Houston, Exeter or something else?

While we are on the subject of identifying pictures, may I add the following:


The web site of the USS Houston CA-30 captions this picture with the following:

Above is Feb 4 photo of air attack on DeReuter (sic) (R) and Houston (L). USS Marblehead, in same action was damaged so badly she was sent back to CONUS for repairs.

The excellent Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942 web site has a similar caption:

A picture taken during the bombing of Striking Force off Kangean on 4 February 1942. On the right the Dutch light cruiser De Ruyter, on the left USS heavy cruiser Houston.

On February 4, 1942, by dumb luck, a force of Japanese bombers on a mission to attack the ABDA naval base at Soerabaja (Surabaya), Java intercepted a US-Dutch task force under the command of Dutch Rear Admiral (so to speak) Karel W.F.M. Doorman that was trying to intercept the Japanese invasion force headed for Makassar, Celebes. The bombers called in their friends, and Doorman's little fleet was pounded. The US light cruiser Marblehead was permanently disabled. The Houston took a bomb hit that disabled her aft turret for the remainder of the campaign -- and, as it unfortunately turned out, her career. The Dutch light cruiser De Ruyter, Doorman's flagship, was damaged as well. After this series of air attacks, Doorman's force was compelled to retreat, adn the Japanese landings at Makassar went on unopposed. This was typical of the pattern of Allied naval fortunes in the Netherlands East Indies Campaign.

While there are several photographs out there of the damaged Houston and Marblehead after this attack when they returned to Tjilatjap (look, for the last time it's pronounced "CHIL-a-chap;" if you don't understand why, ask the Dutch) for repairs, the picture above represents the only picture that I have personally seen anywhere that purports to be of the actual attack on February 4, 1942, though I have bene told there are others.

Keeping these aforementioned captions in mind, look at this picture of the USS Houston, taken at Darwin, Australia in February 1942, shortly after the bombing off Kangean:

Now, compare it to the following pictures:

This is the British heavy cruiser Exeter, which took part in the Battle of the Java Sea.
This is a picture of the Exeter under Japanese air attack in the Bangka Strait, off Sumatra, on February 15, 1942 . The picture is sometimes said to be of the Exeter under attack during the Battle of the Java Sea on February 27-28, 1942 -- the British Imperial Museum, for one, state as much -- but several other sources state that this was taken during the series of air attacks off Bangka, and I am aware of no surviving pictures taken during the daylight phase of the Battle of the Java Sea.

Now, this is a picture of the rather strange little Dutch light cruiser Java, during that same action off Bangka on February 15, 1942. It is also sometimes identified as taken during the Battle of the Java Sea. Once again, I am aware of no surviving pictures taken during the daylight phase of the Battle of the Java Sea.

Where am I going with all this? I got into an oddly snippy discussion last year on the message boards of the Dutch East Indies Campaign site last year about that top picture. Let's refresh:


To me, the ship on the left might be the Houston, but not necessarily. The blob at the top of the mast could be the Houston's top mast crow's nest, but it need not be -- it could be, for instance, the giant navy jack that British ships flew in battle. Further, if you look below that, there is what looks to me like a "crossmast" on the foremast. I have been told that this is the result of pixellation of the photograph, but I am not convinced. There is a black blob toward the right side of the cruiser's image, which might be of a burning aft turret. Or not.

The alleged crossmast should not be there if the cruiser is the Houston, but it would be if the cruiser was instead the Exeter.

Further, to me, at least, the picture looks a lot like the other pictures shown above that came out of the February 15 action in the Bangka Strait.

And just because, this is a picture of the Dutch Admiral Doorman. For 67 years, the man has been unfairly maligned for his performance during the Dutch East Indies Campaign, during which he gave his life. The criticism is unjustified. His performance was far, far better than his critics have alleged. I'll deal with that in a later post or even a book, but for the time being show him some love. He deserves it. But I digress ...

Any thoughts on the pictures?