Here is the latest news on the wreck of the Japanese midget submarine M24. Seems they are not going to disturb it, which must be the right decision. This was sent to me by a contact in Sydney; he somehow scanned the cutting into the email itself, not as an attachment, so the only way I could transfer it was to print it out and scan the print. Our printer is pretty useless however much we use the cleaning function, so if this attachment is illegible and anyone is interested in it, send me your email address and I will forward the original email. Adrian
Here is the latest news on the wreck of the Japanese midget submarine M24. Seems they are not going to disturb it, which must be the right decision. This was sent to me by a contact in Sydney; he somehow scanned the cutting into the email itself, not as an attachment, so the only way I could transfer it was to print it out and scan the print. Our printer is pretty useless however much we use the cleaning function, so if this attachment is illegible and anyone is interested in it, send me your email address and I will forward the original email. Adrian i did my best to transcribe it from that scan... the japanese midget submarine lying five kilometers off long reef is almost certain to be left in its underwater grave. although a final decision has not been made, compelling arguments against raising the m24 have emerged less than a month after its discovery. these include the danger of explosives that might still be on board, the potential cost, and the possibility of the wreck disintegrating. as well, it is internationally accepted that battle wrecks should remain untouched on the ocean floor. australian authorities say there is also unlikely to be an attempt to recover any remains of the two man japanese crew, sub-marine lieutenant (name illegible), and his navigator, petty officer mamoru ashibe. comments by (name illegible) ashibe, who initially held out hopes that his brother's remains would be recovered are making the decision to leave the submarine where it is much easier. mr ashibe(?) admitted this week that his wish for a recovery was an impossible dream. his aim now is to sprinkle (unknown word) over the sea off long reef, possibly on may 31, the 65th anniversary of the attack on sydney harbour. japan has not called for the m24 to be raised or any remains to be recovered and is interested primarily in securing the wreck site, which is now covered by a commonwealth protection order underwhich illegal divers face fines of up to $10,000 or five years in jail. the project manager for the wreck, tim smith, a marine archaeologist with the NSW heritage office, says the final decision will be shared by japanese and australian authorities. "based on international experience, the raising of wrecks is a very complicated and difficult proposition and would cost tens of millions of dollars," he said. a decision to raise the submarine would be considered only on the basis of a special research angle or a threat to the site, but no such angle or threat exists at the moment. mr. smith said the m24 now lay where it finished its battle, which was an important archaeological consideration. "leaving the wreck in (unknown word) is the first rule of the UNESCO convention for the protection of underwater heritage," he said. water police are patrolling the 500 square metre protected area and it is hoped that, by the end of january, it will be further secured through the use of remote surveillance devices. preparations are under way for a scientific survey of the wreck in a few weeks. an initial survey based on footage from a navy submersible said the sub was in generally good condition, had a large tear behind the conning(?) tower. its batteries could be seen through the tear. a large section of the conning(?) tower had been ripped away.
Whilst a heroic attempt by the Japanese sailors, I feel the family of the 21 sailors killed would not like to see the submarine raised and heroes made of the Japanese submariners. Pictures here: Japanese midget sub found after 64 years ABC Australia interview. 7.30 Report - 19/12/2006: Japanese relatives call to salvage sub found in Sydney Harbour Ahoy - Mac's Web Log-Wreck of Japanese Midget Submarine <em>M-24</em> that attacked Sydney Harbour on the 31st May/1st. of June in 1942, found at last-
PearlJamNocode Thanks for doing that! I should have been less lazy! The words you found illegible were as follows: sub-marine lieutenant (name illegible), : This should read: "Sub-Lieutenant Katsuhisa Ban" comments by (name illegible) ashibe, who initially held out hopes that his brother's remains : name is "Itsuo Ashibe" sprinkle (unknown word) over the sea off long reef: sprinkle sake "leaving the wreck in (unknown word): "leaving the wreck in situ" behind the conning(?) tower. Conning is correct Adrian
