either nation. The stripping of Perths wreck was not publicly reported until December 2013; the Australian Broadcasting Corporation speculated that the government departments made aware of the issue tried to keep it under wraps to avoid further deterioration of relations between Australia and Indonesia, particularly following the Australia–Indonesia spying scandal. In October 2015, United States Navy and Indonesian Navy divers embarked aboard undertook a nine-day survey of Perth and Houston. Divers documented the condition of the two shipwrecks, and identified signs of unauthorised salvage. The operation was a prelude to a conference in Jakarta on preserving and preventing the unauthorised salvage of wartime shipwrecks in the Java Sea. The wreck was surveyed by a team from the Australian National Maritime Museum, the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and the Indonesian National Research Centre for Archaeology (ARKENAS) in May 2017. As of that date, the ship's six-inch gun turrets, starboard-side armour belt and its associated hull plating and the propellers had all been removed, as had almost all of the propulsion machinery, most likely because it is low-background steel. "ARKENAS has proposed that the site be declared a Situs Cagar Budaya (Cultural Heritage Site) under Indonesian cultural heritage legislation, while the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries also intends to list the site as a Marine Conservation Zone." Legacy The cruiser's wartime service was later recognised with the battle honours "Atlantic 1939", "Malta Convoys 1941", "Matapan 1941", "Greece 1941", "Crete 1941", "Mediterranean 1941", "Pacific 1941–42", and "Sunda Strait 1942". The RAN named a submarine, , after Captain Waller. The HMAS Perth Memorial Regatta is held annually by the Nedlands Yacht Club, Perth, in honour of Waller, the crew, and the ship. The original ships' bells of the cruiser Perth and the Cold War-era destroyer of the same name are displayed at the Perth Town Hall. There is a memorial plaque in St John's Anglican Church, King's Square, Fremantle, and a memorial service is held annually in the church in late February. HMAS Perth is the only foreign warship commemorated in the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. Citations General references External links HMAS Perth (I), Royal Australian Navy webpage on the ship 1934 ships Leander-class cruisers (1931) of the Royal Australian Navy Leander-class cruisers (1931) of the Royal Navy Maritime incidents in March 1942 Ships built in Portsmouth World War II cruisers of Australia World War II