PORT GREGORY, WA SHELLED
BY A JAPANESE SUBMARINE
ON 28 JANUARY 1943

Japanese submarine I-165 left Surabaya on 21 January 1943 headed for the Western Australian coastline. It arrived at a position about 7 kms off the small township of Port Gregory, 64 kms north of Geraldton, at around midnight (Tokyo time) on 28 January 1943.

Commander Tatenosuke Tosu fired about 10 shells from the 3.9 inch (100 mm) deck guns of I-165 towards Port Gregory. The purpose of the attack was apparently to draw the Allies' attention away from the fierce battle at Guadalcanal some 3,250 kms away!!

Can anyone tell me where the shells landed and if any damage was done?

Ships attacked off the Australian coastline by Japanese submarines

Reconnaissance flights over Australia from Japanese submarines during WW2

German U-Boat attacks off the Australian Coast during WW2

REFERENCE

Jenkins, David, "Battle Surface - Japan's Submarine War against Australia 1942 - 44", Random House Australia, 1992

Lynne Cairns, "Fremantle's Secret Fleets - Allied submarines based in Western Australia during World War II", Western Australian Maritime Museum, 1995.

G. Kennedy McDonald, "The Little Boat Harbour History: History of Port Gregory", Unpublished Report, Western Australian Maritime Museum Records, File MA 117/80.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 31 October 2000

This page last updated 14 January 2020