THE same group of veteran scuba divers that discovered the wreck of the gold treasure ship, ‘Dorothea’, at Cape Vidal in May 1980, will hopefully re-group in 2017 to hunt for the wreck of the Japanese midget submarine dumped at Sodwana Bay on 9 July 1942.
The original adventurers were Jannie Smit – Springbok spear fisherman, Jaycee van der Walt – leader of the successful ‘Dorothea’ expedition, plus Malcolm Weise and Duke Visser.
During 1942, five Japanese submarines, carrying flying boats and midget-submarines, sank 21 Allied ships north of Richards Bay.
On 6 July 1942 submarine I-18, carrying a midget-submarine, sank an Indian merchant ship, ‘Mundra’, very close to Richards Bay.
Some 150 survivors reached the Zululand coast safely.
Submarine I-series was 100 metres long, displaced 2 180 tons, had a range of 22 400 kilometres and a crew of 102 sailors.
The 46 ton midget was 24 feet long, had a battery-driven engine, a crew of two and carried two powerful torpedoes.
Before daybreak on 20 May 1942 Captain Ishizaki Nobora in submarine, I-10, was sailing south of Richards Bay.
He catapulted his flying boat into the air to reconnoitre the Durban harbour area looking for Allied ships to attack.
During the night of 30 May 1942 Captain Ishizaki Nobura ordered a midget submarine attack on Diego Suarez harbour, Madagascar.
Two midgets damaged ‘HMS Ramilles’ and sank ‘British Royalty’.
Owing to engine failure, the midget of I-18 could not be launched. On 9 July 1942 Nobura ordered the midget to be dumped north of Sodwana Bay where it still lies in shallow water.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
For news straight to your phone invite us:
WhatsApp – 072 069 4169
Instagram – zululand_observer
