WWII wreck open to divers

Australia has made the wreck of a World War II Japanese mini-submarine available to divers. The boat became famous for attacking Sydney Harbour during the war. Today, 70 years after those events, divers will have access to the vessel, but it will be controlled.

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The whole operation is being conducted in consultation with and with the support of the Japanese side. The competent authorities from Tokyo, are working closely with the Australians.

“Access to the wreck will be on a trial basis for now. However, this move is supported by both us and the Japanese side,” said Environment Minister Robyn Parker.

The boat appeared off the Australian coast in 1942, after reconnaissance planes reported Allied ships anchored in Sydney Harbour. The commander of a flotilla of 5 large submarines, decided to launch a surprise attack using 3 mini-submarines, each capable of holding 2 crew members.

The boats managed to bypass the special system alerting them to the appearance of the submarines and then proceeded to attack. Unfortunately, they were quickly detected and attacked. The two crews decided to break up their boats and commit suicide.

A third vessel attempted to torpedo the heavy cruiser USS Chicago, but instead sank the Australian HMAS Kuttabul, with 21 sailors killed on board. The two vessels mentioned above were recovered by the Allies, but the third slipped away and her fate remained unknown until 2006, when divers located the boat north of Sydney beaches.

Source: channelnewsasia.com