The US Embassy in Jakarta has launched a two-year project to protect the wreck of the USS Houston, an American warship sunk during the Second World War in Indonesian waters.
Funded by the US Department of State’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), the initiative aims to safeguard the historic wreck from illegal salvage operations and destructive fishing.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and the local non-profit Organisation of Sustainable Exotica Village will oversee the project.
Three community-based surveillance groups will be established and trained to monitor the wreck, report threats and help prevent further damage. US technical experts will also support training, monitoring systems, information centres and public awareness campaigns.
US Chargé d’Affaires Joy Sakurai said protecting the shipwreck was a shared responsibility.
“Through this project, Indonesian communities, government partners, and U.S. experts will work side by side to safeguard the final resting place of hundreds of American service members and an important site in WWII history,” she said.
Historic Wreck Faces Ongoing Threats
The USS Houston sank during the Battle of Sunda Strait on 1 March 1942, alongside the Australian cruiser HMAS Perth, after encountering a powerful Japanese naval force off Java.
More than 1,200 Allied personnel died in the battle, including approximately 650 American sailors and Marines.
The wreck remains a war grave and the final resting place of many crew members. However, unauthorised salvaging and destructive fishing have threatened its preservation.
Nia Naelul Hasahan Ridwan, who leads the AFCP project, said cooperation between the two governments and local communities would be essential.
“We hope this AFCP project will make the USS Houston a pilot model for bilateral cooperation that puts communities at the heart of heritage stewardship,” she said.
Ridwan is an underwater maritime archaeology researcher with Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and a PhD candidate at Flinders University.
The project is expected to strengthen US–Indonesia cooperation in maritime heritage protection while establishing a community-led approach that could be applied to other historic shipwrecks.
Established in 2001, the AFCP supports cultural preservation projects worldwide, including archaeological sites, historic buildings and shipwrecks.
The initiative aims to preserve the USS Houston as both an important piece of naval history and a memorial to those who lost their lives.
Sources : U.S. Embassy & Consulates In Indonesia