MIDGET SUBMARINES ATTEMPT RAID ON SYDNEY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 June 1942, Page 3

MIDGET SUBMARINES ATTEMPT RAID ON SYDNEY

Attack Completely Unsuccessful APART FROM SINKING OF OLD HARBOUR FERRY STEAMER THREE OF THE RAIDERS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN SUNK LONDON, June 1. Just before midnight last night Japanese midget submarines made an unsuccessful raid inside Sydney Harbour. Action by the defences smashed the attack before any serious damage at all could be done. A special communique was issued by General MacArthur’s headquarters. It states that in an attempted submarine raid , on Sydney three enemy midget submarines were believed to | have been sunk, two by depth charges and one by gunfire.jw The attempt was completely unsuccessful. The damage was limited to one small vessel of no military value. The submarines used were probably of the two-man type which were used in the attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7. These were stated unofficially to have a cruising radius of hardly more than 100 miles from a mother ship, and have •been referred to as “suicide craft.” To members of the public the first indication of anything untoward came when defence guns opened fire and searchlights split the darkness across the harbour. The bursting of shells was followed by the sound of depth charges. It is believed that the victim of the Japanese was an old harbour ferry.