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Garden Island Tunnel System

Buildings and structures in SydneyBunkers in OceaniaFormer military installations in New South WalesForts in New South WalesHistory of Sydney
Military history of Sydney during World War IITunnel warfareTunnels completed in 1941Tunnels in SydneyUse Australian English from October 2023World War II sites in Australia
Garden Island tunnels
Garden Island tunnels

The Garden Island Tunnel System, also known as Garden Island tunnels, Garden Island Tunnel Complex and Potts Point Tunnels, is a former tunnel warfare system in Garden Island, Sydney, Australia. Used in World War II by the Royal Australian Navy in 1941, the tunnels were dug from sandstone beneath Potts Point after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, to shelter the men working at the naval base from air raids. Some of the tunnels feature names such as Petticoat Lane (named after London's landmark), North-West Passage and Lambeth Walk.The tunnel system featured a power station, a command centre, offices and air raid shelters. Today, the tunnels and chambers are used for electrical wiring and communications.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Garden Island Tunnel System (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Garden Island Tunnel System
Wylde Street, Sydney Potts Point

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Wikipedia: Garden Island Tunnel SystemContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N -33.85965 ° E 151.22871 °
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Garden Island

Wylde Street
2011 Sydney, Potts Point
New South Wales, Australia
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navy.gov.au

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Garden Island tunnels
Garden Island tunnels
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Attack on Sydney Harbour
Attack on Sydney Harbour

In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy made a series of attacks on the Australian cities of Sydney and Newcastle. On the night of 31 May – 1 June, three Ko-hyoteki-class midget submarines, (M-14, M-21 and M-24) each with a two-member crew, entered Sydney Harbour, avoided the partially constructed Sydney Harbour anti-submarine boom net, and attempted to sink Allied warships. Two of the midget submarines were detected and attacked before they could engage any Allied vessels. The crew of M-14 scuttled their submarine, whilst M-21 was successfully attacked and sunk. The crew of M-21 killed themselves. These submarines were later recovered by the Allies. The third submarine attempted to torpedo the heavy cruiser USS Chicago, but instead sank the converted ferry HMAS Kuttabul, killing 21 sailors. This midget submarine's fate was unknown until 2006, when amateur scuba divers discovered the wreck off Sydney's northern beaches. Immediately following the raid, the five Japanese fleet submarines that carried the midget submarines to Australia embarked on a campaign to disrupt merchant shipping in eastern Australian waters. Over the next month, the submarines attacked at least seven merchant vessels, sinking three ships and killing 50 sailors. During this period, between midnight and 02:30 on 8 June, two of the submarines bombarded the ports of Sydney and Newcastle. The midget submarine attacks and subsequent bombardments are among the best-known examples of Axis naval activity in Australian waters during World War II, and are the only occasion in history when either city has come under attack. The physical effects were slight: the Japanese had intended to destroy several major warships, but sank only an unarmed depot ship and failed to damage any significant targets during the bombardments. The main impact was psychological; creating popular fear of an impending Japanese invasion and forcing the Australian military to upgrade defences, including the commencement of convoy operations to protect merchant shipping.