IT VANISHED after attacking Allied shipping in Sydney Harbour in 1942, leaving a trail of death and destruction, its fate a mystery for more than 60 years.
Now those intrigued by the day war came to Sydney can immerse themselves in the story of Japanese midget submarine M-24 without getting their feet wet.
This follows the release of a high-resolution digital 3-D model displaying the wreck of the vessel, which lies off the northern suburbs at a depth of 56m.
Maritime archaeologist Matt Carter, who led the diving team that took the photos and processed them into cutting-edge 3D, said obtaining the images was challenging.
“At 56m, it was one was one of the deepest archaeological dives in Australasian history – most only go to about 30m – which means you need special training and equipment to get there and back safely,” Matt said.
Equipment included underwater scooters and, for the first time on such a project, closed-circuit rebreathers, which capture and recirculate a diver's exhalation.
The use of both increased safety and allowed the team to spend more time at the wreck.
A high-res baseline recording will enable maritime archaeologists to monitor changes in the wreck over time.
The two-man crew of M-14, trapped in submarine nets at Sydney Heads, followed the bushido code and self-detonated the vessel with themselves inside, while those in the crippled M-21 also committed suicide.
But M-24 disappeared without trace until its discovery by recreational divers in 2006.
How it came to grief is not known, but Matt said his team saw no evidence of an explosion, suggesting that the sub may have run out of battery power, that toxic fumes from the battery may have killed the crew, or that they, too, took their own lives.
Not that anyone will probably ever know. The wreck and a 500-metre radius zone is protected as an item of state heritage. with penalties of up to $1.1 million for disturbing it.
The model was produced for the Office of Environment and Heritage and the Australian and New Zealand chapter of the Explorers Club in partnership with ARCHAEOTecnic and Tempus Archaeology.
To see the virtual 3D model of M-24 and see the divers’ view video of the wreck, go to environment.nsw.gov.au/M24
