Unique Experiences while staying at The Oriana #2: History on the Harbour
When not chilling out enjoying beach and view at The Oriana, you may like to consider some of the more unusual historical tours on Sydney Harbour such as the Japanese Mini Submarine Tour. You do not have to be a history buff, nor a warhead to enjoy this tour where you travel around Sydney Harbour on a ferry, visiting Fort Denison (Pinchgut), the Obelisk, Taylors Bay at Mosman and Garden Island naval base.
The tour will take you back to a fateful night during World War II, when the conflict came right into Sydney Harbour. In 1942, 3 midget submarines from the Imperial Japanese Navy entered Sydney Harbour to attack Australian, US and other allied naval vessels, tracing the movement of these submarines.
On the tour, you will learn about the civilians and naval personnel involved in this extraordinary story.
If you would like me to book this tour during your stay, please email me.
Tour dates for 2018 are scheduled for Sunday 11 March, Sunday 27 May, Thursday 31 May and Sunday 3 June 2018.
For those who cannot wait for the tour to know something more about what happened on the night 31st May, 1942: –
The Harbour was protected by a submarine net stretched across the Harbour which could be raised and lowered to allow friendly vessels to enter. The Japanese mini subs plan was to follow a ferry through the defensive net, but one was caught when it hit a pile light, reversed and became entangled in the net. The two on board committed suicide. The second and third were more successful penetrating the defences, but were spotted.
Two torpedoes were fired from one of the subs at its specific targets, USS Chicago and HMAS Canberra. One torpedo ran ashore on Garden Island and failed to explode while the second missed its target and passed under a Dutch submarine to strike the sea wall on Garden Island. It exploded on impact below the RAN depot vessel, Kuttabul, which sank immediately killing 21 allied naval ratings.
The destiny of the third was unknown until 2006 when divers found it off Palm Beach.
The tour starts at 10.30 am and finishes 1.30pm leaving you plenty of time to enjoy an afternoon swim at Balmoral or a leisurely stroll along the beach.
