Beginner Fleet Lists

]Battle of Java Sea
OOB:
Tasked with launching a diversionary invasion to lure out ABDA's navy, Admiral Theaetetus Takagi successfully made contact with the ABDA fleet on 14 February. Against him was the famed Admiral Karel "Boarslayer" Doorman, with a powerful battlecruiser but little air cover. Theatetus split his fleet into three columns, sending one to land a regiments of marines with a destroyer and cruiser as escort, another column with his two Long Lance ships to flank the attacking ship, and Kongo down the middle, to draw the attention of enemy heavy units. Admiral Boarslayer ordered his ships similarly, sending Shropshire to deal with Matsu and Natori, and De Ruyter with two additional destroyer to oppose the landing force. Nederlands Indië stayed near Shropshire, but shifted to the centre as it became clear that Kongo was holding its course.

The Japanese had initial success, after a trio of Bettys crippled Shropshire at a cost of one squadron, but the luck was short lived, as I-25 was ambushed and sunk by one of the Dutch submarines soon after. As both fleets closed in, a fierce gun battle broke out between the Japanese landing force and De Ruyter's group, with De Ruyter and a Harukaze both being set ablaze. Meanwhile, the Natori and Matsu launched an ineffectual long range salvo of torpedoes at Shropshire and here escort, whilst Shropshire returned fire, damaging Matsu. In the center, Kongo suffered from poor accuracy while the Dutch battleship was consistently landing hits. The Japanese landing force was wiped out pretty soon (with the spectacular explosion of Tenryu after being hit by several 11-inch shells), but not before taking another British destroyer with them. Meanwhile Natori took 5 torpedo hits from a spread launched by Hotspur, and Matsu followed her soon after. Kongo's gunners continued trying to find range as they were weaving through smokescreens created to confuse the torpedoes from enemy submarines. Kongo's secondary batteries were more successful, finishing off Shropshire and sinking two other destroyers. The smoke remained neutral, and as the two battleships closed in on each other a number of fine salvoes were ruined confusion in the smoke. During this time the air attacks grew increasingly desperate, leaving each side without an effective air wing. Around this time Kongo also took a torpedo, but careful damage control limited the flooding. Right around this time however a Dutch shell landed in the Kongo's magazine, blowing the ship apart, when the smoke cleared, Nederlands Indië was the only action-ready ship afloat.

Admiral Boarslayer took two objectives, got a surface wipe, and destroyed all of my units, at the cost of two cruiser and four destroyers (though all of these would be patched up after the battle, enough to make it back to Sydney where they could be repaired or scrapped. The Japanese meanwhile had lost to cruisers and a battleship to adorn the ocean floor, as well as a number of lighter units.