Shelling of Newcastle
Encyclopedia
The Shelling of Newcastle was conducted by the Japanese submarine I-21
in the early hours of 8 June 1942. The bombardment followed the Attack on Sydney Harbour
on 31 May, and was conducted shortly after I-24
shelled the eastern suburbs of Sydney
. During the attack I-21 fired 34 shells
at Newcastle
, including eight illumination rounds, but caused little damage. The Australian gunners at Fort Scratchley
fired four shells at the submarine, but scored no hits.
(IJN) submarine
s conducted a number of patrols along Australia's east coast. On 16 May 1942 the submarine I-19
attacked the Soviet
freighter Wellen 50 miles (80.5 km) south-east of Newcastle, but did not cause any damage to the ship. In response, a naval force was dispatched from Sydney to attempt to locate the submarine and ships were not permitted to sail between Newcastle and Sydney for 24 hours. On 23 May I-29s floatplane
flew over Newcastle and Sydney searching for shipping which could be attacked by midget submarine
s.
On the night of 31 March three Japanese midget submarines attacked shipping in Sydney Harbor
. The ultimate aim was to sink the American battleship the USS Chicago, although unsuccessful in this objective, the attack did result in the sinking of the accommodation ship HMAS Kuttabul
. All three midget submarines were however lost in the attack. Following this raid, the large submarines which had launched the midgets attacked shipping off the east coast; these included two attacks on ships near Newcastle on the night of 3 June. At 10:18 pm the coastal steamer Age was shelled by I-24
35 miles (56.3 km) south-east of Norah Head
; she did not sustain any damage and docked at Newcastle at 1 am the next day. At about midnight on 3 June the coaster Iron Chieftain was torpedoed and sunk by I-24 near where Age had been attacked.
, Rose Bay
and Woollahra
. Only one of these shells exploded, and they caused little damage and only injured one person. While the Sydney Harbour defences
spotted I-24s gun flashes, the submarine ceased its attack and submerged before the Australian gunners could open fire on it.
I-21 began her bombardment of Newcastle two hours after the attack on Sydney. At this time submarine was 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Newcastle, and was sailing eastwards as her 140 mm (5.5 in) deck gun
was stern-mounted. Prior to the attack the submarine's gun crew had prepared 34 rounds of ammunition; these comprised 26 conventional rounds and eight illumination rounds. The target of the attack was the BHP
steelworks in the city.
Between 2:15 am and 2:31 am I-21 fired 34 shells at Newcastle. These rounds landed over a wide area, however, and caused little damage. Only one of the 20 conventional shells exploded, causing damage to a house on Parnell Place. Another shell damaged a nearby tram terminus
but did not explode. At 2:28 am the guns at Fort Scratchley
near the entrance to Newcastle's harbour opened fire on I-21. The submarine's commanding officer, Commander Matsumura Kanji, continued the bombardment for another three minutes as he believed that it would take time for the Australian gunners to locate the submarine. By the time the attack concluded the fort's two guns had fired two salvos, but none of the four shells struck I-21.
Japanese submarine I-21
was a Japanese Type B1 submarine which saw service during World War II in the Imperial Japanese Navy. She displaced 1,950 tons and had a speed of . I-21 was the most successful Japanese submarine to operate in Australian waters, participating in the attack on Sydney Harbour in 1942 and sinking...
in the early hours of 8 June 1942. The bombardment followed the Attack on Sydney Harbour
Attack on Sydney Harbour
In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy made a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia...
on 31 May, and was conducted shortly after I-24
Japanese submarine I-24
I-24 was a submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy which saw service during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. I-24 was commissioned at Sasebo, Japan on October 31, 1941...
shelled the eastern suburbs of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. During the attack I-21 fired 34 shells
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
at Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, including eight illumination rounds, but caused little damage. The Australian gunners at Fort Scratchley
Fort Scratchley
Fort Scratchley is a former coastal defence installation and now museum, located in Newcastle East, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1882 to defend the city against a possible Russian attack. However, its guns were not fired in anger until 8 June 1942, during the...
fired four shells at the submarine, but scored no hits.
Background
During 1942 and 1943 Imperial Japanese NavyImperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
(IJN) submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s conducted a number of patrols along Australia's east coast. On 16 May 1942 the submarine I-19
Japanese submarine I-29
I-29, code-named Matsu , was a B1 type submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy used during World War II on two secret missions with Germany, during one of which she was sunk.-Type B Submarines:...
attacked the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
freighter Wellen 50 miles (80.5 km) south-east of Newcastle, but did not cause any damage to the ship. In response, a naval force was dispatched from Sydney to attempt to locate the submarine and ships were not permitted to sail between Newcastle and Sydney for 24 hours. On 23 May I-29s floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
flew over Newcastle and Sydney searching for shipping which could be attacked by midget submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
s.
On the night of 31 March three Japanese midget submarines attacked shipping in Sydney Harbor
Attack on Sydney Harbour
In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy made a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia...
. The ultimate aim was to sink the American battleship the USS Chicago, although unsuccessful in this objective, the attack did result in the sinking of the accommodation ship HMAS Kuttabul
HMAS Kuttabul (ship)
HMAS Kuttabul was a Royal Australian Navy depot ship, and former Sydney harbour ferry. During the Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942, Kuttabul was torpedoed and sunk, with 21 Commonwealth naval personnel aboard....
. All three midget submarines were however lost in the attack. Following this raid, the large submarines which had launched the midgets attacked shipping off the east coast; these included two attacks on ships near Newcastle on the night of 3 June. At 10:18 pm the coastal steamer Age was shelled by I-24
Japanese submarine I-24
I-24 was a submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy which saw service during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. I-24 was commissioned at Sasebo, Japan on October 31, 1941...
35 miles (56.3 km) south-east of Norah Head
Norah Head, New South Wales
Norah Head, originally known as Bungaree Noragh Point, is a headland on the Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia, south of Newcastle and north of Sydney. The nearest town is Toukley. The place is home to a lighthouse with scenic views, which is also considered a venue for weddings...
; she did not sustain any damage and docked at Newcastle at 1 am the next day. At about midnight on 3 June the coaster Iron Chieftain was torpedoed and sunk by I-24 near where Age had been attacked.
Bombardment
During the early hours of 8 June I-24 and I-21 carried out brief bombardments of Sydney and Newcastle respectively. The purpose of these attacks was to generate what historian David Jenkins has called an "air of disquiet" rather than inflict significant damage on targets in the two cities. Between 12:15 am and 12:20 am I-24 fired ten shells which landed in the suburbs of Bellevue HillBellevue Hill, New South Wales
Bellevue Hill is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bellevue Hill is an affluent suburb, located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra....
, Rose Bay
Rose Bay, New South Wales
Rose Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rose Bay is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Municipal Council and Woollahra Council .Rose Bay has views of both the Sydney...
and Woollahra
Woollahra, New South Wales
Woollahra is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. The Municipality of Woollahra takes its name from the...
. Only one of these shells exploded, and they caused little damage and only injured one person. While the Sydney Harbour defences
Sydney Harbour defences
Sydney Harbour was protected by coastal batteries and other fixed defences from the early 19th century until the 1960s. These defences were constructed to protect the Australian city of Sydney from attack by enemy warships and submarines....
spotted I-24s gun flashes, the submarine ceased its attack and submerged before the Australian gunners could open fire on it.
I-21 began her bombardment of Newcastle two hours after the attack on Sydney. At this time submarine was 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Newcastle, and was sailing eastwards as her 140 mm (5.5 in) deck gun
Deck gun
A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...
was stern-mounted. Prior to the attack the submarine's gun crew had prepared 34 rounds of ammunition; these comprised 26 conventional rounds and eight illumination rounds. The target of the attack was the BHP
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
steelworks in the city.
Between 2:15 am and 2:31 am I-21 fired 34 shells at Newcastle. These rounds landed over a wide area, however, and caused little damage. Only one of the 20 conventional shells exploded, causing damage to a house on Parnell Place. Another shell damaged a nearby tram terminus
Trams in Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle Tram System was an extensive network that operated between Newcastle and the outer suburb of Wallsend from 1887-1950. At its peak the line extended from the city all the way to Speers Point and West Wallsend...
but did not explode. At 2:28 am the guns at Fort Scratchley
Fort Scratchley
Fort Scratchley is a former coastal defence installation and now museum, located in Newcastle East, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1882 to defend the city against a possible Russian attack. However, its guns were not fired in anger until 8 June 1942, during the...
near the entrance to Newcastle's harbour opened fire on I-21. The submarine's commanding officer, Commander Matsumura Kanji, continued the bombardment for another three minutes as he believed that it would take time for the Australian gunners to locate the submarine. By the time the attack concluded the fort's two guns had fired two salvos, but none of the four shells struck I-21.