Encyclopedia
Japanese midget submarine
On the night of 31 May 1942 three Japanese midget submarines entered Sydney harbour. One became entangled in the boom net across the harbour, and her occupants blew her up. A second entered the harbour and fired torpedoes at the cruiser USS Chicago. They missed the Chicago but one hit the barracks ship HMAS Kuttabul, killing 21 naval ratings. This midget submarine disappeared, its fate a complete mystery until it was discovered by a group of amateur divers off Sydney's northern beaches in November 2006. A third midget submarine also entered the harbour but was destroyed by depth-charges before it had fired any torpedoes. The submarine in the Memorial's collection is a composite of two that entered the harbour.
Japanese midget submarine recovered after the raid on Sydney harbour.
AWM 060696
More about:
- Submarines in Sydney harbour: contains a description of the raid on Sydney Harbour
- Japanese submarine reading list: a select reading list of sources available at the Memorial
- Japanese
midget submarine attacks on Sydney, 1942: National Archives
of Australia fact sheet
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