Friday, February 3, 2017

JAPANESE SALVAGE OF WARTIME WRECKS FROM DARWIN HARBOUR

As part of the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin -February 19- the removal of the wartime wrecks   by  Japanese  from  the  harbour  is  being  highlighted . The  above  photographs were taken by this  blogger  who was  in Darwin at the time  when  the Fujita Salvage Company , with 120 men,  arrived in  July 1959  to commence salvage. The mother ship was  the Seizan Maru , there was a  huge floating  crane capable of lifting 100tons  at a time , special oxygen  making plant , diver tender vessels .  
 
 By  Peter  Simon
 
The photograph on the left  shows  the stern of Australian coastal trader    MV  Zealandia , on which 45  died , its name visible , being lowered onto  another  coastal trader,  MV Neptuna , on  which three died ,   by the   crane to be  cut  into  smaller scrapmetal . Visible in  the other photograph  are  the portholes  in a  large  piece of a  wreck  hauled   from the  bottom . 
 
 
Darwin's most colourful character , Carl Atkinson ,  a  marine diver ,  seen here  holding a deadly box jellyfish , owned the  wartime wrecks . A mystery man in many ways , it was claimed he had beaten up  Errol Flynn   in New Guinea ; introduced waterskiing to  Australia ; carried out diving operations in Sydney Harbour ;  was the arm wrestling champion of Alice Springs ; blew up floating mines when he first came to Darwin . When  two standover men arrived   from Melbourne by car  intent on taking   away possession of  the  wartime wrecks   from Atkinson because it was believed there were many valuables in safes  aboard the   vessels , they were  bailed  up at the point of a  shotgun   and  Carl  beat them up, their car  flooded by the incoming tide . 

He lived in a collection of   tin sheds at Doctor's Gully , where he had his own recompression chamber , which he used on himself , but also to save the lives of  pearl divers hit by the bends   At one stage , during the  salvage operations there  was a dispute over ownership of  the  USS Peary, the destroyer on which 80 died  .  Atkinson issued a writ to stop the salvage operations .  During  a break in court proceedings, lawyer  John " Tiger " Lyons , appearing    for  Mr Fujita , placed his  gown and wig on  his client   who  was photographed   beaming at the onlookers.  
 
A  tense   meeting  was  held in the  Hotel  Darwin  between  Mr Fujita, attended by his nervous , young  translator,  and large  Carl Atkinson , accompanied by his close friend , Northern Territory News  editor  Jim Bowditch. Mr Fujita indicated  he could get the  wreck  of the USS Peary for  nothing from the  Australian government . Infuriated, feeling he was being dudded , Atkinson roared , rose to his feet. Mr Fujita  took to his heels , began running , Carl in pursuit.
 
Bowditch personally  described the  event to  me,  in vivid detail.  Carl had eventually  returned , laughing ; Fujita  also  reappeared, with his interpreter , negotiations  resumed .  Bowditch was  given  the job then and there to  type up an agreement . He borrowed a typewriter  from the hotel  office and in a  small cubicle  used for  taking  telephone messages , belted  out the document  using his rapid  two finger style . As  the  carriage kept on  hitting the  cubicle wall , it was not a very professional looking deal, yet served the purpose, and Carl gave Jim   a   " sling "  for  his  services.   
 
In a remarkable  feat, the Japanese righted  a tanker, British Motorist , on its  port side  since the day of the attack in l942 , and turned it into  a  new mother ship , complete with a  chef and   four  cooks ;  the Seizan Maru  allowed to depart  .  One of the many people  who  went  aboard  the  British Motorist   was   Dame Pattie Menzies, wife of  the PM .There  is  footage of Dame Pattie  going aboard and drinks being consumed , Mr  Fujita , sporting   a bowtie, holding a  can of what appears to be  Japanese beer . I also went aboard  the vessel, took photographs  and  wrote  an  article  for  a   national magazine .  
  
Available in Darwin today  is movie  footage of the   salvage operations  which includes Mr Fujita walking about  Darwin , Carl Atkinson at  Doctor's Gully , hamming it up with a large  crocodile  skull ,  a    fishing trip   which seems  to have  been organised  by  the  Haritos   brothers , panoramic views of the harbour . Also in the archives is a letter  from NT Administrator Roger  Nott thanking  the  company  for   removing   the  wrecks  and  railway  metal . 
 
A  diver was  killed  during the  salvage  operations .   The  salvors  had a mascot  when a cook, Tsutomu Watanabe, bought a  pedigree Collie   and it won prizes in the  North Australian  Canine Association  Championships ; there were  plans to take the  dog back to  Japan after the work ended.   Mr  Fujita     said he wanted to remove the scars of the Pacific War  and  presented the United  Church in Darwin with crosses  made  from salvaged  metal .
 
Editor Bowditch   said he  believed one wreck should  have been left as a reminder of the war,   like  Pearl Harbour , as   the bombing of Darwin was  described  as  Australia's  Pearl Harbour , indeed the title of  the book by  Douglas Lockwood .