7077 DUTCH LIGHT CRUISER JAWA 1942

HNMLS Jawa was a Dutch light cruiser, under which the keel was laid in May 1916, launched in August 1921 and entry into service in 1925. The vessel was about 155 m long with a width of about 16 meters. Standard displacement was around 6,700 tons, and the maximum speed was around 30-31 knots. The ship's armament included: 10 150 mm guns and 8 40 mm AA guns. The unit was also able to perform flight operations with 2 Fokker C.XI-W seaplanes shortly after entering service. HNMLS Jawa was the first of two cruisers built, forming the class of ships of the same name - ie Java. Vessels of this type were designed at the Kiel shipyard, but built in the Netherlands. From the very beginning, they were designed to serve in the Far East, and more specifically to defend the Dutch East Indies. Their main possible enemy was seen in some types of the then Japanese light cruisers. HNMLS Java, as it was supposed to be the flagship of the Dutch naval forces operating in this part of the world, was slightly differently equipped than HNLMS Sumatra, belonging to the same class. During the Second World War, the unit mainly carried out tasks related to the protection of convoys, and when Japan started the war in the Pacific, it was located in the Far East and very quickly became part of the international ABDA forces operating especially in the Dutch East Indies. The unit took part in the battle (battle) in the Bandung Strait and in the Battle of the Java Sea in February 1942. During it, it was sunk as a result of a Japanese torpedo attack.