Ian R
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From the Australian
Navy gets to the bottom of mini-sub mystery
Peter Lalor
22may07
FOR 65 years, the M24, the Japanese mini-submarine, taunted historians and took its silent revenge on fishermen.
However, a game of hide-and-seek that began in May 1942 is over, with federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull revealing yesterday that the submarine was resting several kilometres off Sydney's northern beaches. It was discovered last November but its location and condition have been a closely guarded secret.
Historians, archeologists, salvage crews and amateur sleuths had sought the M24 since it left Sydney Harbour in the early hours of the morning of June 1, 1942, having torpedoed HMAS Kutabul, killing 21 servicemen aboard.
It was assumed the submarine headed south to its rendezvous point with a mother sub, or directly east. However, fisherman who worked the northern beaches knew there was something on the ocean floor that had wreaked havoc on their nets since World War II.
Photographs released yesterday show it was the M24's saw toothed blades, fitted to cut through anti-submarine netting.
Examination of the vessel, in about 54m of water 5km from Bungan Head, indicates it contains the remains of sub-lieutenant Katsuhisa Ban and petty officer Mamoru Ashibe -- where they will remain, protected by a 500m exclusion zone, video surveillance and the threat of a $1.1 million fine.
Yesterday, navy divers took sand from the ocean floor to give to relatives of the submariners.
The M24 and two other mini-subs invaded Sydney Harbour on May 31, 1942. While the others were captured, and are now bolted together outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, the M24 evaded frantic searches.
Video footage shows its hull largely intact, but the conning tower and some of the bow, along with the escape hatch, have been ripped off by nets.
There is a breach in the hull behind where the submariners were housed during their hellish 12-hour mission.
Navy divers have been clearing snagged nets from the M24, filming the wreckage for archeologists and mapping the area.
Their investigations reveal that the scuttling charges were not detonated and there appears to be no damage from bombing in the harbour.
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