On the night of 31 May1942, three Japanese midget submarines were released from larger submarines and stealthily made their way into Sydney Harbour. Each had a two-man crew. A tiny Japanese aircraft reconnoitred the harbour in the dark. The juiciest target was found to be an American cruiser, the U.S.S. Chicago.
Fortunately for us, this bold attack on Sydney failed. One submarine had managed to attack the Chicago but missed. A ferry with sailors sleeping on board was sunk and 21 were drowned.
Under attack or caught in a net, two submarines were scuttled by their crew, the crews suiciding thus. The third escaped Sydney Harbour. In 2006, it was found on the seabed off Sydney’s northern beaches.
These were brave, honourable men. Young men, with so much to live for. The raid had not been planned as a suicide mission but these men knew it would work out that way.
Four bodies were recovered. Recognising their extraordinary bravery, Rear Admiral Gerard Muirhead-Gould, responsible for Sydney Harbour defences, ordered that the Japanese sailors be given a funeral with full naval honours. Criticised in some quarters, but supported by the government, Muirhead-Gould praised the bravery of these Japanese and said,
How many of us are really prepared to make one thousandth of the sacrifice that these men made.
Quite so. Remarkably, it proved possible to send their ashes to Japan with expelled diplomats.
One last thing. There is a photo, of not very good quality, of Lieutenant Keiu Matsuo just before boarding midget submarine I-22. I am looking back 81 years, at the face of a young man about to die bravely. I find the photo haunting.
(And he, on that darkened submarine, facing his ultimate fate, could not have imagined someone like me, in 2023, looking at the photo just taken.)
Source: Sydney Under Attack. Sydney and the Midget Submarines, 1942. By the Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs, 2007.
