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| Location The Battle of Makassar Strait on February 4, 1942 was a battle between American, British, Dutch, Australian (ABDA) warships are bombed by Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) land based bombers. The battle actually occurred in the Flores Sea near the Kangean Islands not the Makassar Strait, but remains known as the Battle of Makassar Strait. Also known as the Action North of Lombok Strait, Battle of the Flores Sea, Action off Madura Strait or Battle of Bali Sea. It is unreleated to previous Battle off Balikpapan on January 24, 1942. Allied Force On February 1, 1942 an Allied reconnaissance plane reported a Japanese force preparing to depart Balikpapan. On February 2, 1942 the American, British, Dutch, Australian Flotilla (ABDAFLOAT) under the command of Dutch Admiral Karel Doorman formed off the Gili Islands in the Bali Sea off Lombok Island. The ABDA fleet includes flagship Hr Ms De Ruyter, Hr Ms Tromp and USS Houston (CA-30), and USS Marblehead (CL-12) plus seven destroyers Hr Ms Banckert, Hr Ms Piet Hein, Hr Ms Van Ghent, USS Barker (DD-213), USS Bulmer (DD-222), USS John D. Edwards (DD-216) and USS Stewart (DD-224). On February 3, 1942 the ABDA fleet was spotted by Japanese bombers that reported their presence and circled but did not attack and the warships continued to efforts to resupply and around midnight departed bound for Meinderts Reef (Karang Mas) off northeast Java then onward to Makassar Strait to intercept the Japanese invasion force off Makassar. Battle of Makassar Strait On February 4, 1942 at 9:40am the ABDA fleet was south of the Kangean Islands in the Flores Sea when spotted by a G4M1 Betty from Takao Kokutai from Kendari Airfield. The Allied force was attacked by 36 G4M1 Bettys (27 from Kanoya Kokutai and 9 from Takao Kokutai) plus 24 G3M2 Nells from 1st Kokutai. The bomber formation approached at medium altitude in chutai in "V" formation the targeted the cruisers. During the initial bomb run, bombs fell ahead of USS Marblehead (CL-12) and during the second run she sustained two direct hits from 250kg bombs and a near miss the damage resulted in the cruiser only being able to steam in circles and aboard 15 crew were killed. During the attacks, USS Houston CA-30 managed to evade most bombs but was hit near the aft gun turret by a bomb dropped by a G3M2 Nell damaged the guns and killing 48 crew. Meanwhile, Hr Ms De Ruyter evade four attacks but sustained minor damage from several near misses from bombs dropped by G3M2 Nells that damaged the 40mm AA gun fire control. At 1:00pm, Admiral Karel Doorman order the ABDA fleet to withdraw to the west unable to reach the Makassar Strait due to enemy aircraft. Withdrawing, Houston and Ms De Tromp had already gone south through Alas Strait and USS Marblehead (CL-12) and the U.S. destroyers withdraw south via the Lombok Strait. Afterwards, both U.S. cruisers headed for Tjilatjap for repairs and to transfer off wounded. Aftermath The battle was a Japanese victory because the ABDA fleet was unable enter the Makassar Strait or interfere with the Japanese invasion force bound for Makassar that successfully landed on February 9, 1942. The Japanese bomber crews erroneously reported sinking three cruisers when in fact they only damaged two but did inflict enough damage to USS Marblehead to force the cruiser to withdraw from the Pacific area. References Naval History and Heritage Command - National Museum of the U.S. Navy - Battle of Makassar Strait (photos) Osprey Combat Aircraft 22 - Mitsubishi Type 1 Rikko 'Betty' Units of WWII (2001) page 33 Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors (2007) pages 9-10: "As another formation of the bombers crossed overhead [USS Houston], the antiaircraft officer couldn't stand waiting for the SOC to get airborne. His five-inch guns, elevated high, roared. At once the muzzle blast, just ten feet from the plane, tore the canvas skin right off the plane. As Lt. Harold S. Hamlin recalled, "the pilot found himself sitting on a picked chicken-the blast had removed every stitch of fabric from the plane. Pilot and crewman scrambled out, and the forlorn looking plane, naked as a jay-bird, was jettisoned." Thanks to Kevin Denlay for additional information Contribute Information Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated March 3, 2026 |
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