Editing United States Asiatic Fleet (section)

===Battles fought by the Asiatic Fleet: early 1942===
As the Japanese sought sources of oil and minerals in the Netherlands East Indies and Borneo immediately following Pearl Harbor, the only fleet available to defend against them was the Asiatic Fleet. Outnumbered, outgunned, outmanned, the U.S. Navy, part of the [[ABDA]] (American, British, Dutch and Australian) force was unable to stop the Japanese, and could only attempt to slow them down.

====Battle of Balikpapan: 24 January 1942====
{{Main|Naval Battle of Balikpapan}}

Catching a Japanese invasion fleet of 16 transports, a cruiser and several destroyers anchored in Balikpapan Bay, four U.S. "four stacker" destroyers—{{USS|John D. Ford|DD-228|2}}, {{USS|Pope|DD-225|2}}, {{USS|Paul Jones|DD-230|2}} and {{USS|Parrott|DD-218|2}}—attacked at night using [[torpedo]]es and gunfire to sink four transports and one patrol craft. The Japanese believed that the attack came from submarines, and sent cruiser and destroyers out to sea in pursuit, leaving the transports unprotected. This was the first American surface action of the Pacific War and the first since the Spanish–American War. Although it significantly boosted morale, it had a negligible effect on Japanese operations.<ref>{{cite web|first=Dan |last=Muir |url= https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/BalikpapanRaid.html |title=The Balikpapan Raid |date=1999–2000 |work=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942}}</ref>

====Battle of Flores Sea: 4 February 1942====
{{Main|Battle of Makassar Strait}}

Encouraged by the success of the Balikpapan raid, an attempt was made to break up another invasion when word was received that a Japanese force was planning a landing at [[Makassar]] on [[Sulawesi|Celebes Island]].

Planning a night attack, the ABDA force had to sail some distance in open water in daylight. It was attacked by Japanese bombers which severely damaged the light cruiser {{USS|Marblehead|CL-12|2}} and disabled turret No. 3 on the heavy cruiser {{USS|Houston|CA-30|2}}. The force retreated to [[Cilacap Regency|Tjilatjap]], Java, having failed to prevent the Japanese landing.

====Battle of Badung Strait: 19/20 February 1942====
{{Main|Battle of Badung Strait}}

In an effort to break up another invasion, a small force of ABDA ships arrived on the island of [[Bali]] after the Japanese had made their landing and had retired, leaving only four Japanese destroyers on station. This attack failed. Three Japanese destroyers were damaged by gunfire, but the Dutch destroyer ''Piet Hein'' was sunk and a Dutch and American destroyer were damaged.<ref>{{cite web |first=Klemen |last=L |url=https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/BadungStrait.html |title=The Badung Strait Battle |date=1999–2000 |work=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331201608/http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/BadungStrait.html |archive-date=31 March 2015 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

====Battle of Java Sea: 27 February 1942====
{{Main|Battle of the Java Sea}}

This was the largest battle fought in the area. The ABDA force of five cruisers and 11 destroyers, led by [[Karel Doorman|Dutch Admiral Doorman]]<ref name="Klemen">{{cite web|first=Klemen|last=L |url= https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/doorman.html |title= Rear-Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman  |date=1999–2000 |work=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942}}</ref> sailed against a Japanese force of seven cruisers and 25 destroyers. The Japanese had air cover, while ABDA did not (nor in any of the other battles described here). It was a rout, fought during the afternoon and evening, a running gun battle with Japanese planes constantly dropping flares to illuminate the ABDA ships. The Dutch lost two cruisers and a destroyer, the British two destroyers. One Japanese destroyer was damaged.<ref>{{cite web|first=Klemen|last=L |url= https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/java_sea.html |title= The Java Sea Battle |date=1999–2000 |work=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942}}</ref>

====Battle of Sunda Strait: 28 February 1942====
{{Main|Battle of Sunda Strait}}

Retreating south to Batavia after the Battle of Java Sea the day before, the U.S. cruiser ''Houston'' and the Australian light cruiser {{HMAS|Perth|D29|6}}—while heading at high speed for Sunda Strait, between [[Sumatra]] and Java—came upon a Japanese invasion force making a landing in Bantam (now Banten) Bay. In a confused night battle, both ships were sunk inside the Bay and not in Sunda Strait as is usually written. The two Allied ships fought bravely, but were overwhelmed by superior numbers.  Four of the Japanese transports were torpedoed, most likely by their own side. The Japanese fired 87 torpedoes in the first half-hour of the battle.<ref>{{cite web |first = Jan |last = Visser |url = http://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/SundaStrait.html |title = The Sunda Strait Battle |date = 1999–2000 |work = Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942 |access-date = 10 February 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141203155704/http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/SundaStrait.html |archive-date = 3 December 2014 |url-status = live |df = dmy-all }}</ref>

====Battle of Java: 27 February 1942 to 3 March 1942====
{{Main|Battle of Java}}

Eight U.S. Navy Asiatic Fleet ships were sunk by enemy warships or airplanes during the Battle of Java when the Japanese invaded the island of [[Java]]. This was the final battle of the [[Dutch East Indies campaign]]. The [[seaplane tender]] (former aircraft carrier) {{USS|Langley|AV-3|2}} was transporting 32 brand new [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk]] fighter planes from Australia to Java when she was sunk with 16 killed on 27 February. Hundreds more ''Langley'' survivors were killed when the other naval ships that rescued them were also sunk soon afterwards. The oil tanker {{USS|Pecos|AO-6|2}} was trapped and attacked by numerous Japanese ships and airplanes and was sunk on 1 March. 232 survivors were rescued and over 400 ''Pecos'' crew and survivors from ''Langley'' were left behind and drowned due to Japanese submarines threatening the U.S. ships that were rescuing the survivors. The destroyer {{USS|Pope|DD-225|2}} was attached to an Allied fleet as the only U.S. vessel and was sunk in the [[Second Battle of the Java Sea]]. The destroyer {{USS|Stewart|DD-224|2}} was badly damaged and scuttled at [[Surabaya]] on 2 March 1942. On 3 March the submarine {{USS|Perch|SS-176|2}} was sunk while attacking a Japanese convoy northwest of Surabaya. A major tragedy happened when three Asiatic Fleet warships, destroyers {{USS|Edsall|DD-219|2}} and {{USS|Pillsbury|DD-227|2}} and gunboat {{USS|Asheville|PG-21|2}}, were sunk on 1–3 March 1942 with no survivors while supporting the Allied forces during the Battle of Java. There were reports that there were prisoners-of-war from these 3 ships but none of them survived [[List of Japanese-run internment camps during World War II|Japanese prisoner-of-war camps]] to tell their stories. No logs and no records of these three ships' final hours exist. The U.S. Navy did not know what happened to the ships and fallen sailors until after World War II. From these 3 ships approximately 450 crewmen and officers were killed or died while prisoners-of-war.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-003/h-003-3.html |title=H-003-3 the Valor of the Asiatic Fleet |website=www.history.navy.mil |access-date=19 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-003.html |title=H-Gram 003 |website=www.history.navy.mil |access-date=19 September 2021}}</ref>

====Half the U.S. Fleet lost====
Of the 40 surface vessels in the Asiatic Fleet on Pearl Harbor Day, 19 were sunk by 5 May 1942, the day General [[Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV|Wainwright]] surrendered to the Japanese at [[Corregidor]] in the Philippines. Most of the surviving ships safely reached Australia.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}