The ABDA striking force combined Dutch, American, British, and Australian warships under Rear Admiral Karel Doorman. When a Japanese invasion force was reported to the north, Doorman chose to engage because a force assigned to deter invasion could not fulfill that purpose by disappearing. The Japanese held advantages in long-range gunnery, torpedoes, night fighting, crew freshness, and fleet cohesion. ABDA's four national contingents had not had enough time to train together or develop a shared fighting method. The Battle of the Java Sea sank the Dutch cruisers De Ruyter and Java, badly damaged Exeter, and left many destroyers sunk, withdrawn, or without torpedoes. Assembling hulls under one command had not created an interoperable coalition fleet.
Notable Point · 44:08-47:16
Why ABDA could not become a fleet in time
ABDA had ships from four nations but too little time to develop common fighting practice before confronting a fresher Japanese force with advantages in range, torpedoes, and night combat.