History Week -Secret Strike! Sub Attack in Sydney Harbour
Wed, Sep 10, 2025 14:00 PM - 15:00 PM
Murray Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2000
History Week -Secret Strike! Sub Attack in Sydney Harbour
Wed, Sep 10, 2025 14:00 PM - 15:00 PM
Overview
About this Event
Join some of the Museum's curators to celebrate Australian History Week, and hear stories of about some objects and vessels from the Museum's collection.
Secret strike! Japan’s clandestine submarine attack on Sydney Harbour - the topic of a new display at the museum.
Presented by Stirling Smith
What was it like to face your enemy, submerged in a compartment the size of a telephone booth? This presentation discusses the history, archaeology and human legacies of the 1942 Japanese midget submarine strike on Sydney Harbour. It includes accounts from both the Japanese and Australian participants, including other Japanese midget submarine raids in Hawaii and Madagascar. How prepared was Sydney Harbour six months into the Pacific War, and who responded to the crisis. Furthermore, what does the archaeology of the Japanese submarines – including a section of M22 currently on display in the museum – tell us about the conditions for living, fighting and dying in a clandestine attack craft?
Stirling Smith is a maritime archaeologist and heritage specialist who is the museum’s Curator of Navy. He has investigated numerous naval and military archaeology sites around Australia, and also leads Operation Digger, working with military veterans to undertake community archaeology projects.
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