Tom Lewis: The Underwater War Against Australia
Posted on: Mon 22 Jun 2020
Navy Veteran, Military Historian Dr Tom Lewis tells us the story of a covert Japanese squadron waging a secret underwater war against northern Australia during WW2. The first attacks were made by four submarines of the Sixth Submarine Squadron of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Together, these 80-man boats laid mines, and then waited in their killing zones for targets to torpedo. Tom talks in particular about Darwin and submarine Sensuikan I-124. It goes a long way in explaining the difficulties Australia was having in getting Flight Lieutenant Bryan Rofe and his men off Timor to safety.
Interviewer Helen Meyer
Composite photo: Darwin’s submarine i-124 by Dr Tom Lewis, Publisher AVONMORE BOOKS; HMAS Deloraine ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY
