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.
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 .
