Most, if not all, of the Allied naval vessels operating in the Java Sea of Indonesia were lost in a naval battle with a much larger Japanese force two weeks ago, Navy Department officials announced yesterday.

Among the ships lost is the USS Houston, a heavy cruiser said to be FDR’s favorite naval vessel.

Seven Allied vessels and 2,300 crewmen are believed to have been lost in the largest Allied defeat since the Pearl Harbor attack three months ago.

The captain and crew of an unidentified US submarine involved in the action are receiving praise for their rescue of 53 sailors from the sinking British ship Jupiter, a number which more than doubled the submarine’s personnel complement and, being overloaded, imperiled its ability to maneuver.

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