Vice Admiral remembers a classmate
VADM Tanigawa and RADM Sugimoto honoured fallen comrades and all who had fallen in war

VADM Kiyosumi Tanigawa (front right) accompanied by RADM Masahiko Sugimoto his staff and trainee officers pay tribute by the conning tower of one of the midget submarines. CO Kuttabul CMDR Brian Eagles had the conning tower moved so the tribute could take place. Photo by LSPH Damian Pawlenko.

RADM Masahiko Sugimoto with members of his staff, the honour guard and trainees at the Kuttabul memorial. Photo by LSPH Damian Pawlenko

By Graham Davis

As the last notes of the Japanese National Anthem drifted across the tranquil waters of Sydney Harbour last month, white gloved Vice Admiral Kiyosumi Tanigawa stepped forward to place a wreath at the hatch of the conning tower of a World War II Japanese midget submarine.

He was remembering a mate.

With head bowed, he said a prayer for LEUT Keio Matsuo, the commanding officer of midget submarine 1/22, one of the submarines which attacked Sydney Harbour on the night of May 31/June 1, 1942. All submarines and all six who guided them, perished.

LEUT Matsuo and then LEUT Tanigawa were classmates in the Japanese Naval Academy.

LEUT Tanigawa went on to become a vice admiral in the Japanese Maritime Defence Force retiring in 1977.

His visit corresponded with a six day visit to Sydney by the Japanese training ship Kashima.

Kashima and two other training ships, JDS Hamayuk and JDS Sawagiri left Japan on a 21,705 nm around the Pacific Rim deployment which will see them visit 10 countries and 13 ports before they arrive home on September 8.

The ships make up the Japan Training Squadron led by RADM Masahiko Sugimoto.
While Kashima came to Sydney, Sawagiri and Hamayuki visited Melbourne.

After entering Sydney Harbour to a 21 gun salute fired by HMAS Watson’s protocol gunnery team, the Kashima went to the RAN’s Chowder Bay facility for fuel.

While RADM Sugimoto and his staff called on the Maritime Commander RADM Raydon Gates and his team, the 121 officer trainees from Kashima headed for Watson.

In groups of 30 the trainees were shown through the bridge simulator area before returning by bus to FBE.
With the ship’s own band and honour guard accompanied by two Japanese airforce officers and two civilian trainees, the 121 naval officers marched around Garden Island to the Kuttabul Memorial.

Joined by RADM Sugimoto and VADM Tanigawa, the trainees and their officers paid tribute to the 21 RAN and RN sailors who died when a torpedo from one of the midget submarines hit the seawall and exploded smashing the wooden ferry Kuttabul which at the time was being used for accommodation.

They paid tribute by playing the Australian National Anthem, doffing their caps and bowing their heads in silent prayer.

RADM Sugimoto laid a wreath on the Kuttabul Memorial.

The guard and VIP party then moved a few metres to the north, where the commanding officer of HMAS Kuttabul, CMDR Brian Eagles had positioned the conning tower of one of the midget submarines salvaged from Sydney Harbour after the 1942 attack.

(The tower, restored by the Wagga TAFE in 2000 is usually kept near The Boatshed.)

Wreaths were placed before the tower by RADM Sugimoto and VADM Tanigawa.

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