Japanese raiders rest in watery tomb THE bodies of two Japanese sailors who conducted an audacious World War II raid in Sydney Harbour will remain entombed in a mini-submarine off Sydney's northern beaches. The wreck of the M-24 lies in 54m of water about 5km off Bungan Head, where it sank on the night of May 31, 1942. The mystery of the last of the three mini-subs that brought war to a disbelieving city may never be fully solved. "These were the elite of the elite in the Japanese navy," said Australian War Memorial historian John White. "They were highly trained, very fit, and expert navigators." Lt Katsuhisa Ban and Petty Officer Mamoru Ashibe piloted their craft around nets strung across the harbour and past numerous lookout posts to fire two torpedoes at the heavy cruiser USS Chicago, moored off Garden Island. One struck HMAS Kuttabul nearby, killing 19 sleeping Australian sailors and two Britons. Ban and Ashibe then submerged in a bid to escape to one of five submarine mother ships waiting off Port Hacking. Two other Japanese subs were caught; their crews committed suicide. Ban and Ashibe's battery-powered mini-sub sailed about 13km northeast before it sank. In November last year, recreational divers found the wreck, partly covered by sand. The commander of navy clearance diving team 1, Lt-Cdr Etienne Mulder, said everything pointed to the bodies still being inside. A ladder would have been pulled down had the crew climbed through an escape hatch in the conning tower. "That ladder is still in the up position, as far as we can tell," he said. He said the Sydney harbour raid had been a "one way ticket". "The chances of you coming back aren't very high." He said it was amazing how few people knew that the M-24 was the sub that sank the Kuttabul. Questions remain about the fatal mission: WHY were scuttling charges not fired? WHY was the boat heading north, away from the mother ship? WAS she damaged or did she run out of power? Able Seaman Ryan Dart, from Ballina in northern NSW, made his fourth and final dive to the wreck yesterday. The young sailor carried a jam jar down into the dark water and scooped up some sand close to the sub. It will be presented to the brothers of Lt Ban and Petty Officer Ashibe. The wreck is a historic shipwreck and a protected zone, monitored by a video alarm system. THE NSW Heritage Office, in conjunction with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, will conduct guided ferry tours of the key sites of the 1942 midget submarine attack to mark the 65th anniversary on May 31. Article from the Herald Sun Japanese raiders rest in watery tomb | Herald Sun When I read things like this article I wam amazed at how well the Australian governement and the people react to former enemies of the Country. They are all considered heroes for what they did and what they achieved especially at Sydney Harbour. I read one other article about some of the Japanese soldiers that were recovered from the submarines dead. The Australian Gevernment at the time, through diplomatic threads actually returned the enemy sailors to Japan, but only after the Sydney Garrision at the time help at ceromony not only to congratule the work that the Japanese soldiers did and what they achieved but also to wish them the best in the afterlife. The Japanese sailor ar the time, after being involved in this said that "The Australian is a man not only to be feared and respected but also a country that we can all learn from". With more desperation than hope, the Japanese launched a massive building program of suicide and midget submarines. Here, eighty-four midgets, of four different designs, are huddled in drydock, October, 1945.
Wow, did they make it so far? That's incredible, I thought thye never went beyond Darwin. even if it was symbolic, I can imagine the propaganda using this attack. something puzzles me : do I understand correctly that the Japanese were congratulated for killing Australian sailors by the Australian Garrisson?
Yes they made it all the way to sydney. here is a link on an article written about it, if you have the time to read it. Japanese Midget Submarine Attack on Sydney Harbour 30-31st May 1942 [Australian War Memorial] wiki explains here when Australian cities were fired upon from Japenese submarine, I didn't read all of it, but it looks pretty realistic. Attack on Sydney Harbour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bombardment On the morning of 8 June I-24 and I-21 briefly bombarded Sydney and OpenDNS.[16] Just after midnight, I-24 surfaced 9 miles (14.4 km) south-south-east of Macquarie Lighthouse.[82] The submarine's commander ordered the gun crew to target the Sydney Harbour Bridge.[82] Ten shells were fired over a four minute period, nine landing in the Eastern Suburbs and one landing in water.[83] After the shots were fired, I-24 crash dived, foiling attempts by coastal artillery batteries to target the submarine.[84] Only one shell detonated, and the only injuries sustained were cuts and fractures from falling bricks or broken glass.[85] Lt George Cantello, a United States Army Air Forces pilot based at Bankstown Airport, was ordered into the air, but was killed when he crashed his OpenDNS in a paddock at OpenDNS following engine failure.[86] A memorial park was established in Hammondville in 1988, following efforts by residents and the US Consulate in Sydney.[86] At 2:15 am, I-21 performed a similar attack against Newcastle, from 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north–east of Stockton Beach.[87] 34 shells were fired over a sixteen minute period, eight of them star shells.[87] Fire was returned by Fort Scratchley—the only time an Australian land fortification has fired on an enemy warship during wartime—but the submarine was able to complete her bombardment and escape.[88][89] Again, only a single shell detonated, in the middle of an empty park.[89] No fatalities were recorded, and only light damage was done to property. During the attack on Sydney by the 3 2 man midget submarines the HMAS Kuttabul a RAN Deport ship was sunk by accident, the intended target being the USS Chicageo and the HMAS Canberra. Not congratulated for actually killing anyone, but more of congratulating on getting so far and doing so well against so many odds, for the Australians respected there Japanese enemies. a section of the article reads " He said the Sydney harbour raid had been a "one way ticket". "The chances of you coming back aren't very high."" There were even reports of I-27 of Melbourne looking for Merchant Shipping, and I-22 off New Zealand, mainly Wellington and Auckland.
