K XIII deployed into the South China Sea and attempted to attack the Japanese invasion force off Malaya in December 1941. A battery explosion in Singapore killed three sailors before the boat could convert that opportunity into a sustained campaign. Escorted back to Surabaya for repairs, K XIII was still disabled when the Japanese advance forced the Dutch to scuttle it in March 1942. A machinery casualty had erased scarce submarine capacity at the moment a small navy most needed it.
Notable Point · 41:38-43:51
A battery explosion removes K XIII from the Malaya campaign
K XIII reached the Japanese invasion routes but a fatal battery explosion left the submarine under repair when Java fell.