Beritabali.com, Jakarta. On Monday, 27 February 2017, Museum Bahari will open a new exhibition on two major sea battles that took place in Indonesia during the Second World War, the Battle of the Java Sea and the Battle of the Sunda Strait.
The exhibition is organised by the Maritime Museum and the embassies of the four allied countries involved: the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Australia. Direct support has been provided by the US Navy Naval Historical and Heritage Command, the Australian National Maritime Museum, the UK National Museum Royal Navy, the Netherlands Marine Museum, with assistance from Japanese Tokyo Keizai University.
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The exhibition displays information about the battles, the ships involved, the balance of force and the Indonesians who took part in the battles. There are artefacts on display provided mainly by the US Navy Naval Historical and Heritage Command, such as spyglasses, binoculars, crockery, and flags used by navies during the Second World War. Models of some of the ships and aircraft involved are also displayed.
The exhibition has been sponsored by a number of maritime and cultural institutes in Indonesia, such as Thales, BAE Systems, New Frontier Solutions, SBS UK Ltd, Rolls Royce and Erasmuis Huis.
It will initially be open for a year and aims to attract foreign tourists with an interest in maritime history as well as giving Indonesians a new perspective on an important period of their own history.
“Indonesia has a long and rich maritime history and the exhibition is a snapshot of a period that was very important for Indonesia on its road to independence. This exhibition captures a few days in 1942 and shows the facts surrounding what was the largest naval battle in the Second World War up to that point. Among those lost were around 2,300 sailors and airmen of whom 220, almost ten per cent, were Indonesians serving on the Dutch warships. This was an important moment in our shared history," said British Ambassador Moazzam Malik.
“We are pleased to learn that Museum Bahari has been chosen as a venue to hold this exhibition. The theme is aligned with our maritime spirit where history and events that took place at the sea can be displayed. I hope this event will attract visitors from all over the world to visit Museum Bahari and we look forward to working with our friendly countries to support the wellbeing of this museum," said Director of Museum Bahari, Bapak Drs Husnison Nizar. [rls/wrt]
