The final resting place of the men – along with that of fellow Dutch veterans – was apparently disturbed by crooks seeking to cash in on valuable metals on board the sunken ships, in the Java sea off the coast of Indonesia.
And the news has prompted the Ministry of Defence to issue an angry condemnation of those responsible.
In the last few years, scavengers have stripped huge wartime wrecks of metal, including the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Electra, on which 119 men perished, HMS Exeter, a 175-metre heavy cruiser on which 54 died, and HMS Encounter, scuttled to avoid capture by the Japanese.
Claims on the Indonesian news site Tirto.id suggest during the course of their work, those responsible for dismantling the wrecks back on dry land in Indonesia found found skulls, jawbones, feet and hand bones, hips and ribs, which were subsequently dumped in a shallow mass grave near the port of Brondong, in east Java.
One contractor, Haji Ghoni, responsible for processing the ships and speaking about the remains, said: “Sometimes they are there and sometimes not.”
An MoD spokesman said: “The British Government condemns the unauthorised disturbance of any wreck containing human remains.
Under International Law naval warships and associated artefacts enjoy protection through Sovereign Immunity, which says: “International law also provides for protection for war graves. Desecration of wrecks of war and merchant vessels causes distress to loved ones of those lost on board and is against international law.
“A military wreck should remain undisturbed and those who lost their lives onboard should be allowed to rest in peace.”
The news prompted similar anger in the Dutch parliament, which was recently told by the country’s defence ministry that there were no leads which could help identify the culprits.
MP André Bosman, a Dutch MP, told the daily newspaper De Telegraaf: “These publications in Indonesia and now in De Telegraaf raise new questions and a feeling of great indignation.”
About 900 Dutch sailors died in the Battle of the Java sea on HNLMS De Ruyter, HNLMS Java, and HNLMS Kortenaer. Divers discovered that their vessels were missing in 2016 during an attempt to put plaques on them.
The ships, along with others from the UK, Australia and the US, were sunk in 1942 during a costly phase of the war in the Pacific.
Wrecks are highly prized by salvagers, with even poor quality steel bringing in about £1million per ship, plus copper cables and phosphor bronze propellors.
The National Museum of the Royal Navy and the Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust, which have charted every Royal Navy vessel ever lost around the globe, this month announced they were teaming up in a bid to deter further future grave robbers.
The initiative will make use of satellites, radar and sensors to monitor suspicious activity, the Royal Navy said.