Battle of Sunda Strait The Battle of Sunda Strait was a naval battle which occurred during World War II . On the night of 28 February – 1 March 1942 , the Australian light cruiser and the American heavy cruiser faced a major Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) task force . After a fierce battle of several hours duration , both Allied ships were sunk . Five Japanese ships were sunk by friendly fire , of which two were refloated . Background . In late February 1942 , Japanese amphibious forces were preparing to invade Java , in the Dutch East Indies . On 27 February , the main American - British - Dutch - Australian Command ( ABDACOM ) naval force , under Admiral Karel Doorman – a Dutch officer – steamed northeast from Surabaya to intercept an imperial Japanese navy invasion fleet . This part of the ABDA force consisted of two heavy cruiser s , including the under the command of Captain Albert H . Rooks , three light cruiser s , including under Captain Hector Waller , and nine destroyer s . Only six out of nine of the USS " Houston " s 8 - inch ( 203 - millimeter ) heavy gun s were operational because her aft gun turret had been knocked out in an earlier Japanese air raid . The ABDA force engaged the Japanese force in the Java Sea . The Allied ships were all sunk or dispersed . " Houston " and " Perth " both retreated to Tanjung Priok , Java , the main port of Batavia , Dutch East Indies , where they arrived at 13 : 30 hours on 28 February . Battle . Later on 28 February , USS " Houston " and HMAS " Perth " received orders to sail through Sunda Strait to Tjilatjap , on the south coast of Java . The Dutch destroyer HNLMS " Evertsen " , which intended to accompany them , was not ready and remained in Tanjung Priok . " Houston " and " Perth " left at 19 : 00 , while " Evertsen " followed an hour later . Waller , who had seniority over Rooks , was in command . The only ships they expected to encounter were Australian corvette s on patrol in and around the strait . By chance , just after 22 : 00 , the IJA 16th Army ' s Western Java Invasion Convoy — over 50 transports , and including the Army ' s commander , Lieutenant General Hitoshi Imamura — was entering Bantam Bay , near the northwest tip of Java . The Japanese troop transports were escorted by the 5th Destroyer Flotilla , led by Rear Admiral Kenzaburo Hara and the 7th Cruiser Division , under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita . Rear Admiral Hara ' s light cruiser — with the destroyers , , , " Fubuki " , , , , and — were closest to the convoy . Flanking the bay to the north was Vice Admiral Kurita ' s cruisers and — and the destroyer . Slightly further north , though not involved in the action , was the aircraft carrier , with Kurita ' s and — along with the seaplane carrier , and the destroyers , " Shikinami " and . Some time around 23 : 00 , the Allied ships were sighted by the patrolling " Fubuki " , which followed them surreptitiously . At 23 : 06 , when they were about half - way across the mouth of Bantam Bay , " Perth " sighted a ship about ahead , near Saint Nicolaas Point . It was thought at first that the ship was an Australian corvette , but when challenged , she made an unintelligible reply , with a lamp which was the wrong color , fired her nine Long Lance ( Type 93 ) torpedoes from about 3000 yards and then turned away , making smoke . The ship was soon identified as a Japanese destroyer ( probably " Harukaze " ) . Waller reported the contact and ordered his forward turrets to open fire . In a ferocious night action that ended after midnight , the two Allied cruisers were sunk . Two Japanese transports and a minesweeper were sunk by friendly torpedoes ' . Two other transports — one of which was the " Ryujo Maru " , on which Lt . Gen . Hitoshi Imamura was aboard — were also sunk but later refloated . After Imamura ' s ship was fatally hit and sank , he had to jump overboard . However a small boat rescued and brought him ashore . Aftermath . 696 men on board the " Houston " were killed , while 368 others were saved . " Perth " lost 375 men , with 307 others saved . The captains of both cruisers were also killed . The cruiser " Mikuma " lost six men and eleven wounded as a result of damage caused by " Houston " . The destroyer " Shirayuki " suffered a direct shell hit to her bridge , killing one crewman and injuring eleven others , while " Harukaze " suffered hits to her bridge , engine room and rudder , killing three crewmen and over 15 injured . Both " Houston " and " Perth " were still engaging the Japanese convoy by the time the Dutch destroyer HNLMS " Evertsen " arrived . She was trying to catch up with the two cruisers when she saw tracers and intense shellfire ahead . In an attempt to avoid the battle , " Evertsen " sailed around them and through Sunda Strait . All went well until she encountered the destroyers and protecting the southern flank of Bantam Bay , and immediately fired on her . " Evertsen " altered course and managed to escape , but after re - entering Sunda Strait , she encountered them again . She again managed to escape under a smokescreen , but by then her stern was on fire . Still taking fire from the destroyers , the decision was made to beach the destroyer on a coastal reef . Firing all her torpedoes , the crew escaped before the fire reached the aft magazine , causing an explosion which blew off most of the stern . The majority of " Evertsen " s crew was taken prisoner on 9 – 10 March 1942 .