Thank you for the information, Jan. I'll need to track that report down. Unfortunately, I cannot read Dutch, though I can read German and have been told I might be able to wing it.
Morison said that the depth charge was "swept" overboard, so that might be the term you are looking for. But it was also reported that Witte de With was dropping depth charges because of the submarines believed to be in the area as a result of the explosions of the Japanese torpedoes. So my question becomes, was the Witte de With actually trying to deploy depth charges? Was this why the safeties were removed, which resulted in the detonation?
From your description, it sounds like the Witte de With lost considerable engine power as a result of this accident (the NEI campaign had a lot of such accidents that ended up badly hurting the Allied cause). So, it would seemt hat she was no longer combat capable and was suffering from a similar malady to the Exeter, which would explain why she was assigned to accompany Exeter to Soerabaja. Does that sound like a fair description?
What happend to Witte De With after she got to Soerabaja? I have heard conflicting stories on this account. One that she was still under repair when the Japanese came, so she was scuttled, imperfectly. Another was that either the Exeter group or the four US destroyers tried to get Witte de With to accompany them when they fled Soerabaja, but her crew had been given shore leave(!) and she wasn't able to go.
If the Exeter wih her damage was able to leave Soerabaja, I can't imagine why the Witte de With was unable to, with what appears to have been a lesser degree of damage. Are there any additional details about that?
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