WRECKED SUBMARINES

Grey River Argus, 3 June 1942, Page 5

WRECKED SUBMARINES

IN SYDNEY HARBOUR Two Recovered THIRD’EXPECTED TO BE FOUND [Aust & N.Z. Cable Assn.? (Rec. 10.15.) SYDNEY, June 2. Wreckage of two of the three enemy midget submarines which were destroyed by Allied forces when the enemy submarines made an unsu - cessful raid in Sydney ’ iarb< ’^ rp °? Sunday night, have been recoded. This is revealed in the latest Allied headquarters communique. One of the two recovered submarines is believed to be fairly intact. Divers discovered this cratt late on Monday. It was A slime on the . harbour bottom. A torpedo was visible m its tube. A thick steel hawser was affix d to the submarine. It has subs quently been raised. . It is believed that the location of a third Japanese submarine in me harbour is also known. The passengers on one ' ferr J to have seen a submarine in the beams of several searchlights. This submarine is presumed to have been sunk by gunfire. Japs. Sink Vessel

GRAPHIC ACCOUNT.

OF TORPEDO EXPLOSION.

(Rec. 10.20). SYDNEY, June 2 One of the torpedoes which tne Japanese fired in their submarine raid, hit a harbour ferry vessel and sank- it» Vivid' descriptions of the torpedoing of the harbour vessel were given to-day by the men on the sunken ferry. They are two New Zealanders, Messrs L. A. Linton and A. P. Bradley. They were asleep on the vessel when the torpedo struck

They say they owe their lives to the presence of a nearby vessel. fl hey said that they were awakened by the terrific noise of the torpedo explosion and by rushing water which followed it. They then looked out of a window near where their hammocks swung, and they saw the nearby vessel, which seemed to .?e rising. Bradley said: “When I saw the other ship going up, I knew that could not be right. I woke up to the fact that it was us going down, and not the other vessel going up. “I jumped from by hammock. _ I landed among broken glass. I tried to help the others. We were fortunate to get out.” _ Linton said that when i.e realised what was happening he dived through a window against a rush of water. He came to the surface and then he swam ashore amid a great mass of wreckage. One eye-witness who saw the explosion, said he (saw (the harbour ferry vessel lift as though it were on top of an enormous wave, and then she settled down, sinking at the stern. “I saw pieces of wood flying in the air,” he said. “The side of a building behind the ship caved in. There were blue flashes from inside of the building.” I

HARBOUR FERRY VESSEL.

BROKEN IN HALVES,

(Rec. 10.50.) SYDNEY, Jbne 2. To-day the wreckage of the damaged harbour ferry vessel is. being cleared away. Onlookers sav that the vessel appeared to bredk in halves when hit by the torpedo. Her stern sank first. The bow had remained afloat for about half an hour. Then it settled down. Only the top deck and the superstructure of the vessel were left above water.

Jap. Torpedoes

TEAR UP HUGE PILES. WINDOWS OF HOUSES SMASHED. (Rec. 10.50.) SYDNEY, June 2. ’ The Japanese submarines, fired several torpedoes during their raid on Sunday night in the harbour. In addition to the torpedo which sank the harbour ferry vessel, a second torpedo landed on the foreshore without exploding. It was later rendered harmless by a bomb disposal squad. There was yet another torpedo which exploded against the foreshore. It threw up a column of water one hundred and fifty feet high. Wooden piles fifty feet long and no less than twelve feet in circumference were torn from the bed of the harbour by the explosion, and were flung on to the shore for a distance of sixty feet. Ferry boats that w'ere on the harbour at the time stopped in midstream. The windows of some, of the residences nearby were broken by the force of the torpedo explosions, and articles on shelves were thrown on the floor.

NAVAL CASUALTIES.

29 AUSTRALIANS. KILLED.

(Rec. 11.56). MELBOURNE, June 2. Six naval men were killed, and thirteen are missing, believed killed, and ten were injured in the attack by Japanese submaries in Sydney Harbour This has been officially announced by the Royal Australian Navy. It is stated that the casualties were all suffered in a ferry steamer which "was being used as a naval depot ship. The vessel was the sole loss suffered in the attack. One -Royal l Navy man was killed and (a Netherlands naval radio . operator was injured. Other men listed are all members of the Royal Australian Navy. ! • 'i:IRAKIS, REPORTS. (Rec 1.10) SYDNEY, June 2. “Tokio has not yet made any announcement regarding the submarine tho S 3 Information “ L Be t Nffi n§ rad°o St at eleven o'clock on Monday night said “It was announced. from Melbourne that Japan es; submarines attacked Sydney Har, bour last night, and sank one ship. The item was repeated later trom Berlin and also from Rome. Mother Ship WIDE SEARCH IN PROGRESS. (Pee 9 55.) ~SYDNEY. June 2. Allied warplanes and Naval units are making a search foi the mother ship of the Japanese midget submarines. which made the rxnd o. Sydney harbour. , Already the .search has covered a wide area of. the Tasman Sea. WAS IT BIG SUBMARINE ? . (Special). (Rec. 1.10.) SYDNEY. June 2. It js pointed out that if the ; motn-

er ship for the midget . submarines was able to move close enough to Sydney for the little underwater craft to be able to penetrate the harbour, then an enemy aircraft carrier could also move well within striking distance. However, it has been suggested that a large oceangoing submarine could have towed the midgets, releasing them at dusk within narrow limits of their maximum two hundred miles range, me employment of such a large submarine as a mother ship would enable her readily to have escaped detection by Allied reconnaissance ’planes. ; ~ , Some commentators suggest that the mother ship probably came within one hundred miles of Sydney, escaping under cover of twelve hours of darkness. The nearest Japanese base to Sydney is Salamaua, in New Guinea, some eighteen hundred miles away. Koepang, in Dutch Timor, is the | main enemy submarine base in the area. It is more than three thousand miles away. j Rabaul, in New Britain, which has been used as an advance base for| Japanese submarines, is eighteen: hundred miles from Sydney.

Defences STATEMENT BY NAVY MINISTER.

(Rec. 11.49)., CANBERRA, June 2. The three Japanese Midget submarines which attempted to raid Sydney Harbour on Sunday night were instantly detected, the Minister for the Navy (Mr. Makin), revealed t.o-dav in the House of Representatives. “The first alarm was given iby a patrol vessel, at Sydney Heads shortly, before ten o’clock,” said the Minister. One submarine which had been attempting to penetrate the outer harbour defences' had been destroyed before 10.30 without managing to get inside. It would appear that three enemy submarines participated in the attack, and they were all destroyed.” Mr. Makin declared, amid cheers, that the submarine sunk outside the harbour has been located on the sea floor by divers. Once the alarm had been given, he said, patrol vessels and warships in the harbour were on the alert and two enemy submarines which succeeded in entering wer e quickly dealt .with bv gunfire and depth charges. One of these submarines was being: recovered, and a full examination would be made qi the craft. A third submarine had undoubtedly been destroyed, and

search for the wreckage was being continued, the Minister said. Long before Japan entered. the war steps had been taken to safeguard the defences of Sydney Harbour. These defences were “parti cularlv effective and ably administered.”

’ Asked whether it was possible that Mjdget submarines had been deposited less than a hundred miles from Sydney by a mother ship, Mr. Makin replied: The Navv is seeking to determine the means by which submarines have been, brought into these waters. Possibly a parent ship -was responsible. Every effort is being made to detect any such vessel.”

Asked why the first news of the sinkings came from the United States and' the second from the 8.8. C., Mr. Makin said: “It had been thought undesirable to let the enemy know immediatelv that their plan had been detected. If there were any enemv ships nearby, we wanted to get them.”

AUSTRALIAN ALERT

FOR COMING STRAIN. (Rec. 12.20). SYDNEY, June 2. Australia’s awareness of the urgency of her situation now has been emphasised by a statement made by the Army Minister, Hon. F. M. Forde, that “The Australian troops should be toughened as soon as possible to withstand the strain that might be imposed: bv an enemy landing.” ' ' i-l d'*? Mr. Forde added that General Sir T. Blarney has visited the battle stations in most: of the States, and he has been ablte to strengthen the Australian defences in what previously have been considered to he vulnerable points. “Recent trials for possible air raids, which have called National Emergency Service Wardens from their homes at all hours, are a sign that Australia will not be caught napping.” declares an American Army Officer. “Better have one hundred unfounded alarms than another Pearl Harbour.” He adds: “Allied naval vessels and reconnaissance planes are carrying out a twenty-four hours a day job. AH of the personnel are on . their toes, and, if they take no risks by reporting everything not self-explan-atory, then the public should be grateful.” LONDON, June 1. Hon. F. M. Forde, Australian Minister for the Army, commented on the attempt by the Japanese submarines just before midnight on Sunday >to raid Sydney harbour. He referred to the statement in a communique that three Japanese submarines are believed to have been destroyed. According to an agency message, Mr. Forde said: “We must not become complacent, nor think that this is the last to be heard of Japanese submarines in these waters. This attempted raid has brought the war much nearer to the industrial heart of Australia, and clearly proves the absolute necessity for constant vigilance and the highest efficiency in all branches of the fighting services. The news should act as a further stimulus to the whole of the people to co-operate with the Government in placing Australia on a complete war footing, to meet any eventuality.”

SPOTTING STATIONS. (Rec. 1.20.) SYDNEY, June 2. Vigilance against possible enemy air attacks is not confined to operational bases. The Australian Air Observation Corps has widespread coastal and inland spotting stations, maintaining a day and night watch for all aircraft in their vicinity.

Can it Happen Here ?

HON. R. SEMPLE’S WARNING

P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, June 2. “Who will say New Zealand is safe and that it can’t happen here asked the Minister of National Service (Hon. R. Semple), this morning, referring to the Japanese submarine raid on Sydney harbour. “On Saturday I declared the Coral Sea battle was not over, and that anything might - happen, and that we had to preserve everything we have got. Since then, this amazing thing has happened in Sydney harbour. The most serious aspect of the question is ■ that although the submarines Were allegedly destroyed, mother ships, in other words, probably major battleships, are not far awayfrom Sydney, because the small submarines have a range of only 150 to 200 miles. Surely these things will put us on our mettle ? The fellow who says we are safe now, ought to be locked up, because what has happened overseas can happen here. It has happened to our sister Dominion

just across the pond. In view of these facts, the Government’s action in doing everything and anything to preserve what we have got within cur own country, to use for our own defence, is amply justified. Something unprecedented in the history of Australia or New Zealand has come about, and my advice to the people is to be prepared to put up with inconvenience and sacrifice in the interests of their own safety, their homes, their lives, and their liberties. Materia!! things don’t count now. Little inconveniences don’t matter. The one thing on earth that matters is to work hard, think hard, and sacrifice and suffer, if needs be, to save this country. Every other issue sinks into oblivion. Party politics and material things should not be considered for a moment. Those vzho whine about trifles now, are either unconscious of the danger surrounding us, or otherwise are potential enemies. Those who are not with us, are against us.”