, 2002

Transcribed and formatted by Jerry Holden for the HyperWar Foundation