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Japan WWII sailors stay in wreck Japan WWII sailors stay in wreck
(about 12 hours later)
The bodies of two Japanese sailors are to be left in the wreck of their submarine, which was involved in an attack on Sydney harbour in 1942. The bodies of two Japanese sailors who attacked Sydney harbour during World War II are to be left in their wrecked submarine, Australian officials say.
The Australian government has said it will present a jar of sand from the seabed to the families of the two men. Katsuhisa Ban and Mamoru Ashibe crewed one of three mini-submarines that infiltrated the harbour in May 1942.
The government has also declared the location of the wreck, 50km (31 miles) off the coast, an historic site. They torpedoed a ship, killing 21 sailors, before vanishing amid heavy fire. Divers found the wreck last year.
The submarine was part of an operation at the height of World War II, aimed at disrupting US and Australian shipping. Australian officials will present a jar of sand from the site of the wreck to the families of the two men.
Protected site The government has also declared the location of the mini-submarine, 50km (31 miles) off the coast, a historic site.
Three submarines were involved in the operation, evading protective nets stretched across the entrance to Sydney harbour and sinking an Australian naval vessel, killing 19 sailors and two Britons. Escape ladder
Two of the submarines were damaged during the attack, and then scuttled by their crews. But a third escaped, only to be discovered on the ocean floor by amateur divers more than 60 years later. The attack was part of an operation aimed at disrupting US and Australian shipping at the height of the war.
Now elite navy divers have managed to reach the barnacle-encrusted wreck, and are convinced that the remains of its two-man crew - Lt Katsuhisa Ban and PO Mamoru Ashibe - are still on board. I would like to take home an article left by my brother or even a broken piece of the top of the sub, then it would mean my brother came home Itsuo Ashibe,brother of Mamoru
They found the ladder the pair would have used to escape stowed on the outside of the vessel. Three mini-submarines evaded protective nets stretched across the entrance to Sydney harbour and tried to sink the American battle cruiser USS Chicago.
Sand gathered from close to the wreckage during the dive will now be sent to the submariners' families in Japan. They failed to do this, but one of their torpedoes hit the Australian naval vessel HMAS Kuttabul. Nineteen Australian sailors and two Britons were killed.
But raising the vessel and retrieving the remains has been ruled out, because of the cost and difficulty of salvage operations in the open sea. Two of the submarines were damaged during the attack, and then scuttled by their crews.
Instead the government has declared the wreck an historic site, protected from curious divers by sonar alarms and underwater cameras. But the third remained unaccounted for until amateur divers found it on the ocean floor in November last year.
On Monday, Australian navy divers mapped and surveyed the wreck, which is largely intact and sitting upright on the ocean floor.
But they said an escape ladder was still stowed on the coning tower, meaning that the bodies of the crew were likely to be inside.
'Honour and respect'
Salvaging the vessel has been ruled out on grounds of cost and difficulty, but Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that the government would look after the wreck.
"We are committed to ensuring this internationally significant wreck is protected and treated with honour and respect," he said.
Sonar alarms and underwater cameras have been installed to keep curious divers away.
Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in December 2006, Mr Ashibe's brother Itsuo said that he realised salvaging the submarine was impossible.
"I would like to take home an article left by my brother or even a broken piece of the top of the sub, then it would mean my brother came home," he said.