A Sudden Squall

Cockatoo Island

The two tunnels on Cockato

o Island are called the Dogleg Tunnel and the Straight Tunnel.

The Straight Tunnel is

older

and was excavated in the Firs

t World

War. The Dogleg was excavated in the Second World

War.

Both

tunnels wer

e built to facilitate

the movement of

men and machinery from

the nort

h side of

the island to

the dockyard.

But, in

the dark

days of

the Second World

War, they wer

e also built as shelters in

case a

Japanese fleet attacked

Sydney. The Dogleg Tunnel has a

First

Aid Station cut into the tunnel walls.

It was fortunat

e that Sydney did not

experience such an attack because

the city coul

d not have

been

defended.

But, on one night a

storm

did arrive.

Cockatoo Island

A Sudden Squall

Loop and Boom Net

1

3

45

2

USS Chicago

Kanimbla

Westralia

Adelaide

GeelongWhyalla

KuttabulK 9

Boom Net

Loop 12

Loop 11

Boom Net

Shark Island

Clark Island

Harbour Bridge

MacquarieLighthouse

South HeadLighthouse

Chowder Bay

Taylor Bay

Rose BayDouble Bay

Garden Island

Georges Heights

Sydney

Cremorne

Crows Nest

South HeadLighthouse

Bradley Head

Middle Head

Green PointWatsons Bay

North Head

South HeadLoop 12 Loop

11

Fort Denison

Loop and Boom NetThe attack on Sydney Harbour began on the 29th of May of 1942 when five Japanese submarines arrived off the coast of New South Wales.• These were all large ships, I class submarines, mother ships

capable of carrying their own seaplanes and midget submarines.

• On arrival the I 21 began to prepare its seaplane for a reconnaissance flight over Sydney Harbour. It was important to find out what ships were in port and where the harbour defences were located.

Early in the morning the seaplane took off with a pilot and an observer aboard.1. The sea plane flew past North Head and sketches were made of the Boom Net that had been laid across Middle Harbour as an anti submarine defence.2. The aircraft then flew on to Garden Island where it made two lazy circles around the naval dockyard noting the key ships. A large American cruiser, USS Chicago, most attracted their attention. There was no response from the Australian or American defences and most observers thought the plane was one of their own.3. The seaplane then headed over the Harbour Bridge and further down the waterway before flying back to the submarine. A troubled landing resulted in the loss of the aircraft, but the crew was saved.

The five submarines now closed in to some 5-7 kilometres off Sydney Harbour. Three midget submarines were launched. Each had a crew of two and carried two torpedoes. Each man knew that there was little possibility that he would survive the mission.4. At 8 in the evening the first midget submarine, M 14, crossed Loop 12 which was an electromagnetic field generator that had been laid to detect incoming submarines. The loop recorded the crossing, but the reading was ignored. 5. M 14 attempted to get around the Boom Net at the northern end, but became snagged. After futile attempts to free themselves the crew blew up their craft and took their own lives.

Mother Submarines

Seaplan

e Flight

M 14

A Wild Sydney night

2

3

4

7

USS Chicago

Westralia

1

5

6

Kanimbla Westra

lia

Boom Net

Clark Island

MacquarieLighthouse

South HeadLighthouseChowder

Bay

Taylor Bay

Garden Island

Georges Heights

Bradley Head

Middle Head

Watsons Bay

North Head

South Head

Loop 12

Loop 11

Kuttabul

Fort Denison

Kanimbla

Taylor Bay

Bradley Head

Steady Hour

YarromaSea Mist

USS Chicago

Shark Island

Shark IslandClark

Island

A Wild Sydney NightThe harbour authorities were now awake to the danger. A black out was ordered and patrol boats were sent out to investigate. Ferries and other craft were allowed to continue to make their rounds in the hope that multiple targets would confuse the Japanese.1. The second midget submarine, M 24, now entered the harbour to cross the loop at 9 pm. It followed a Manly Ferry around the southern end of the Boom Net.2. M 24 moved down the habour and passed the USS Chicago, but had difficulty keeping submerged. The crew of the Chicago spotted the craft and began firing at it. The submarine continued on its way, past Garden Island, around Fort Denison, then back to take up a position off Bradley Head.3. From Bradley Head the M 24 fired two torpedoes at Chicago. They missed. Instead, the first torpedo struck a ferry, HMAS Kuttabul, that had been converted into sleeping quarters for naval personnel. Kuttabul split in two and sank very quickly. 19 Australian and 2 British sailors were killed. The second torpedo missed altogether and ran aground on Garden Island.4. M 24 headed back to make its rendezvous with the mother ship, I 24. It never arrived. For over sixty years the fate of this submarine remained a mystery.5. At 3 am the Chicago began to leave port when lookouts spotted another submarine. It was M 21 which now followed the same route as M 24 around the southern end of the Boom Net. It travelled down the harbour and approached the naval supply vessel, HMAS Kanimbla. The crew of the Kanimla spotted the submarine and opened fire.6. M 21 turned and headed for Taylor Bay where it appears to have taken refuge hoping to resume the attack when calm had returned. However, three patrol boats had spotted its periscope and closed in to depth charge the submarine. HMAS Sea Mist moved in to drop 2 depth charges. HMAS Steady Hour and HMAS Yarroma continued the attack and dropped 17 more. During the night the two crewmen took their own lives.

M 24

HMAS

Kuttabul

M 21

How Easy it is to Die

M24 slips into Sydney Harbour

It had been a very wild Sydney night and one not to be forgotten. It had also been very costly.

21 young sailors had died when the HMAS Kuttabul went down.6 young Japanese submariners had perished. The Japanese ambassador on hearing of this waste wrote a poem in which he condemned the horror and futility of that night:

Deep under the water, they cannot come up; they die there, regrettable – more good menThis clumsy surprise attack failed: they died fighting with the enemy; astonishingBullets and blades, bloodshed and death: now I know exactly how easy it is to die.

The mystery of M 24 was solved in 2006. Scuba divers found the wreck off one of the northern beaches. It is now a declared war grave.

How Easy it is to Die

M 24

Loss and Tragedy

How Easy It is to Die

Mystery

Solved