I recently learned via a Facebook post that scavengers in the areas of the Java Sea between Indonesia and Sumatra have been illegally scavenging metals and other parts of World War 2 ships sunk during the Battle of the Java Sea on February 27th, 1942. These ships were all allied ships from the Dutch Navy, Australia, America and Great Britain. All had been declared war graves, thus illegal to desecrate or disturb. The Dutch ships had been discovered in 2002. A 75th anniversary memorial had been planned to lay plaques on the ships in 2017. When explorers returned to the wreck sites recently, the wrecks had all but disappeared.
As I’ve been told more than once it’s very important to keep wreck sites such as this secret when discovered. We see what has happened with the wreck of the Titanic, also a grave site. Over the years items have been recovered from the site and put on display in museums around the world. While the argument for using these items as educational tools and to encourage the memory of the event is compelling, it’s still more than a little disturbing when you learn many of these artifacts have been sold and profited from. Much like stealing from the families and loved ones of the men lost in this battle, it’s stealing and selling the memories and tarnishing the sacrifices made.
For more information I’m posting links to a few of the articles I’ve found on line. I doubt there is any way to know the pervasiveness of this practice. It’s difficult and expensive to monitor all the known wreck sites. Those yet to be discovered by reputable explorers and archaeologists could be in danger of disappearing before their history can be documented. Ships such as these in the Java Sea in shallower water are more prone because they are easier to locate. At least now the world is aware, and perhaps something can be done to keep it from happening to other wrecked ships and grave sites.
From the links below, there are others to follow to learn about the battle itself, and the subsequent engagements on February 28th and March 1st. This is another one of those stories that the world needs to know about. Too bad it had to happen with desecration of war graves.
-Tammi
Stories about the illegal salvage:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/16/british-second-world-war-ships-illegal-scavenging-java-sea
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/16/asia/indonesia-ww2-ship-wrecks-disappear/index.html?sr=twCNN111716indonesia-ww2-ship-wrecks-disappear0526AMStoryLink&linkId=31255859
http://qz.com/838795/three-dutch-wwii-ships-sunk-in-1942-have-completely-vanished-from-the-ocean-floor/
http://time.com/4572826/dutch-shipswreck-java-indonesia/
Battle of the Java Sea: https://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/alliesinadversity/japanese/java/
As I’ve been told more than once it’s very important to keep wreck sites such as this secret when discovered. We see what has happened with the wreck of the Titanic, also a grave site. Over the years items have been recovered from the site and put on display in museums around the world. While the argument for using these items as educational tools and to encourage the memory of the event is compelling, it’s still more than a little disturbing when you learn many of these artifacts have been sold and profited from. Much like stealing from the families and loved ones of the men lost in this battle, it’s stealing and selling the memories and tarnishing the sacrifices made.
For more information I’m posting links to a few of the articles I’ve found on line. I doubt there is any way to know the pervasiveness of this practice. It’s difficult and expensive to monitor all the known wreck sites. Those yet to be discovered by reputable explorers and archaeologists could be in danger of disappearing before their history can be documented. Ships such as these in the Java Sea in shallower water are more prone because they are easier to locate. At least now the world is aware, and perhaps something can be done to keep it from happening to other wrecked ships and grave sites.
From the links below, there are others to follow to learn about the battle itself, and the subsequent engagements on February 28th and March 1st. This is another one of those stories that the world needs to know about. Too bad it had to happen with desecration of war graves.
-Tammi
Stories about the illegal salvage:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/16/british-second-world-war-ships-illegal-scavenging-java-sea
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/16/asia/indonesia-ww2-ship-wrecks-disappear/index.html?sr=twCNN111716indonesia-ww2-ship-wrecks-disappear0526AMStoryLink&linkId=31255859
http://qz.com/838795/three-dutch-wwii-ships-sunk-in-1942-have-completely-vanished-from-the-ocean-floor/
http://time.com/4572826/dutch-shipswreck-java-indonesia/
Battle of the Java Sea: https://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/alliesinadversity/japanese/java/
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