Guardians of Sunda Strait A free exhibition Thu 22 Feb 2018 – Sun 8 Apr 2018 9:30am – 5:00pm WA Maritime Museum She is going down by the bows, the stern lifting far up into the night sky, silhouetted against the bright lights of our enemy. Arthur Bancroft, HMAS Perth survivor Late on the night of Saturday 28 February and into the early hours of Sunday 1 March 1942, HMAS Perth and USS Houston fought for their lives. Having survived the Battle of the Java Sea just days before, the two ships were headed to Australia via the Sunda Strait. They were unaware that they were heading towards a large invasion force of Japanese warships and troop transports. What followed was a courageous fight to the death – the death of both ships and 1,046 Perth and Houston men. The survivors endured brutal captivity as prisoners of war. They were forced to work as slave labourers on the Burma-Thai Railway, in Japanese coal mines and at Sandakan. A further 185 died before the end of the war. This is their story. Guardians of Sunda Strait is a free exhibition. General entry costs to the WA Maritime Museum applies. An Australian National Maritime Museum travelling exhibition part of 'War and Peace in the Pacific 75' program supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift Fund. Caption: Guardians of Sunda Strait. Image courtesy Australian National Maritime Museum