18th Division 1 unit from the 11th Water Supply and Purification Unit Battle On 13 December 1941, a Japanese invasion convoy left Cam Ranh Bay in French Indochina, escorted by the cruiser (Rear-Admiral Shintaro Hashimoto), the destroyers of the 12th Destroyer Division (, , and ), the submarine chaser CH-7, and the seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru. Ten transport ships (Imperial Japanese Army transports , Hiyoshi Maru, Myoho Maru, Kenkon Maru, Nichiran Maru; and Imperial Japanese Navy transports Hokkai Maru, Tonan Maru No 3, Unyo Maru No. 2, Kamikawa Maru, Mitakesan Maru) carried the Japanese 35th Infantry Brigade HQ under the command of Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi. The Support Force—commanded by Rear Admiral Takeo Kurita—consisted of the cruisers and and the destroyers and . Part of the Japanese force was allocated to capture Miri and Seria, while the rest would capture Kuching and nearby airfields. The convoy escaped detection and, at dawn on 16 December 1941, two landing units secured Miri and Seria, encountering very little resistance from British forces. A few hours later, Lutong was captured as well. Dutch Martin B-10 bombers attacked Japanese shipping from their base, 'Singkawang II' at Miri, on 17 December, but their attempt failed. The three Dornier Do 24Ks followed up with their own attack, but one was shot down, possibly by a floatplane from Kamikawa Maru. The remaining two, benefiting from cloud cover, were never seen by the Japanese. One flying boat scored two 200 kg bomb hits on , causing a massive explosion, while a near miss ruptured its hull plating. The destroyer's stern broke off and the ship sank within minutes. The last flying boat dropped its bombs on a freighter, but missed. The B-10 bombers made attacks at Miri 18 and 19 December, but retired to Sumatra on 23 December since Singkawang II airfield was discovered by the Japanese, who began attacking it the same day. On 22 December, a Japanese convoy left Miri for Kuching, but was spotted by the Dutch flying boat X-35, which radioed a warning to the Dutch submarine , under the command of Lieutenant Commander Carel A. J. van Groeneveld. At 20:40 on 23 December, K XIV infiltrated the convoy and began its attack. The army transports Hiyoshi Maru and Katori Maru were sunk with the loss of hundreds of troops. was beached to prevent her from sinking, and another transport was less seriously damaged. The