IJN
Type A midget submarine
November 2006
Crew Lt. Katsuhisa Ban (KIA)
Crew Ensign Mamoru Ashibe (KIA)
Sunk June 1, 1942 2:00am (estimated)
Wartime History
One of three midget submarines, along with M22 and M27 attacked Sydney
Harbor on the night of May 31, 1942.
This submarine was released from I-24. This midget successfully crossed the indicator loop at the entrance to Sydney Harbor unnoticed at 9:50pm. At 10:50 the M24 was spotted by the crew of the USS Chicago which opened fire, together with two Australian ships.
At 12:30am on June 1, 1942, the M24 fires both of his torpedoes at USS Chicago, but both missed. One ran aground without exploding, the other hit the sea wall at Garden Island, and the explosion sank the depot ship HMAS Kuttabul moored nearby and killed 21. Nothing is known about the sub after this attack. At 2:00am, the indicator loop at the entrance of the harbor registered a possible crossing, but the sub was never located or returned to its rendezvous pont, and was presumed lost.
Discovery
The location of this midget sub was unknown until its discovery on November 12, 2006. The dive team included: Greg Kearns, Dave Arnold, Alan Simon, Paul Baggott, Ton Hay, Dave Muir, and Phil Hendrie. New coverage followed in ABC News Article 11/26/06 | 60 Minutes Report 11/26/06, Defense Minister Brendan Nelson moves to protected the wreck (ABC News Article 11/27/06).
Wreckage
The wreck was provisionally declared an historic shipwreck on the 25th November 2006 under the Historic Shipwrecks Act of 1976, and a 500m protected zone established around it with authorities monitoring the restricted area around the sub with sonar alarms and underwater cameras. In late May 2007, authorities decided not to salvage the sub, or the remains of the crew. Navy divers present a jar of sand from the seabed to the families of the two men.
References
Thanks to Sydney Midget Submarine Discovery Team for additional information and photos.
Discovery
60m
Sailors Stay In Wreck
View on Google Earth
