On Saturday, February 26, 2022, Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands attended the 80th Commemoration Ceremony of the Battle of the Java Sea held at the Kloosterkerk in Den Haag.
According to the National Museum of the United States Navy the:
“Battle of the Java Sea began when the American, British, Dutch, and Australian (ABDA) naval command attempted to stop the Japanese invasion of Java on February 27, 1942. Led by Royal Netherlands Navy Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman, the ABDA force was decimated in a seven-hour battle.”
During today’s commemoration ceremony Princess Beatrix along with survivors and relatives, the Commander of the Naval Forces René Tas and Karel Doorman’s granddaughter, Louise Doorman, gave speeches. In honor of the 80th anniversary, a specially made painting of a decisive moment during the Battle of the Java Sea was presented to the Naval Museum. The work Battle in the Java Sea, by Maarten Platje, will be part of a permanent exhibition at the Naval Museum.
The commemoration of the Battle in the Java Sea is organized annually by the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Karel Doorman Fund. This fund was established in 1944 to provide financial support to former soldiers of the Royal Netherlands Navy and their surviving relatives, who have become financially dependent due to war or service conditions.
If you would like to learn more about the Battle of the Java see please click the link below:
Click the link below to view a photo gallery from today’s commemoration ceremony: