| Accession Number | P03651.004 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | |
| Maker |
US Navy |
| Place made | South China Sea |
| Date made | c September 1944 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
A ship's cutter prepares to secure alongside a USN submarine, USS Sealion II (SS-315) on return ...
Description
A ship's cutter prepares to secure alongside a USN submarine, USS Sealion II (SS-315) on return from its second war patrol, possibly en route to Saipan. Sealion and USS Pampanito (SS-383) sank the Japanese troop transports Rakuyo Maru and Kachidoki Maru respectively on 12 September 1944. The submarines were unaware that the convoy was also carrying a large contingent of Australian and British prisoners of war from Singapore to Japan. Other USN submarines also participated in the subsequent searches and several groups of survivors were recovered by them and later repatriated to Australia in October 1944. Other groups who survived the sinkings were rescued by Japanese ships and taken to Japan and placed in prisoner of war camps.