That's torn it. Abandon ship. | Maritime Horrors - The Ambush of the HMAS Perth *First Reaction*

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]What's going on, you bunch of heathens?

[00:00:01]Today, we are checking out Maritime Horrors. The Ambush of the HMAS Perth.

[00:00:08]It's been recommended quite a bit to me.

[00:00:10]And I love me some weird maritime horror [ __ ] And yeah, it's been a while since I watched some of their stuff. I don't even know if it was technically even on the channel. I think I was watching them in my spare time, and it's been a hot minute since I have.

[00:00:28]So, this should be fun.

[00:00:30]Uh the original link below, make sure you guys go and check it out. And yeah, let's jump in.

[00:00:39]>> Underway just north of Java, Indonesia, on the 1st of March, 1942, about to enter the Sunda Strait. The Royal Australian Navy light cruiser HMAS Perth is sailing with the US Navy heavy cruiser USS Houston. Two of the last surviving Allied cruisers in the region.

[00:00:57]They are attempting to beat a hasty retreat south.

[00:01:00]>> But the Perth realizes she isn't alone.

[00:01:03]>> Oh, that's a cool painting.

[00:01:04]>> and opens fire on a Japanese destroyer and is met with return fire and nearly a dozen other ships.

[00:01:11]Perth and Houston are outnumbered, low on ammo, and surrounded.

[00:01:16]This night was about to become a nightmare for the Allied crews.

[00:01:22]HMAS Perth was a Leander class light cruiser and actually started her life in the HM Dockyard in Portsmouth as the HMS Amphion.

[00:01:31]She was launched on the 27th of July, 1934, but wasn't commissioned until the 15th of June, 1936. [music] She had a rather routine life in the Royal Navy, but would soon be sold to the Royal Australian Navy. The clouds of war were slowly starting to build in Europe, and an ever aggressive Japanese empire made the Australian government recognize the need to bolster their navy. The Amphion was purchased and soon renamed and recommissioned as the HMAS Perth after the city in Western Australia. The vessel was 562 ft and 4 in or 169 m in length.

[00:02:07]>> It honestly not really uh what would you call it?

[00:02:13]This is the second uh This is the second Australian ship we've heard we've seen now that was bought from the British. So, I guess that's just at least during this time what it seems like it was more or less standard.

[00:02:33]Are you Aust- I forget who you your name. Let me pull it up really quick. Uh da da da da da Django, are you Australian?

[00:02:44]It's cool if you're not. It's just you seem to be recommending Aust- a bunch of Australian [ __ ] so it makes me wonder.

[00:02:50]>> 56 ft 8 in or 17.27 m at the beam. And she had a complement of 681 crew.

[00:02:57]She was armed with eight 6-in or 152-mm Mark 23 guns in a four-turret format.

[00:03:05]Eight 4-in or 102-mm Mark five secondary guns.

[00:03:09]Five quad 50-calibre Vickers machine guns and two 20-mm Oerlikon AA guns.

[00:03:16]She also had eight 2-in or 533-mm torpedo tubes. She was also assisted by one submarine Walrus floatplane. [music] She was powered by four Admiralty three-drum boilers which powered four Parsons geared turbines. The ship had four shafts that generated 72,000 shaft horsepower and pushed her along at an impressive 32.5 kn.

[00:03:39]Her armor was nothing incredible. 3 in or 76 mm of belt armor with 3.5 in or 89 mm protecting her magazines. 1.125 in or 29 mm >> Not really surprising. I mean, what did he say this was? A light cruiser, I think, is what he said.

[00:03:58]Uh da da da It doesn't say it.

[00:04:05]>> mm of deck armor and 1 in or 25 mm protecting her turrets. Purchased while the ship was still in Portsmouth, the Australian sailors were forced to sail to the UK aboard the SS Adelaide [music] cuz a cargo freighter. The men were cramped into livestock holds for the passage, but the men were excited.

[00:04:23]>> Oh, I'd be excited about it. Also, that would also [ __ ] suck.

[00:04:26]>> grown up in depression era >> [music] >> Australia with not a hope for world travel.

[00:04:31]They were now traveling to the UK. Once arrived, the ship was being refit for the Royal Australian Navy with Captain Harold Bruce Farncomb taking command.

[00:04:40]There was >> But yeah, I never thought about that.

[00:04:46]He just said depression era can uh Australia.

[00:05:08]Huh.

[00:05:14]I've never thought of this cuz anytime like American when it's talked about in our classes, it's only talked about like the American portion of it. In all the other videos I see, they never really talk a lot about it.

[00:05:30]Recommend me some videos if you can.

[00:05:34]Some uh what the Great Depression was like, the effects of it around the world.

[00:05:41]Like I never thought about that before.

[00:05:46]That I thought it was like mainly a American thing, but it makes sense from what I know that it would affect the rest of the world because it's America. We we trade with everyone.

[00:05:59]I never thought about that.

[00:06:02]That is interesting.

[00:06:04]>> the renaming and commissioning ceremony, then the ship went through several weeks of training and drills, getting the junior members of the crew up to snuff and ready to sail.

[00:06:13]The ship was going to be a representative of the Australian Navy in a very big way.

[00:06:19]After leaving harbor, the ship steamed westwards towards the United States. She was to attend the 1939 New York World Fair representing Australia.

[00:06:28]>> Aw.

[00:06:28]>> aboard Perth were elated. New York being something you saw in the movies, somewhere only the wealthiest of Australians got to experience. But here these men were, a majority of which weren't even 21 years of age, got to visit. But once they reached New York on the 4th of August, 1939, they received sour news. [music] The captain ordered that any man that were to go ashore for shore leave must wear his white dress uniform until 1830. Then, once the time struck, return to ship to change into the blue service uniform before [music] heading back out.

[00:07:02]This irritated the ratings, who were already struggling with an intense training schedule, and also being forced to paint the vessel during their transit across the Atlantic.

[00:07:10]>> Aw.

[00:07:11]>> That first >> I was going to say this is different they they got rid of the cool paint job?

[00:07:18]That sucks.

[00:07:22]And you have to Oh, dude, I that that kind of sucks just Oh, yeah, you can wear your white one out up until 6:30, and then your ass got to come back and change in the blue one, then you can head back out. Like, nah, bro, [ __ ] that.

[00:07:34]>> first day after the captain was away on official business, a large contingent of the ship's company mustered on the forecastle refusing to work.

[00:07:42]A rather enthusiastic first lieutenant labeled this protest as mutiny and ordered pistols issued to the ship's officers.

[00:07:51]Even the New York police responded, but >> Well, I mean is he really that wrong though?

[00:08:04]I mean, you're the military. You signed away your [ __ ] life. The government owns you.

[00:08:09]At least that's how what I know from like the American military. You don't get to just say no like that.

[00:08:14]>> thankfully didn't have to intervene.

[00:08:17]Eventually, the 50 to 60 sailors were talked down and the next day the captain offered a new deal saying the men could request to only have to wear the blue uniform.

[00:08:27]The men acquiesced and most took up the offer.

[00:08:31]But this incident didn't go unnoticed by the Americans who were writing about the {quote} mutiny in the papers. But the Royal Australian Navy sailors were treated like celebrities in town. The New Yorkers clamored to meet the foreigners with their cute accents.

[00:08:48]Sailors were being taken for free to high-dollar >> That's just Well, mine instantly goes to the [ __ ] uh I forget who it was with.

[00:08:59]But it was Chris Hemsworth and another chick and he was like, "Oh, do you strongly disagree that that like interview show?"

[00:09:07]And it's just the Australian accent is is the sexiest accent. He's like, "Oh, no, strongly disagree."

[00:09:13]And uh she's like kind of confused about it. "How's it going, babe?" And like he he starts doing the [ __ ] It's super [ __ ] funny.

[00:09:20]>> brought in as guests to large ball games in Madison Square Garden, even brought into cabaret shows.

[00:09:26]One sailor even bemusingly remembers being asked by an American woman >> [music] >> if he could say something in Austrian for her.

[00:09:33]>> Oh, ho, ho, ho.

[00:09:34]>> The ratings lived the high life and soaked in all that New York had to offer. After 12 days, the ship set special sea duty >> and shoved [music] off. Their next port being Kingston, Jamaica.

[00:09:45]>> Ooh, Jamaica.

[00:09:47]>> of September, just two days after Germany invaded Poland, the UK and all its possessions declared war.

[00:09:54]Being the only Commonwealth ship in the Caribbean at the time, Perth set about patrolling the area for German shipping to raid and destroy. [music] She did this mission until the 31st of March, 1940.

[00:10:05]Finally, for the first time since entering the Royal Australian Navy, she would return to Australian waters. The ship began a refit, preparing for the war. She was outfitted with a submarine Walrus floatplane for usage as a spotting plane and reconnaissance aircraft. She also received a new captain, Captain Sir Philip Bowyer-Smyth.

[00:10:25]From June until November, she was tasked with patrolling the Australian coast and waters, protecting her shipping before being reassigned on the 24th of December [music] and sent for the Mediterranean and Red Sea for various missions.

[00:10:37]The Perth spent a great deal of time assisting in the Mediterranean campaign.

[00:10:42]Cruisers being the workhorses of the Navy, she performed a wide array of missions, convoy escorts, gunfire support and bombardment, landing support, and even mine laying. She escorted a convoy for Operation Excess in January 1941, [music] then the carrier HMS Illustrious later that month. She assisted in the landings in Turkey named Operation Abstention [music] on 27th of February, then landings in Greece on March 7th.

[00:11:09]>> Damn.

[00:11:09]>> a minor role on March 26th at the Battle of Matapan.

[00:11:13]>> Perth actually is putting in a shitload of work. Holy God.

[00:11:19]They They really doing She really doing work.

[00:11:21]>> in a shore bombardment of Italian Libya.

[00:11:25]As the situation worsened, she helped evacuate troops from Greece on the 25th of April. Then as German forces invaded the island of Crete on May 20th, she lent a hand in patrolling the island.

[00:11:37]Afterwards, Perth assisted in the evacuation of troops from [music] Crete in the face of superior German invading forces.

[00:11:44]Through all of this, she would find herself largely unscathed despite several very near misses.

[00:11:51]Unfortunately, this all changed on the evening of the 28th of May. After evacuating a large assortment of New Zealanders troops and Royal Marines, >> Hey, 28th of May.

[00:12:00]>> That's today.

[00:12:03]>> Perth took to the tail end of a convoy.

[00:12:06]In the night, she was molested by a group of JU 88 dive bombers. But, as part of her usual luck, she only had near misses, even managing to cause one of the aircraft to crash into the drink very near to the ship.

[00:12:18]>> Poor girl.

[00:12:19]>> But, she got molested.

[00:12:20]>> in the morning, a bomb plunged dead center into Perth, falling through her fire projector.

[00:12:26]The German bomb punched through several decks, including the galley, before coming to a rest in the [music] ship's boiler room.

[00:12:33]A second or so later, it detonated, >> Oh, no.

[00:12:35]>> crippling the engines and killing two engineers outright.

[00:12:39]The explosion killed two in the galley above before spilling out onto the starboard side deck.

[00:12:45]The deck, which was crowded with survivors evacuated from Crete, was a mess of mangled bodies.

[00:12:51]Nine soldiers were killed in the blast with several others injured.

[00:12:55]>> [music] >> Four crew aboard Perth died as well as nine soldiers in her charge.

[00:13:00]She went dead in the water for a time before she was repaired enough to limp back to Alexandria for full repairs.

[00:13:06]It was Perth's first real taste of the dangers that the war could offer and left her crew shaken.

[00:13:14]She was in dock for repair from 29 May until 22 June. Afterwards, she assisted in the invasion of Vichy Syria and other operations until she was sent back home to Australia for some much needed repairs and shore leave. Upon arriving back in Australia, the ship set to be repaired and refit. Captain Boyer Smith was relieved and allowed to return to England having successfully captained [music] the ship through a year and a half, most of which were under wartime conditions. He was replaced by Captain [music] Hector Waller, a 29-year Royal Australian Navy officer. Hardover Heck, as he was nicknamed, was an Australian native and veteran of three wars.

[00:13:53]>> Damn.

[00:13:54]>> proved to be a skillful captain and flotilla leader already with his service in the Mediterranean aboard HMAS Stuart.

[00:14:00]After a refit, Perth went into sea trials. By now, Japan had declared war and officially joined the Axis powers.

[00:14:07]>> Oh, did she get her paycheck?

[00:14:08]>> doorstep and were sweeping south.

[00:14:10]>> Or her camel back?

[00:14:11]>> patrolling her own waters right until she was ordered to join the ABDA, or American, British, Dutch, Australian forces in the defense of the Dutch East Indies. The Dutch had been badly affected by the [music] war this far.

[00:14:25]Despite declaring themselves neutral in 1939, they were invaded by Germany in May of 1940.

[00:14:31]The nation capitulated in just five [music] days.

[00:14:35]The Dutch royal family forced to flee to London.

[00:14:38]The East Indies were seen as a final bastion of the once vast Dutch empire.

[00:14:43]Holding it against the Japanese juggernaut was seen as a final act of defiance for an empire in turmoil. So, the allies answered the call.

[00:14:51]>> That [ __ ] sucks for them.

[00:14:53]>> fleet of oil tankers to claim as much oil from the Indies as they could before they came under attack.

[00:14:59]She departed Fremantle on the 15th [music] of February.

[00:15:02]But by the 21st, it was deemed a hopeless gesture.

[00:15:06]The mission was canceled and the tankers sent home.

[00:15:08]Perth was sent north to assist in the defense of Java, Indonesia.

[00:15:13]>> Hey, Indonesia mention.

[00:15:14]>> On the 24th of February, the defense of the island was clearly [music] frantic and a bit disorganized.

[00:15:21]The Dutch commander in charge being a Rear Admiral Karel Doorman.

[00:15:26]The man, despite being an excellent English speaker, gave a very short rundown of the defense they would be mounting to stop the incoming Japanese invasion force. The briefing was frighteningly short, lasting just about an hour.

[00:15:39]The Dutchman was, no doubt, a good leader, but having spent most of his career as a naval aviator was perhaps not the best suited for the job.

[00:15:47]>> Uh, probably not.

[00:15:49]>> no less than 14 [music] ships from four different nations.

[00:15:53]But all the same, there was a job to be done.

[00:15:56]>> That's an interesting choice to make, but okay.

[00:16:00]>> So, the disjointed fleet of vessels slipped out of the harbor and began to steam.

[00:16:06]>> Surabaya?

[00:16:08]Does that sound familiar?

[00:16:14]I don't know. Unless I'm thinking of, what is it, uh, from Iwo Jima, Suribachi? I might be thinking about that. It might just be close enough that that's where my mind went.

[00:16:22]>> 14 ships in total.

[00:16:24]Two heavy cruisers, the HMS Exeter, a rather aged, but still potent cruiser of the Royal Navy that had participated in the defeat of the German raider Graf Spee off the coast of South America, >> Hey, that's interesting.

[00:16:38]>> the USS Houston, an American heavy cruiser once called Roosevelt's private yacht, but now the last American heavy cruiser of the three sent to reinforce [music] the East Indies.

[00:16:49]There were also three light cruisers, the Dutch HNLMS [music] De Ruyter, Doorman's flagship, as well as the aptly named HNLMS Java, and of course, the HMAS Perth, as well as nine destroyers. The three British destroyers, Electra, Encounter, and Jupiter, two Dutch, Kortenaer and Witte de With, as well as four aged American Clemson-class destroyers, of the same class as those that went aground during the Honda Point disaster.

[00:17:18]Alden, John D.

[00:17:20]>> I've never heard of that before.

[00:17:21]>> John D. Ford, and Paul Jones. The ABDA fleet went searching for the invasion force, combing the Java Sea for a day and a half before Dorman ordered the fleet to retire back to Priok. But on its way back, an Allied reconnaissance aircraft spotted the Japanese battle group to the north. And the fleet immediately turned to engage.

[00:17:40]At 1600, the Electra spotted one cruiser and a number of destroyers. The vessel reported it to the ABDA fleet, who sped up to engage.

[00:17:50]The ships were heading west, but the Allies did not yet know their composition. The battle group was headed by Rear Admiral Takeo Takagi. His unit consisted of two heavy cruisers, the Nachi and the Haguro, both armed with 10 [music] 8-in guns, as well as two light cruisers, Naka and the currently spotted Jintsu, as well as a large force of 14 [music] destroyers.

[00:18:14]Yudachi, Samidare, Murasame, Harusame, Minegumo, Asagumo, Yakukaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, >> Jesus.

[00:18:27]>> Yamakaze, Kawakaze, Suzunami, and Ushio.

[00:18:34]>> Holy [ __ ] that's a big-ass [ __ ] That's a big-ass group.

[00:18:40]And it's [ __ ] insane.

[00:18:42]There's so many.

[00:18:45]Also, I I find it interesting you can tell which one It's super interesting to see that some of them Not seeing on the preview, but you saw one where it was it was still in the shipyard where it was being built.

[00:19:00]Super interesting that you there's no actual photos of it when it was actually deployed, and that that's the or at least that they this guy could find, and he had to use the one of when it was being built.

[00:19:13]>> The Japanese had the numbers and the firepower. Their heavy cruisers beat out the number of 8-in guns on the Exeter 10 to 6.

[00:19:22]The USS Houston only had six of her nine 8-in guns functioning. Her rear turret having been rendered non-functional by a prior air attack. The two fleets opened up at extreme range, largely missing each other. Doorman steamed forward attempting to close the gap. Currently, only the Exeter and Houston being able to fire their powerful 8-in guns. The smaller 6-in guns aboard the light cruisers not yet able to reach.

[00:19:48]But on this perpendicular course with the allies heading north and the Japanese heading west, he was at a disadvantage in a textbook crossing the T formation. This allowed the IJN ships to bring all their guns to bear on the ABDA ships, while they could only answer with their forward guns.

[00:20:04]>> Yeah, not good.

[00:20:05]>> Doorman turned to port, bringing the fleet in a parallel course. Yet still, they were too far for the 6-in guns to be effective. Perth left to sit on her hands and wait until they closed ranks closer to the enemy. Glaring issues began to take form now. The rather inexperienced admiral was further hampered by the fact that his orders were passed in Dutch, then an American signalman on board had to translate before transmitting the orders to the largely English-speaking fleet, who then had to interpret the signals before executing them. Fleet orders >> That is very That is very uh what would you call it? Uh I'm trying to think uh inefficient I think and is what I was trying to think of.

[00:20:55]Also, I'm pretty sure what is it nowadays? Is it aviation or naval where all standard uh communications that go out in general are in English, isn't it? Because it's one of the most spo- spoken languages out there or the most widely, I should say.

[00:21:16]Maybe not most spoken, but definitely like widest. Like it's English, Spanish, and then Mandarin, I think, are like the big three.

[00:21:27]But, I'm not positive. I I'm pretty sure it's aviation and naval where if you're international signals when you pop them out are in English.

[00:21:36]>> slowly followed, leaving them at a disadvantage when compared to the well-drilled and disciplined Japanese fleet. Slowly, the ships started to drift closer, [music] and Perth, Java, and De Ruyter were able to bring their smaller 6-in guns to bear.

[00:21:50]A firefight ensued between the vessels, exchanging gunfire at long range. The Japanese missing, but only just.

[00:21:57]IJN destroyers fired their superior long-range long lance torpedoes, forcing the Allied ships to have to dodge out of the way.

[00:22:05]All of the torpedoes launched missed their targets, but not by a very comfortable margin.

[00:22:10]Small hits were made on both sides, but the fleet seemed similarly matched until the tide turned in the Japanese favor.

[00:22:18]At 17:15, Exeter took a hit in her main engine room, crippling the heavy cruiser. She immediately turned southwards to disengage >> Damn. Yeah, I I I'm assuming that's an actual picture of it.

[00:22:32]And holy [ __ ] that is huge.

[00:22:37]Oh, that is scary as [ __ ] >> making a paltry five knots.

[00:22:42]The rest of the fleet followed suit, thinking it had been an order given by the flagship that they had missed.

[00:22:48]All except, of course, the flagship itself.

[00:22:51]Doorman steaming ahead to face a superior enemy force.

[00:22:55]Perth fell back to cover Exeter in a smoke screen. The Allied line had fallen to pieces. Realizing that his fleet was no longer following, Doorman >> Why would they assume that? Assuming makes an ass out of both of you and me.

[00:23:09]>> frantically signaled for the fleet to fall in behind him. In doing so, the first ship to be sunk was the Dutch destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer, who upon coming about was hit amidships by a Japanese torpedo and burst into a massive fireball, splitting in half before sinking beneath the waves.

[00:23:28]Undeterred, the fleet charged ahead.

[00:23:30]Doorman desperately scattered through the Japanese fleet to get to the landing craft to the north of it.

[00:23:35]He ordered his destroyers to launch torpedoes to no effect. The only result was the British destroyer Electra passing too close to the Japanese and being singled out. A handful of ships targeted her, sending her to the bottom in a matter of minutes.

[00:23:50]Doorman must have finally realized the futility of the situation. Two of his destroyers sunk, a heavy cruiser damaged and limping south with another destroyer escorting it. He was down a good portion of his fleet and suspected the Japanese of having radar aboard their ships, which they did not.

[00:24:07]>> no.

[00:24:07]>> But in the failing light, he determined >> to be better at that point and I mean, they're just more Uh what's the word? They're just more disciplined, I guess.

[00:24:22]Cohesive. They were cohesive unit.

[00:24:25]They they're not [ __ ] sending out orders in another language to then be decoded translated and then sent out to relay to the rest of the fleet.

[00:24:33]>> he'd be at [music] a disadvantage.

[00:24:35]>> And they're just a bigger force in general.

[00:24:37]>> southwards, but despite not actually having radar, the Japanese did have an ace up their sleeve. Launched earlier, the heavy cruisers [music] had put up their seaplanes. The aircraft now followed the ABDA ships, relaying their position as they went.

[00:24:52]Every turn they made, the aircraft would make it known with a massive parachute flare that silhouetted the ships as they fled.

[00:24:58]The four American destroyers, having [music] expended their torpedoes and being useless in further engagement, beat their way south away from the fleet. This left Perth, Houston, Java, and De Ruyter and a small handful of destroyers out in the dark to be hunted.

[00:25:14]The first to be sunk was Jupiter, a Royal Navy destroyer.

[00:25:17]But the unlucky vessel wasn't lost to the enemy, but tragically to hitting a stray naval mine.

[00:25:23]It had its starboard side caved in by the blast, rolling over at about 21:25.

[00:25:29]With the assistance of the spotting aircraft, the dwindling fleet was tailed by a handful of Japanese destroyers >> Oh, that sucks.

[00:25:34]>> until the perfect time and let fly a salvo of long lance torpedoes.

[00:25:39]These ones were more effective than the previous and struck targets. The Java, then the De Ruyter, were struck in quick succession.

[00:25:47]Both ships sank rapidly, Rear Admiral Doorman going down with his ship along with the hopes of protecting the East Indies and the Dutch Empire.

[00:25:55]Perth and Houston >> Crazy [ __ ] way to pick [ __ ] up and run.

[00:25:59]>> Low on fuel and ammunition, Perth [music] took command over Houston and they made their way unscathed to find a nearly abandoned Priok. Houston's 8-in magazines were nearly empty and resorted to bringing shells by hand from her aft magazines forward to her fore magazines.

[00:26:15]Perth was in a similar state with her 6-in guns.

[00:26:17]>> Oh, that's That'd take forever to do.

[00:26:19]>> be found in Priok. Her stores [music] cleaned out and most personnel had evacuated.

[00:26:25]Perth was able to stock up on her secondary 4-in shells and had to beg a local tanker to give her enough fuel to bunker her up to half maximum capacity.

[00:26:34]But with the loss of their fleet, an invasion appearing imminent, the order was given to cut and run.

[00:26:40]Live to fight another day.

[00:26:42]The next morning, Perth and Houston made their way out of the harbor westwards.

[00:26:45]>> I mean, kind of makes sense. Ships take a long time to [ __ ] build and losing as many as they have so far, It's not going to be worth it to lose more at this point.

[00:26:56]>> order to pass through the Sunda Strait to the southern town of Tjilatjap to assist in the evacuation, then south to Fremantle.

[00:27:05]home.

[00:27:06]>> Will they have the [ __ ] fuel?

[00:27:07]>> of the harbor and picks up to a steady clip of 22 knots.

[00:27:10]>> Let alone.

[00:27:11]>> They were assured the strait was clear except for maybe an allied corvette [music] or two.

[00:27:16]By 2300, they had reached Sunda Strait adjacent to Banten Bay.

[00:27:21]Little did they know the Japanese currently had 50 troop ships sitting in Banten Bay commencing their invasion of Java Island.

[00:27:29]By this time, the IJN destroyer Fubuki had identified the two allied cruisers and was tailing them waiting for a chance to ambush the larger vessels.

[00:27:39]Perth soon spotted a small vessel off her starboard bow. Immediately, she signaled the ship thinking perhaps it was one of the allied corvettes.

[00:27:47]Its response was incoherent and not recognized as the standard response.

[00:27:52]Before it could be challenged again, it turned away and started producing smoke.

[00:27:57]Perth recognized it at that moment as a Japanese destroyer and opened fire followed shortly by the booming large guns of Houston.

[00:28:05]About this time, the ships sailed around the mouth of Banten Bay to find a sea of masts. The Japanese fleet just as surprised as the allies.

[00:28:14]But soon, they opened up in combat. The ships quickly realized that they were well and thoroughly surrounded and vastly outnumbered. Faced with a force of not only 58 troop ships, but also 12 destroyers, five cruisers, and even a light carrier not far to the north.

[00:28:31]>> [music] >> The two allied ships began flinging shells at anything that moved.

[00:28:36]Waller >> Oh, no, and they're so low on ammo as well.

[00:28:45]Oh, that sucks. They can Oh, no.

[00:28:53]Oh, [ __ ] >> ordered his gunners to fire at will. The turrets swung about like mad, unleashing hot hate at [music] any target foolish enough to present itself. Houston, following in a similar fashion, Japanese destroyers swooped in from both sides, illuminating the vessel with searchlights and launching torpedoes at them.

[00:29:12]Japanese cruisers fired with deadly and accurate 8-in gunfire that came dangerously close to both vessels.

[00:29:19]Oddly enough, the IJN Mogami even fired a spread [music] of her own torpedoes, missing the American and Australian ships and finding homes in their own troop ships, blowing one of their own mine layers [laughter] in half and sinking four of their own troop ships.

[00:29:34]Perth kept up its fire, damaging three destroyers and damaging four with her firepower combined with Houston's.

[00:29:40]But, her ammo reserves were depleting quickly.

[00:29:44]>> Dude. I get I would This is a [ __ ] painting I want.

[00:29:49]I'd hang this [ __ ] up in my in my [ __ ] on my wall instantly. That's a dope ass picture.

[00:29:57]>> Perth had shrapnel littered her decks.

[00:29:59]Soon, she was forced to fire her training ammunition and even her flare shells, but her streak of immunity had finally reached its end. After sustaining multiple superficial hits, >> just before midnight, the ship heaved and shuddered. Its deck lurched out of the water and men were thrown about like rag dolls as the ship was hit on its starboard side near the forward engine room by a torpedo. The captain quickly gave the order to prepare to abandon ship, but less than a minute later, another Long Lance torpedo shrieked in and detonated on the starboard side just beneath the forwardmost turret.

[00:30:36]The ship slowed to a crawl and began to list to starboard. Captain Waller gave the order to abandon ship. Men scrambled off the foundering ship like rats, leaping into the sea. Some were blown clear off the deck by yet two more torpedoes impacting and detonating against the dying ship's hull.

[00:30:55]Men too close to the ship were killed as the pressure from the explosions in the water crushed their organs. Other sailors were raked by machine gun fire as destroyers closed in and opened up on the men trying to flee into the sea.

[00:31:08]Captain Waller >> Oh, that's a horrible way to go.

[00:31:11]>> on the bridge of Perth, staring ahead at her forward 6-in [music] guns as if in a trance. At midnight 20, Perth slipped beneath, taking 353 of her 681 man crew with her. 20 minutes later, >> About half, then.

[00:31:27]>> Houston followed suit, losing nearly 2/3 of her ship's company. Men clambered into life rafts or clung to floats in the dark water.

[00:31:35]Many died from their wounds. [music] Others attempted to make the swim to adjacent islands, few of which actually made it. The ones among those that did were quickly captured by the Japanese now holding [music] the island. The battle was over, but not the war.

[00:31:51]The remaining survivors were picked up out of the water by the Japanese and were thus at their mercy. Over 600 Allied POWs were shipped off to Japanese POW camps.

[00:32:02]>> I mean, you know how they were [ __ ] treated.

[00:32:05]In on If you don't know how the Japanese treated POWs, oh, it was [ __ ] horrendous.

[00:32:12]Like really [ __ ] bad.

[00:32:16]>> to suffer atrocious conditions.

[00:32:19]Others were used to build the massive Siam-Burma Railway.

[00:32:23]Intense labor, disease, and starvation further whittled down their numbers.

[00:32:29]Still more tragic were the few that died aboard Japanese transport ships as they were attacked by Allied aircraft and naval forces, [music] killed by the very men they once fought with. 106 men died as prisoners of war from HMAS Perth.

[00:32:44]Leaving only 218 to be repatriated to Australia at the end of the war.

[00:32:50]The fighting spirit of Australia lived on in those men who refused to go down.

[00:32:56]Thank you so much for tuning into another episode of Maritime Horrors. If you'd like to learn more about HMAS Perth, I highly recommend Cruiser, The Life and Loss of HMAS Perth and her crew by Mike Carlton, which has an absolute wealth of information based on numerous eyewitness accounts. Also, I realized this is my second World War video in a row, as well as the second one on the Royal Australian Navy.

[00:33:21]Honestly, I could dedicate an entire channel to World War maritime disasters and never run out of content.

[00:33:28]But I also I think the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian military in general just doesn't receive the appreciation it deserves for its involvement in World War II.

[00:33:37]>> It really doesn't. Like I will I will gladly say that. You they really the Anzacs do not.

[00:33:47]Right? Anzacs?

[00:33:51]Australian New Zealand.

[00:33:53]I want to say it's Anzacs. They they do not get enough [ __ ] credit for the [ __ ] that they did during World War II.

[00:34:00]>> said, I will be getting into other periods of history other than World War II soon. And ships other than warships.

[00:34:06]So stay tuned for that. And until then, fair winds and following seas, shipmates.

[00:34:12]>> Good video.

[00:34:14]God, I love his channel. It's been an entirely too long since I've watched it.

[00:34:19]So, make sure you guys go check him out.

[00:34:21]Like, comment, subscribe. And until next time, you guys take care of yourselves.

[00:34:26]See you.