Karel Willem Frederik Marie Doorman (23 April 1889 – 28 February 1942) was a Royal Netherlands Navy officer who during World War II commanded remnants of the short-lived American-British-Dutch-Australian Command naval strike forces in the Battle of the Java Sea. He was killed in action when his flagship was torpedoed during the battle, having chosen to go down with the ship.
Biography
Early career
Doorman was born 1889 in Utrecht, and raised as a Roman Catholic from a military family. In 1906, he and his brother Lou ACM Doorman were commissioned as midshipmen. In 1910, he was promoted to officer
Naval aviator
From 1915 to 1918, Doorman was stationed at Soesterberg with the Aviation Service at Surabaya. In early 1942 he led remnants of the ABDA Combined Striking Force.
On February 3, Doorman led a group of ships that went to stop a Japanese invasion force that was heading towards Makassar. While en route, his flotilla was observed by the Japanese and bombed, forcing it to turn back after several ships were damaged. This conflict was known as Battle of Makassar Strait, also called the Battle of the Flores Sea.
On 18 February, Japanese forces invaded Bali. Doorman led another force attempting to stop the invasion the next day. Due to the short notice and the challenge of consolidating his troops, three waves of counterattacks were planned. The first wave involving cruisers and destroyers was unsuccessful, culminating in the sinking of the Dutch destroyer . The second wave, consisting of a Dutch cruiser and several American destroyers was also unsuccessful, although they caused severe damage to a Japanese destroyer. The third wave of patrol boats encountered no Japanese forces. The failure to stop the Japanese led to the occupation of Bali. This engagement is known as the Battle of Badung Strait.
Doorman was killed in action when De Ruyter was hit by a Japanese Long Lance torpedo and sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea. Part of the crew was rescued but Doorman, following navy tradition, chose to go down with his ship. However, one source doubts that he ever uttered those words.
On 27 February 1942, at approximately 4pm, the Japanese and the allied squadrons spotted each other. Karel Doorman realised that the Dutch fleet was outnumbered but nonetheless proceeded to attack. His actions lost the fleet and he ultimately went down with his ship. The guns of the two Japanese cruisers had a greater range than the Allied guns and at about 5pm the British cruiser was hit. Twenty minutes, later the Dutch destroyer was torpedoed exploding and breaking into two. Confusion arose in the Allied squadron over the way forward, compounded because HMS Exeter could only sail at half power and wanted to return to port at Soerabaja (now Surabaya).
Following instructions issued by High Command, Doorman gave the order to attack at the approach of the Japanese fleet. The tactical command was "I am attacking, follow me"; he did not signal at the beginning of the battle in the Java Sea. It is a loose translation of the signal sent by him, "All ships – follow me" to remedy the confusion. The battle on 27 February 1942 which, with interruptions, lasted for over seven hours, ended with the almost complete destruction of Doorman's squadron. The squadron commander perished aboard the flagship, which sank after around 90 minutes.
Memorials
Four ships in the Royal Netherlands Navy were named after him: the escort carrier Karel Doorman (QH1), the aircraft carrier , the frigate Karel Doorman (F827), and the multi-role support vessel .
Additionally in Rotterdam there is the named after him.
The Kloosterkerk in The Hague has a memorial plaque. Commemorations of the Battle of the Java Sea are regularly held.
Honors and awards
- Knight 3rd class of the Military William Order, posthumously entered into the register on 5 June 1942
- Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, 21 August 1941.
- Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau (previously appointed a Knight)
- War Memorial Cross with two bars
- Distinguishing for Long Service as an officer, with figures XXX
- Mobilization Cross 1914–1918
- Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross (Poland)