{"id":5000,"date":"2019-03-19T15:30:22","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T05:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.phototimetunnel.com\/?p=5000"},"modified":"2020-08-05T23:22:45","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T13:22:45","slug":"newcastle-under-shellfire-1942","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.phototimetunnel.com\/newcastle-under-shellfire-1942","title":{"rendered":"Newcastle under shellfire, 1942"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many incidents of the Second World War remained unknown to most of the Australian public until the authorities considered it safe to discuss them. They feared panic among the population and damage to morale. But submarine attacks on the east coast cities were impossible to hide. On May 31 and June 1, 1942, mini-submarines, launched from a large Japanese mother-sub, the I-24<\/em>, attacked Sydney Harbour.
The subs caused havoc in the harbour, sinking the converted ferry Kuttabul <\/em>with the loss of 21 lives before they were themselves destroyed. A few days later I-24<\/em> attacked and sank the merchant ship Iron Chieftain<\/em> off the Central Coast, killing 12 crew.
On June 8 the I-24<\/em> fired 10 shells at Sydney Harbour, with just one exploding, in Bellevue Hill. Coastal defence authorities feared a wider attack and sent a message to Newcastle to prepare for possible bombardment. Novocastrians heard the sirens sound and emergency personnel were put on alert, but about 1.15am the all-clear sounded. The threat had not passed, however, and I-24\u2019s<\/em> sister submarine I-21<\/em> began firing shells at Newcastle from a position in Stockton Bight about 2.15am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Parnell Place, Newcastle East, the morning after the submarine attack.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I-21<\/em>, commanded by Captain Kanji Matsumura, is believed to have had orders to attack Newcastle\u2019s shipyards. Japanese records say he fired 34 shells from about nine kilometres north-east of Fort Scratchley. Eight star shells burst one by one in the sky to illuminate potential targets. An enemy shell hit Nobbys but didn\u2019t explode, nor did two others that landed in the east end\u2019s tram terminus. Another five shells were also duds, landing at Stewarts and Lloyds, Lysaghts, Rylands and the BHP. Many shells apparently crashed harmlessly into the Hunter River. Two did explode on land, one shattering against the sea wall just north of Newcastle Baths and one in Parnell Place, hurling a shower of metal splinters towards nearby houses, peppering walls with metal shards, slashing rainwater downpipes with shrapnel and blowing out house windows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n