Posted on 06/14/2014 12:36:48 PM PDT by llevrok
Divers from the U.S. Navy will visit the World War II graveyard of the "Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast” — the sunken USS Houston — later this month in a bid to determine what remains of the ship, which went down with more than 700 sailors off the coast of Indonesia.
The wreck of the Northampton-class heavy cruiser, which was sunk by the Japanese during the World War II battle of Sunda Strait on Feb. 28, 1942, will be surveyed by Navy divers working with their counterparts from Indonesia. The ship lies about 125 feet deep, near Java, Indonesia, where it has become a popular dive site for scavengers. Navy officials now want to find out what's left of the sacred site, especially given that it rests in corrosive waters in an unstable region.
(snip)
The mighty, 570-foot ship was sailing at night with the Australian ship HMAS Perth when they ran into the Japanese destroyer Fubukim, which quietly shadowed them for the next half hour before the encounter culminated in what became known as the Battle of Sunda Strait. Houston scored hits on the Japanese ship Mikuma, then managed to elude a torpedo barrage from Fubukim. But other Japanese destroyers engaged the two Allies' ships, first sinking Perth and then sending Houston to the bottom just after midnight.
Of the crew of 1,061, some 368 survived, including 24 of the 74-man USMC detachment aboard. The crew became prisoners of the Japanese for the remainder of the war, with dozens dying at the hands of their Japanese captors.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Harrowing story of WW2 POW's. God rest all their souls.
Already a private group dedicated to documenting the site. One dude has over 80 dives on the wreck.
Houston was already severely damaged from a previous battle. Japanese material and numerical superiority in the area was obvious. This was a desperate attack in hope of interrupting the Japanese offensive. I think every man on board understood it was effectively a suicide mission.
Maybe they’ll find Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 there, too.
Bump. Read the book more than once.
I believe they have a memorial service every year in downtown Houston.
From what I've read, the Japs had superb night doctrine in pre-radar days that just about cleaned USN surface action clocks into early 1943.
“From what I’ve read, the Japs had superb night doctrine in pre-radar days that just about cleaned USN “
Ask JFK ...
I Live in Sugar Land and there was the annual “International Festival” in downtown Houston about 6 weeks ago.They pick a country for a theme each year.This year, it was Australia. They had a display about the USS Houston there, which I was happy to see.
Documentaries salute Houston’s WWII contributions
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1901165/posts
Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1767034/posts
My father was the Chief Signalman on Huston. Just before her last deployment another Chief Signalman also was given orders for Huston. They flipped a coin to determine who would get their orders changed. My dad lost and got his orders changed. Not being with the ship on her final mission haunted him his whole life. Something like survivors guilt.
While you’re at it,read a book about Harry S. Truman’s”lost Cruiser”,The USS Indianapolis!Her crew were”dined”on by sharks while The US Navy IGNORED her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The”Long Lance”was “Deadly”while ours were so”Top Secret”that Bu-Ord Never checked them to see if the”magnetic-exploders”REALLY worked!!!!!!!!!
My dad's ship the Marblehead was fighting for it's survival after that battle.
Title: U.S.S. Houston Monument
Artist: Jeff Ryan
Date: 1998
Type: Monument
Medium: Granite
Location: Sam Houston Park
The U.S.S. Houston Monument incorporates the brass ship’s bell recovered from the wreck of the U.S.S. Houston, which has been placed atop a granite pedestal. It is the scene of an annual commemoration of the sailors who died in the sinking of the Houston in the Sunda Strait, March 1, 1942, by the Japanese Navy. Of the 1, 068 men on board, 700 died, and the survivors were used as slave labor on the Burma Railroad. Many died before being liberated by the Allies in 1945. The names of the ship’s crew are written on the pedestal.
http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/artinparks/USShoustonmonument.html
Second shot is of a later ship, the light cruiser Houston, CL-81 launched in 1943.
Interestingly the “light cruiser” displaced more (was a bigger ship) than the “heavy cruiser”.
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