Attack on Sydney Harbour by Doctor Tom Lewis

Author:Doctor Tom Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Big Sky Publishing
Published: 2022-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Typical of the small ships, which together with their crews were the heroes of the night, here is HMAS Lolita at speed. She has a single machinegun forward, and depth charge “roll-out” racks at the stern. (Courtesy RAN)

Steady Hour sighted a suspicious object in Taylors Bay and reported attacking while firing a red Verey light. She reported three submarines and fired two depth charges. At 6.40 am, Steady Hour dropped two more depth charges, and then a marker buoy was dropped where it was thought the submarine was. Yarroma made a contact on her ASDIC and dropped two charges, reporting a brown oily tinge in the disturbed water as well as an oily smell.

The end was now in sight.

Steady Hour reported her anchor had caught up in a submarine and light oil film and large bubbles were clearly visible. At 7.55 am, Yarroma made a third attack, and at 8.27 am, the last attack was made. Oil and air bubbles continued to rise.

The total number of depth charges used against the submarine seems to have been 14, but could have been more, owing to loss of records: Yandra 6; Sea Mist 2; Steady Hour 2, and Yarroma 4. In this sort of anti-submarine action, however, it is usually impossible to say which one caused the decision by the crew to stop fighting. For example, the first charge could have caused damage that steadily got worse until it became untenable to go on, or the last could have done that. Therefore, the credit for the kill really should go to all four ships involved.

It was now Monday, 1 June. Given the position was buoyed, it was now a question of organising divers and seeing what was below. This was sorted out, and eventually a diver located the ‘hull of a midget submarine in 13 1/2 fathoms … [six feet/1.8 metres, so 81 feet or 24.6 metres, and] that motors inside the hull were still running’. 80

The wreck of the Taylors Bay submarine when recovered gave some insight into what had happened:

It is probable that the first attack caused the submarine to run into the bottom because the lower bow cap was damaged and both were jammed although set to release. The torpedo tubes had both been fired, although the bow caps were not released. The lower tube had been fired with the external adjustment fittings engaged and these had sheered off when the torpedo moved in the tube. This suggests that an attempt to fire was made in a hurry and was prompted by or interrupted by the depth charge attacks ….

The demolition charges had been fired but the fuses were drowned. It is possible that the junior member of the crew had attempted to escape as he was found with his boots off. The Captain was wearing boots ….

It is, then, considered that four Midget submarines attempted to enter the harbour, of which only two ‘Midget A’ [and] Midget 21, succeeded in passing the boom, and which one, ‘Midget A’ got away again.

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