Darwin's Submarine I-124: The Story of a Covert Japanese Squadron Waging a Secret Underwater War Against Northern Australia

by Tom Lewis OAM

Overview

The first attacks on Australia by the Japanese 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. On 20 January 1942, it all went horribly wrong. Sunk with all hands, the submarine I-124 remains outside Darwin today, testimony to bravery but also to folly.

Avonmore Books’ new edition of a 1990s work features new and improved graphics, a host of photographs, and the complete story of the submarine action and events through the decades beyond – for the sunken vessel did not lie easy. Code seekers, treasure hunters, and potential salvors eventually led to the formation of the Historic Shipwrecks Act.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780957735194
Publisher:	Avonmore Books
Publication date:	04/01/2010
Pages:	182
Product dimensions:	6.93(w) x 9.84(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr. Tom Lewis served for 20 years in the Royal Australian Navy, during which time he saw active service in Baghdad, where he led American forces, and East Timor. As a museum director he led two museums to new success; the Royal Australian Naval College Historical Collection at HMAS Creswell – for which services he received an Order of Australia; and the Darwin Military Museum, where he was Director for five years. He holds a master’s degree in Cold War Politics from University of Queensland and a Ph.D. in Strategic Studies from Charles Darwin University.

Tom was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2003 for services to naval history. Further decorations include the Australian Active Service Medal; the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the United States Army Commendation Medal.

Tom is in popular demand from radio and television stations across the globe for his insightful comments on military history and how it intersects with modern-day life. He is a regular speaker to community groups, and appears often in TV documentaries, including lately with Neil Oliver in Coasts, and in Sir Tony Robinson’s Tour of Duty. He produced with Military Myths Defeated the documentary of The Borella Ride, the Anzac Centenary commemoration of Lieutenant Albert Borella VC, who rode 1000 kilometers in the Northern Territory Wet Season to sign up for the Great War. Tom was the Lead Historian for the Ride. Albert Borella VC, an Incredible Journey screened nationally in Australia on Channel 9. He was also Historian for the 2017 Northern Territory Government project The Territory Remembers, the commemoration of 75 years since the first enemy attacks on Australia. He lives in Darwin, Australia with his wife.

Table of Contents

Foreward
Explanatory Notes
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. A Submarine’s Story in War and Peace
Chapter 2. A Darwin Sketch
Chapter 3. Naval Combatants – Submarine versus Corvette
Chapter 4. A Strategic Picture
Chapter 5. Combat Leaders
Chapter 6. Battle!
Chapter 7. Death on the Seabed
Chapter 8. A Second Submarine?
Chapter 9. Codes and HMAS Sydney?
Chapter 10. The Salvage Attempt Begins
Chapter 11. Between Sinking and Salvage
Chapter 12. The 1970s and Salvage Attempts
Chapter 13. A Series of Visitors
Chapter 14. Mercury and a proposal to raise
Chapter 15. I-124 Today
Appendices
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Lewis has gone to considerable lengths to provide accurate and illustrated details of the vessels involved and the professional and private lives of the officers commanding them."

Royal United Services Institute