Battle of Arafura Sea

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Battle of Arafura Sea
Part of the West New Guinea dispute
Arafura Sea Diorama.jpg
Diorama depicting the battle
Yos Sudarso Postage Stamp.jpg
Indonesian stamp commemorating the battle
Date15 January 1962
Location
Arafura Sea
Result Dutch victory
Belligerents
Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Netherlands.svg LEH Reeser
Units involved
Flag of the Indonesian Navy.svg  Indonesian Navy Naval Jack of the Netherlands.svg  Royal Netherlands Navy
Strength

3 Jaguar-class fast attack craft

Casualties and losses
1 torpedo boat sunk
3 killed
remaining crew captured		 None

The Battle of Arafura Sea (Indonesian : Pertempuran Laut Aru), also known as the Battle of Vlakke Hoek (Dutch : Slag bij Vlakke Hoek), was a naval battle in the Vlakke Hoek Bay (Etna Bay) of the Arafura Sea in Western New Guinea on 15 January 1962, between Indonesia and the Netherlands. The battle stopped an attempt by the Indonesian Navy to land 150 soldiers in Kaimana in Dutch New Guinea for sabotage and to incite the local population against the Dutch government. Commodore Yos Sudarso was in charge of the operation at sea, while Colonel Murshid commanded the infiltrators. [1]

Contents

Battle

Three Indonesian torpedo boats left the Aru Islands in the middle of the night but were intercepted near the New Guinea coast by a Dutch Neptune reconnaissance plane, as the Dutch had anticipated the action for weeks. The torpedo boats responded to the flares sent off by the plane by shooting at it. The Dutch destroyer HNLMS Evertsen then joined the scene and sank RI Matjan Tutul, commanded by Sudarso. The other two ships, RI Matjan Kumbang and RI Harimau, fled, but one hit a reef, and the other was hit by gunfire and disabled. Evertsen was able to save most of the crew of Matjan Tutul, but at least three sailors died, among whom was Commodore Sudarso while the other two Indonesian vessels managed to escape unharmed. [1] [2]

Aftermath

Matjan Tutul scaled-down replica at Satriamandala Museum, Jakarta Matjan Tutul (replica), Satriamandala Museum.jpg
Matjan Tutul scaled-down replica at Satriamandala Museum, Jakarta

The Indonesian action itself was an abject failure and General Nasution even refused to relay the bad news to President Sukarno, forcing Colonel Murshid to do this in person. [1] However, the small battle was partially responsible for the subsequent involvement of the Soviet Union and United States in the Western New Guinea dispute. [3]

Legacy

The battle is commemorated in Indonesia as Oceanic Duty Day (Hari Dharma Samudera), which is observed annually as a nationwide day of remembrance. Yos Sudarso was officially recognized as a National Hero twelve years after his death. The patrol boat RI Harimau is preserved as a historical artifact at the Purna Bhakti Pertiwi Museum in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. [4]

The officers who were killed in the battle are honored by the Indonesian Navy through the naming of naval vessels after them. Ships bearing their names are KRI Yos Sudarso, KRI Wiratno, KRI Memet Sastrawiria, and KRI Tjiptadi.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bruins Slot, Rob; Jansen Hendriks, Gerda (16 January 2012). "50 years after the Battle of Vlakke Hoek. Near-war with Indonesia about New Guinea". www.geschiedenis24.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Media, Kompas Cyber (2021-08-02). "Pertempuran Laut Aru: Penyebab, Kronologi, dan Dampak Halaman all - Kompas.com". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 2024-09-14. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  3. ↑ Djiwandono, Soedjati (1996). Konfrontasi Revisited: Indonesia's Foreign Policy Under Soekarno. Jakarta: Centre for Strategic and International Studies. pp. 133–5. ISBN   978-9798026522.
  4. ↑ "KRI Harimau, Saksi Bisu Pertempuran Laut Aru". 19 March 2012.

Further reading

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