The Australian shores first experienced war on the last day of May 1942. Until then, the
global conflict had been just a distant rumor. But when the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked
Sydney Harbor and surprised everyone, yet another continent had been pulled into the
chaos.
An uneasy atmosphere could be felt in the port shortly before midnight, and the sailors
in the docked vessels were restless. Some claimed that there was a Japanese submarine
in the harbor, but others dismissed the idea.
Even Rear Admiral Gerard Muirhead-Gould of the Royal Navy, in charge of the port that
night, sarcastically said: (QUOTE) "If you see another sub, see if the captain has a
black beard. I'd like to meet him."
Then, a ship exploded.
Surprise Attack
On May 29, 1942, five massive Imperial Japanese Navy I Class submarines from the 8th Submarine
Squadron rendezvoused about 35 nautical miles northeast of Sydney Harbor. They were led
by Captain Hankyu Sasaki.
A couple of weeks earlier, the submarines had been ordered to proceed to the Japanese
naval base at Truk Lagoon in the Caroline Islands to receive some precious cargo that
would be useful in their next mission.
Before the break of daylight the following morning, the squadron executed aerial reconnaissance
sorties, carefully assessing their targets. I-21 and I-29 each carried a Yokosuka E14Y1
“Glen” floatplane and looked at several Australasian harbors to detect the most vulnerable
ones.
While I-21 surveyed Nouméa, Suva, and Auckland, I-29 went to Sydney. Her floatplane then flew
a daring reconnaissance mission over the port, circling the cruiser USS Chicago twice and
then returning to the east.
The bold aerial intrusion was observed and reported by the enemy, but no special defensive
measures were implemented.
At the time, the defenses at Sydney Harbor consisted of eight anti-submarine indicator
loops and a partially constructed boom net with wide gaps of 400 meters at each side.
Material shortages had prevented its completion, so the poorly constructed barrier remained
the only defense for the peaceful ships resting at the port.
In fact, many witnesses believed that it must have been an American floatplane conducting
routine training. But for the Japanese, it was the latest of a series of reconnaissance
flights that provided invaluable intelligence for a surprise attack on the port.
Among the multiple Allied ships that stood out as prime targets were HMAS Canberra and
USS Chicago.
On May 31, the mother ships I-27, I-22, and I-24 spread in an arc formation 13 kilometers
from the harbor entrance and began what would be known as “The Battle of Sydney.” The
vessels then released their secret weapons: a squadron of midget submarines.
Type A Ko-hyoteki
The Imperial Japanese Navy built fifty A Target submarines, named to provide a cover story
in case a foe prematurely discovered the design. In that case, the Japanese could argue that
the tiny ships were mere practice targets.
In reality, however, the submarines were true naval weapons and one of them, No. 19, was
even deployed at Pearl Harbor from I-24.
The submarines measured 23.9 meters long, three meters high, and had a beam of 1.8 meters.
When submerged, their displacement was 46 long tons.
A single electric motor of 600 horsepower powered two counter-rotating screws on a single
shaft, while the leading propeller was 1.35 meters in diameter and its trailing counterpart
was 1.25 meters wide.
The small submarines were able to reach 23 knots when surfaced and 19 knots when submerged.
Their range was merely 18 nautical miles at maximum speed, but they could cover 100 nautical
miles when traveling at two knots.
Each midget ship was armed with two 450-millimeter torpedoes mounted in stacked muzzle-loading
tubes at the bow. Besides, the submarines were equipped with a demolition charge, which
weaponized them and was strong enough to blow up the entire vessel. However, there’s no
evidence the submarines were ever used as suicide weapons.
In terms of complement, the miniature ships had a crew of two: a junior and a petty officer.
The first conned the boat, while the latter manipulated valves and controlled trim and
diving.
In addition, the vessels had hull numbers but were given no names and were identified
by their mother ship's number.
Most of the midget submarine fleet was unaccounted for, but one operation at Sydney Harbor in
the summer of 1942 did make it into the annals of history.
Low Guard
On the day of the attack, six of the defense’s indicator loops were inactive. Moreover, the
North Head-South Head indicator loop was known to give faulty signals, and with civilian
traffic often passing over, guards usually dismissed the readings. Still, May 31 was
no drill.
M-27 was the first midget submarine to enter the Harbor at approximately 8:00pm. She had
barely entered the area when her propellers became entangled in the western boom gate
anti-submarine net. Soon, the disturbance in the water's surface drew unwanted attention,
and the snared vessel was spotted and reported.
Meanwhile, the second submarine, M-24, successfully trespassed into the harbor shortly before
10:00pm. But USS Chicago quickly identified the ship’s periscope less than 500 meters
from the cruiser. Alert sailors on the deck turned a searchlight on the area and opened
fire, but their guns couldn’t be sufficiently depressed, and the gunfire had no discernible
effect.
The submarine appeared to have escaped.
Subsequently, the patrol boats HMAS Yarroma and HMAS Lolita approached to investigate
the object trapped in the net. But the proud Japanese sailors would give it their all before
being captured, and as they realized they wouldn’t free their ship on time, they fired
demolition charges, destroyed the submarine, and perished in the explosion.
At 10:37pm, a general alarm was finally raised.
Chaos ensued as visibility was limited and ferries continued to hunt the submarines down.
Then, at 11:14pm, the officer in charge of the harbor, Royal Navy Rear Admiral Gerard
Muirhead-Gould, ordered all ships to observe blackout conditions. Still, floodlights remained
on until 12:25am.
Skeptical about an attack from enemy submarines, Muirhead-Gould set on a barge towards the
boom net to inspect the trapped object personally. The Admiral then reportedly expressed: (QUOTE)
"What are you all playing at, running up and down the harbor, dropping depth charges, and
talking about enemy subs in the harbor? There's not one to be seen."
Then, at about 12:30am, the naval depot ship HMAS Kuttabul suddenly exploded.
Response
It was later found that the crew of the M-24 submarine had aimed at USS Chicago, but the
torpedoes missed and struck the converted harbor ferry moored at Garden Island instead.
The mistake sealed the fate of 19 Australian and two British sailors.
Meanwhile, brave Bandsman M. N. Cumming and Ordinary Seaman L. T. Combers plunged into
the biting southern waters and swam between shattered glass and jagged woodwork, frantically
looking for survivors.
M-24 had also fired a second torpedo but ran aground on rocks to the east of Garden Island
and failed to explode.
Having run out of ammunition, the midget submarine turned to the harbor entrance and disappeared,
apparently running out of fuel before reaching her destination.
The harbor was alive with activity following the attack on Chicago, but many people believed
the gunfire was part of a naval exercise.
Still, the real attack continued into the early hours of June 1, as a third miniature
submarine, M-22, approached the harbor and Allied ships proceeded to sea.
The last of the three envoys did not make it far, as she was almost immediately spotted
in Taylors Bay. Patrol boats Sea Mist, Steady Hour, and Yarroma repeatedly bombed her with
depth charges.
The following day, a clearance diving team was sent to investigate the wreck. Despite
the damage, the engines were still, and the propellers turned slowly. Not long after,
they raised the tiny crippled vessel and discovered that her crew had honorably self-inflicted
fatal gunshot wounds.
After it became evident that their midget submarines were not coming back, the defeated
Japanese mother ships departed.
Aftermath
Before the audacious attack, Sydneysiders regarded the war as a somewhat distant conflict.
But the Japanese midget submarines made sure to bring the war to their shores.
Several days were needed to recover from the blow, including accounting for the 21 ratings
lost in Kuttabul. Then, on June 3, Muirhead-Gould and 200 Navy personnel attended a burial service
with naval honors.
Remarkably, the four Japanese submariners were also recognized for their bravery and
received naval honors at Rookwood Cemetery. A diplomatic exchange arranged for the cremated
remains to be returned to the families in Japan two months after the assault, which
the Japanese fondly appreciated.
Still, the only submarine that escaped, M-24, is believed to have attacked many Allied merchant
ships the week following the engagement. Moreover, she is said to be responsible for shelling
Sydney Harbor.
The fate of the midget submarine was discovered in late 2006 when seven scuba divers returned
to a spot they had marked months prior and were excited to check out what their fish
finder had spotted on the seafloor.
As the group visited the site, they found a large object covered in a fishing net. Propellers
stuck out of the sand on one end, and the group then found the conning tower. Finally,
four torpedo tubes at the front confirmed their theories.
The divers eventually met with the Director of the Naval Heritage Collection, Commander
Shane Moore, who confirmed the finding of the missing midget submarine. Nevertheless,
the wreck's exact location remains concealed to protect it from scavengers.
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