page_title: Bawean
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Bawean / History / World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: A port side view of Admiral (Adm) Doorman's flagship, De Ruyter, at anchor shortly before her loss in the Battle of the Java Sea. Note the tall super structure and funnel and the two Fokker C14W aircraft midship. The cruiser is camouflaged in the two tone grey splinter pattern common to Dutch ships, taking part in the defence of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI). De Ruyter was lost in the battle with Adm Doorman and 344 of its crew.
context_page_description: Bawean is an island of Indonesia located approximately 150 km north of Surabaya in the Java Sea, off the coast of Java. It is administered by Gresik Regency of East Java province. It is approximately 15 km in diameter and is circumnavigated by a single narrow road. Bawean is dominated by an extinct volcano at its center that rises to 655 m above sea level. Its population as of the 2010 Census is about 70,000 people, but more than 26,000 of them were temporarily living outside, working in other parts of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. As a result, females constituted about 77% of the actual population of the island, which is thus often referred to as "the Island of Women".
  The island territory is divided into two administrative districts, Sangkapura and Tambak. More than half the population lives in the district of Sangkapura, centred on the town of that name located on the southern coast of the island. The island has rich nature with many endemic species, such as Bawean deer which is only found on the island and is included to the IUCN Red List. There are several large underwater petroleum and gas fields around the island.
context_section_description: During World War II, large-scale battles between the Japanese and Allied navies occurred in the vicinity of Bawean island, especially during the Dutch East Indies campaign of 1941–1942. On 25 February 1942, the island was captured by the Japanese troopers. On 28 February, in the first Battle of the Java Sea, the Japanese sunk several Allied ships, killing the commander of the East Indies Fleet, Rear Admiral Karel Doorman, on the light cruiser De Ruyter. The Second Battle of the Java Sea, also known as The Battle off Bawean, was fought on 1 March 1942. It resulted in sinking of all the participating Allied ships, including the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter and effective termination of the Anglo-Dutch resistance in the region. In August 1945, the Japanese garrison on the island surrendered to the Anglo-Dutch forces.
caption: The flagship of the Dutch navy, light cruiser De Ruyter, a few days before its sinking (February 1942).
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