Two grenade cases, a wine bottle, and a valve. These four so-called artifacts, found at wreck sites in the Java Sea, have been brought to the Netherlands and will be on display in the Marine Museum in Den Helder. In the Battle of the Java Sea in February 1942, three Dutch ships were sunk. 915 crew members were killed.
During the Battle of the Java Sea, a Dutch squadron led by Karel Doorman, along with American, British and Australian ships, tried to prevent a Japanese invasion of Java. The Dutch ships Hr. ms. DeRuyter, Mr. ms. Java and the destroyer Hr. MS Kortenaer went down in the battle on 27 and 28 February 1942.
The objects were found at the wreck sites during an investigation in 2016 by the Karel Doorman Fund. It was then determined that the wrecks had largely disappeared. A Dutch-Indonesian investigation later determined that the wrecks had been illegally salvaged for the value of the iron and steel. Other ships of the Allied fleet were also sunk. Several ships were no longer located where they had sunk.
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Painting
Before they come to the Marine Museum, the objects found in the Java Sea will first be on display during the 80th commemoration of the Battle of the Java Sea, next Saturday in The Hague. In the presence of Princess Beatrix and relatives, a specially made painting about the battle is presented to the Naval Museum. The painting, made by Maarten Platje, shows a decisive moment during the battle.