Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Japanese submarine attack 1942

On the night of 31 May 1942, three midget submarines, each with a two-member crew, entered Sydney Harbour, avoided the partially constructed Sydney Harbour anti-submarine boom net, and attempted unsuccessfully to sink Allied warships anchored near Garden Island.

-33.858427107082, 151.22926688861

Milestone
Date of event
31 May 1942
Type

Japanese submarine attack 1942

CC BY-SA 2.0
,
2008

Often warned of the possibility of invasion, Sydneysiders were to experience the real thing in 1942 when three Japanese midget submarines slipped into the harbour, destroying the naval ship HMAS Kuttabul.