Secret strike - war on our shores
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This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2. To commemorate this historic milestone the Australian National Maritime Museum, is opening a new temporary exhibition focusing on the Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour.
The secret strike - war on our shores exhibition opens on 6 March 2025 and will feature the stern section of the midget submarine M22 and voice pipes from the HMAS Kuttabul. The exhibition explores the raid and includes historic images of the aftermath of the attack and firsthand accounts of the impact the raid had on ordinary people’s lives.
This exhibition is supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift Fund
Please note, this exhibition is located in Wharf 7, adjacent to the main Museum building and is not open on weekends or public holidays.
The shattered remains of HMAS Kuttabul sitting on the bottom at Garden Island.
Australian War Memorial Collection, Accession Number 042975
Military honours funerals were given for both Allied and Japanese sailors. Photograph of the burial service being held for the naval men killed during the attack.
Australian War Memorial Collection, Accession Number 012580
Several men watch as a Japanese midget two-man submarine is raised from the harbour bed.
Australian War Memorial Collection, Accession Number 060696
A close-up of the stern of a Japanese midget submarine recovered from Sydney harbour following the raid of 31 may 1942.
Australian War Memorial Collection, Accession Number 042982
A member of the Royal Australian Navy shows the propellers of midget submarine M27 to a group of school children in Melbourne, 1942.
Australian War Memorial Collection, Accession Number P00455.016, Herald Newspaper
In the opening weeks of 1942, for most Sydney residents the war seemed far away. By February however, Darwin had been bombed by Japanese aircraft, followed in quick succession by towns in north Queensland, Western Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. The war was suddenly getting closer. Despite this, many still considered Sydney was a safe-haven, far behind the front lines and safe from attack. It wasn’t until three top secret Japanese midget submarines brought the realities of war to Sydney, that this illusion of safety was shattered.
On the evening of 31 May and the early morning of 1 June 1942, three Type A Kō-hyōteki midget submarines penetrated Sydney Harbour’s defences to attack allied shipping. During the raid the HMAS Kuttabul, a former Sydney ferry converted into a depot ship, was sunk killing 19 Australian and two British sailors. Two of the midget submarines were sunk in the Harbour and recovered almost immediately.
On 3 June, the sailors from HMAS Kuttabul and the four crew from the Japanese midget submarines M22 and M27 were buried in Sydney with full military honours. In 1943, the remains of the Japanese crews were exhumed, cremated and returned to Japan via diplomatic exchange. The midget submarine M24, that fired the faithful torpedo sinking the Kuttabul was the only one to escape the harbour. Its final fate remained a mystery until 2006, when it was found virtually intact in the waters off Bungan Head, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with the remains of its two-crew entombed inside.
Education resource
War in the Pacific - secret strike on Sydney Harbour
Students examine primary and secondary sources from the museum's collection to understand the significance of the Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour in the context of the war in the Pacific.
This resource encourages students to develop source analysis skills while deepening their understanding of Australia’s experiences during World War II.
