AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE

MAJGEN (Retd) Kagatani Tadashi

Office ofthe Defence andAnned Services AttacheAustralian Embassy

TelePhone:_Facsimile:

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1. I write to thank you on behalf of the Commissioner for the support that you andyour staff have so far provided to the Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of HMASSydney. On the basis of the information NIDS has thus far provided, the Commissionhave also asked if NIDS could further assist the Commission to further explore somespecific lines of inquiry. To assist NIDS with its examination of the theory that an IJNsubmarine might have been involved in the sinking of HMAS Sydney, the Commissionhas provided electronic copies of the following books that have speculated suchtheories.

2. One of the specific lines of inquiry being examined by the Commission involvesclaims made by a Mr Samuels in his book Somewhere Below: The Sydney ScandalExposed. Samuels claimed that:

a. "In early November 1941, I-58 was assigned to Rear Admiral Yoshitomi Setsuzoof SubRon 4 under Captain Ota Nobunosuke in Sub Division 19, with I-56 andI-57. Her commander, Lieutenant Commander Kitamura Soshichi, was givenorders direct from Rear Admiral Setsuzo to rendezvous with the German raiderKormoran in the Indian Ocean, off the shipping lanes of Western Australia, tomake contact there by coded signal, refuel and resupply in order to collaboratestealthily with Kormoran in destroying the troop ship Aquitania." (at p.48)

b. On 19 November 1941 "I-58 was in close company with Kormoran and it isunlikely the submarine sighted Sydney's swift approach for some time. WhenKitamura did, he submerged and placed I-58 where Sydney could not see it, onthe other side of the Kormoran." (at p. 1I4) and "Meanwhile Kitamura hadmanoeuvred I-58 into position forward of Kormoran's bows. It was from therehe launched a spread of torpedoes at Sydney. If it was like his later attack onHMS Repulse, I-58 would have fired a full spread of six torpedoes." (at p. 1I5)

c. "Detmers [Kormoran's captain] and others claim Sydney sailed off toward thehorizon and the last thing they report seeing was a flickering and then a flare up

in the late hours of the night. This has been ascribed to Sydney's magazineexploding, but it was probably the moment I-58 finished the cruiser off with theremainder of the ten torpedoes that had been required to stop her altogether."

3. As second line of inquiry involves claims made by a Mr Bathgate, in his bookHMAS SYDNEY 1941: the Analysis. Bathgate canvasses the possibility of Japanesesubmarines distracting CAPT of Burnett of SYDNEY after he sighted KORMORANand the Japanese submarine dealing what Bathgate calls "the final blow" to SYDNEY.In assessing which Japanese submarine may have carried out such an attack, Bathgatewrites the following:

a. "It is also significant that no details are available on the whereabouts ofsquadrons 21 and 28 of the Southern Area Force, comprising the boats, RO-33,34 and I-59, 60." (at p. 157).

b. "That the nominated departure dates for each boat were specified in the NavyOrder of December 2, suggests that RO-63 was not expected to arrive inKwajalein before December 2, suggests that RO-63 was not expected to arrive inKwaljein before December 7 and was therefore not available to sail with thesquadron on December 4. Unless the obscurity of the movement of RO-63 canbe clarified, the whereabouts of the submarine in early December, will remainsuspicious." (at p. 159).

4. Montgomery, in his book Who Sank the SYDNEY?, also argues about thepossibility of a Japanese submarine's involvement in the sinking of SYDNEY. Inchapter 12 of his book, he says that there were eight probable sightings of Japanesesubmarines in Australian waters by 1941, which conformed roughly to the dimensionsofI-ciass submarines. In chapter 13 of his book, Montgomery suggests that the "onlypossible source" of unidentified aircraft sighted over Western Australia in earlyNovember 1941, were I-class submarines, which carried seaplanes.

5. To examine these claims, the Commission would be grateful if NIDS couldidentify the location of the following UN submarines on19 November 1941:

a. RO-33b. RO-34,c. RO-63,d. I-58,e. I-59, andf. 1-60.

6. With specific reference to I-58, was I-58 west of Shark Island, or anywhere inthe area between Jurien Point (30°17' South 115° 01' East) and Carnarvon (24° 53'South 113° 37' East) on or about 2 November 1941? If not, can NIDS identify I-58'slocation at that time?

7. In relation to each answer which can be provided, the Commission requests thatthe source or document relied upon to provide the answer be identified. An examplemight be something like:

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"I-IS was stationed northeast of Oahu at longitude XX and latitude YY on 19November 1941: reference Boeicho Boeikenshujo Senshibu (Defence Ministry,Defence Research Institute, War History Branch) ed., Sensuikan shi (History ofSubmarines), Senshi Sosho (War History Series), vol. 98 (Tokyo: AsagumoShimbunsha 1979 at pp. 93-94)."

8. Noting the information already provided by NIDS the Commission has alsoasked if, in addition to the specific submarines identified above, what degree ofconfidence does NIDS have that it could provide the location of all other IJNsubmarines on 19 November 1941 ?

9. Were any reconnaissance operations conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navywith submarine-borne aircraft over Geraldton, Western Australia, Pearce, WesternAustralia or any other part of Western Australia, in the period from 1 November 1941 to19 November 1941?

10. Is there any evidence to suggest that Rear Admiral Setsuzo (in command ofSubmarine Squadron 4) gave orders to Lieutenant Commander Kitamura Soshichi (incommand of I-58) to rendezvous with the German auxiliary cruiser KORMORAN in theIndian Ocean, off the shipping lanes of Western Australia, to make contact by codedsignal and collaborate stealthily with KORMORAN to destroy the troop shipAQUITANIA?

11. I remain grateful for NIDS ongoing support to the Commission, and would askthat you and your staff should not hesitate to contact me if you have any questionsregarding these further requests.

Yours Sincerely,

T.F.GELLELColonelDefence and Armed Services Attache

October 2008

Attachments:

1. Government of Japan submission to the 1998 Australian Parliamentary Inquiryinto the loss of HMAS Sydney II

2. Who Sank The Sydney? (Michael Montgomery)3. HMAS SYDNEY 1941: the Analysis - Bathgate3. Somewhere Below - The Sydney Scandal Exposed (John Samuels)

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