Too many "Songlap" or "Penyamun" in Java sea ...
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Several World War II warships mysteriously disappear from watery grave at the site of Battle of Java Sea
By
Travis M. Andrews November 18 at 6:08 AM
The HMS Exeter, a heavy cruiser in the Royal Navy, weighed nearly 10,000 imperial tons.
The slightly smaller HMS Encounter and the destroyer HMS Electra flanked the great beast of a ship as the trio sailed near Indonesia. On Feb. 27, 1942, they entered the Java Sea, which lies between the islands of Java and Borneo.
Along with them were Dutch ships HNLMS De Ruyter, HNLMS Java and HNLMS Kortenaer and many, many others.
There, these six ships — along with those of other Allied Forces, including Americans — engaged in a long and grueling World War II battle with a Japanese fleet. According to
the Guardian, it was one of the “costliest sea skirmishes for the allies” and helped enable the Japanese to occupy the Dutch East Indies.
Many sailors died in the battle. Those six ships, for example, sank to the bottom of the sea. Perishing along with their vessel were about 2,200 people, Dutch News
reported.
The ships lay in their watery graves, about 230 feet deep, for many years before human eyes witnessed them again. In 2002, a group of amateur divers discovered the wreckage resting peacefully at the bottom of the sea.
The area was declared a sacred war grave, Time
reported.
“The Battle for Java Sea is part of our collective memory,” Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis said, according to the
Dutch News. “The wrecks bear silent witness to the tragic events and form a backdrop to the many stories about the terrors of war and the comradeship between crew.”
With the battle’s 75th anniversary quickly approaching, a new expedition of divers set out to film the missing ships for a commemoration of the historic day.
When they reached the spot, though, researchers were shocked by what they found. Rather, they were shocked by what they
didn’t find.
The ships were almost entirely gone.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...tery-grave-at-the-site-of-battle-of-java-sea/