NSW: Heritage council seeks Kuttabul torpedo accounts

AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2009
NSW: Heritage council seeks Kuttabul torpedo accounts

By Ehssan Veiszadeh

SYDNEY, April 23 AAP - Sydneysiders who recall the Japanese submarine attacks on Sydney
Harbour during World War II are being asked to share their accounts as part of a new online
exhibition.

Gabrielle Kibble, chair of the Heritage Council of NSW, seeks personal recollections
of the Japanese attack that culminated in the sinking of HMAS Kuttabul.

"There are so many stories of the raid waiting to be shared - we are particularly interested
in personal accounts of the action, where people were at the time, how they reacted, and
how these attacks affected their perceptions of the enemy and the war," Mrs Kibble said
in a statement.

The stories will be included as part of a future online presentation titled Unblocking
the Secrets of the M24 Japanese Midget Submarine.

Before the start of the war, Kuttabul spent most of its life as a ferry, carrying passengers
across Sydney Harbour.

During World War II, the ship was acquired by the Royal Australian Navy and was anchored
at the Garden Island naval base to provide accommodation for Allied naval personnel as
they waited to be transferred to their ships.

In 1942, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the M24 Japanese midget submarine in Sydney
Harbour, killing 21 sailors.

It is understood the M24 had targeted the USS Chicago but the submarine's two torpedoes
travelled past the American heavy cruiser and struck the harbour wall near HMAS Kuttabul,
causing the ship to sink.

The remains of M24 were found in 2006 near Newport, in Sydney's north.

"The website will be a valuable way of ensuring that the social significance of the
midget submarine attack is preserved, together with the physical remains of the M24 wreck
site," Mrs Kibble said.

The Heritage Council is asking for typed personal accounts or scanned photographs relating
to the Kuttabul to be sent to the Department of Planning's Heritage Branch.

More information can be found on the Heritage Branch Website at www.heritage.nsw.gov.au

AAP stu/hn/ht

KEYWORD: KUTTABUL

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