The Battle of the Java Sea: The Maelstrom [1]

In Summary:

• IJN Right attacking (or rather 'under the guns') the ABDA cruiser line
• IJN Centre being attacked by ABDA destroyers with belated ABDA cruiser support
• IJN Left deploying (menacingly)

The van of the ABDA cruiser formation turned in succession to meet the ominous threat of the IJN heavy cruisers, forcing the Japanese Admiral to quickly react and shift the focus of his fire away from HMS Encounter. The De Ruyter opened fire first but found it an uneven fight as she had to engage both enemy ships before HMS Exeter joined the fray on the following turn.

De Ruyter began to suffer immediately taking mostly heavy hull hits, slowing her down and losing a turret into the bargain. The IJN fire was accurate and very hot. HMS Exeter was quickly straddled, taking damage but without impairing her speed or her ability to fight at full effect.Worse luck followed for ABDA as the De Ruyter took a critical hit in the boiler room slowing her down to a crawl and bunching up the ABDA line of cruisers that were dutifully following her like ducklings.

However the ABDA cruiser's intervention did save HMS Encounter from receiving the full fury of the Japanese heavy cruisers main 8" batteries, as she sneaked in danger close (see above, middle right). With an "average" dice roll the prospects for HMS Encounter surviving looked very bleak as the IJN secondary armament seemed ominously sufficient to pulverise her.