Attack on Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia
What happened
Three Japanese midget submarines from a force under Captain Hankyu Sasaki attacked Sydney Harbour, defended by Allied forces under Rear Admiral Gerard Muirhead-Gould. On the night of 31 May 1942, three small Japanese submarines slipped into Sydney Harbour through gaps in an unfinished anti-submarine net. One was caught in the net and another was sunk. The third fired torpedoes at an American cruiser and missed, but one hit the harbour wall and sank the ferry HMAS Kuttabul, used as a barracks, killing 21 sailors.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It caused little damage but ended any belief that Sydney was safe from attack. Australia strengthened its harbour defences and began convoys for merchant ships.
What came next
A week later Japanese submarines shelled Sydney and Newcastle with little effect. The wreck of the third submarine was found off Sydney's Northern Beaches in 2006.
Did you know?
The four Japanese submariners whose bodies were recovered were given a naval funeral in Sydney, and their ashes were sent home to Japan.
Timeline
- 31 May-1 June 1942Japanese midget submarines attack Sydney Harbour.
- 8 June 1942Japanese submarines shell Sydney and Newcastle.
- 1 January 1943The Garden Island naval base is named HMAS Kuttabul.
- November 2006Divers find the wreck of the third submarine.