Mystery Solved

Divers in Australia have discovered the wreckage of a Japanese midget submarine that attacked Sydney harbor on May 31st, 1942. Three submarines tried to enter the harbor, but two were discovered and attacked. The third actually managed to get inside and launch two torpedoes. They missed the USS Chicago but hit an Australian axillary, HMAS Kuttabul killing 21 sailors. The submarine escaped the harbor. Historians have debated for years about what happened to the submarine.

A television channel reported that a group of scuba divers had found the vessel, probably containing the remains of the two crewmen, off the Sydney coast although its exact location remains a closely-guarded secret.

The head of the Australian Navy's heritage collection, Commander Shane Moore, said there was little doubt that the wreckage was that of the long-lost Japanese submarine.

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson told Channel Nine television that the find was an extremely important part of World War II history for both Australia and Japan and the wreckage would be protected from curious divers.

"Under no circumstances will anyone be able to go lawfully near it, take anything from it or disturb it any way, shape or form," Nelson said.

The submarine was one of three that slipped into the harbour on the night of May 31, 1942 after being launched from a fleet of five larger Japanese submarines offshore.

Two of the midget vessels were spotted and attacked, leading the two-man crews to commit suicide, Australian national archives record.

The remains of those subs were recovered and a rebuilt composite is on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

But the third midget submarine managed to fire two torpedoes at the US heavy cruiser USS Chicago, one of which exploded beneath an Australian depot ship HMAS Kuttabul, killing 21 sailors.

Here's a description of the attack on Sydney Harbor with a number of contemporary photographs. Here are some pictures of the various Japanese midget submarines used during the war. (The one they used was most likely a type A.) An Australian government fact sheet on the attacks is here.