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US Embassy pushes for preserving USS Houston sank in World War II
The United States Embassy in Indonesia is promoting bilateral cooperation between the two countries to preserve the underwater heritage of the heavy cruiser USS Houston, which sank during World War II in Banten Bay.
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Moderator Iqbal Himawan (right) talks to speakers Stanov Purnowibowo from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) (right) and Jennifer McKinnon from East Carolina University, the United States, during a seminar on underwater heritage at @america cultural center in Jakarta on Aug. 20, 2024, as seen in this video capture from @america's YouTube account. The seminar was held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the US and Indonesia. (Courteys of @america/-)
The United States Embassy in Indonesia is promoting bilateral cooperation between the two countries to preserve the underwater heritage of the heavy cruiser USS Houston, which sank during World War II in Banten Bay.
Despite having a presidential yacht, then US president Franklin D. Roosevelt sailed extensively using the warship in the late 1930s before it sank during the Battle of the Sunda Strait.
The USS Houston now sits 20 meters underwater in Banten Bay alongside the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth.
These two ships were part of the Allies naval fleet – the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM) – sent to resist Japanese expansion in the Pacific and to struggle for control over the then Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia.
The Houston was attacked by torpedoes launched by the Japanese destroyer Fubuki, and then was blocked by a destroyer squadron before sinking on March 1, 1942.
Out of more than 1,000 Houston crew members, 367 managed to escape by swimming to Banten's shore, but shortly afterward, they were captured by Japanese forces and used as slave laborers. About 300 of the crew made it home after the war, but the remainder are in their watery graves.
