Eurobodalla In World War 2
This is a version of an article written by Richard Fisher for the Moruya “Anniversary of D-Day” celebrations 2004, and published in the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner.
How many people who are living in the Eurobodalla today know that Moruya Cemetery has the graves of three trawler men who were killed in an attack by a Japanese submarine in World War 2, just 25 kilometres off Moruya Heads? With Moruya’s Heritage Weekend coming up, it’s worth catching up with some of what went on during the war.
Towards the end of 1941 the war in Europe was going badly for the Allies, and by February 1942 the Japanese had overrun Australia’s northern neighbours. In the first bombing raid on Darwin 243 people were killed and 320 wounded. All Australians feared an invasion.
For people living in the Eurobodalla, Canberra was eight hours away by road, if the creeks weren't flooded. Nowra was more than four hours away along the winding, unsealed Princes Highway, and there were railways at Tarago, and Bombala. If the Japanese landed, Australian troops might arrive in time to confront them. Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma had about 2,500 people between them, so the Eurobodalla really was an isolated outpost.
On 21 May 1942 the RAAF detached No 11 Operational Base Unit to Moruya aerodrome, it would later be supported by No 17 Radar Station on Burrewarra Point. The base was still being set up when, on 31 May Japanese midget submarines entered Sydney Harbour and sank HMAS Kuttabul, and 19 sailors drowned. Those war deaths were closer to the Eurobodalla than any others up until then.
How many people who are living in the Eurobodalla today know that Moruya Cemetery has the graves of three trawler men who were killed in an attack by a Japanese submarine in World War 2, just 25 kilometres off Moruya Heads? With Moruya’s Heritage Weekend coming up, it’s worth catching up with some of what went on during the war.
Towards the end of 1941 the war in Europe was going badly for the Allies, and by February 1942 the Japanese had overrun Australia’s northern neighbours. In the first bombing raid on Darwin 243 people were killed and 320 wounded. All Australians feared an invasion.
For people living in the Eurobodalla, Canberra was eight hours away by road, if the creeks weren't flooded. Nowra was more than four hours away along the winding, unsealed Princes Highway, and there were railways at Tarago, and Bombala. If the Japanese landed, Australian troops might arrive in time to confront them. Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma had about 2,500 people between them, so the Eurobodalla really was an isolated outpost.
On 21 May 1942 the RAAF detached No 11 Operational Base Unit to Moruya aerodrome, it would later be supported by No 17 Radar Station on Burrewarra Point. The base was still being set up when, on 31 May Japanese midget submarines entered Sydney Harbour and sank HMAS Kuttabul, and 19 sailors drowned. Those war deaths were closer to the Eurobodalla than any others up until then.
The submarines that launched the midgets were 107 metres long, with a 14cm gun and machine guns. They carried either a midget sub, or a reconnaissance seaplane. People began keeping a very wary eye towards the sea, fearing that they would soon spread havoc along the coast.
Those fears came true. Three days later the coastal steamer Age was shelled north of Sydney, and another coastal steamer, Iron Chieftain was torpedoed 40km east of Sydney and twelve seamen died when she sank. Then the next day the coastal steamer Barwon survived an attack by gunfire and torpedo off Gabo Island, about 235 km south of Moruya. Shortly afterwards, the merchant vessel Iron Crown was sunk in the same area with the loss of 37 lives. The submarine surfaced and was attacked by a Hudson aircraft, which didn’t sink it. |
The following day, 5 June, the Echunga was attacked but not sunk 25km south east of Wollongong. It was the same outcome three days later for the Orestes south east of Jervis Bay, less than 100 km from Batemans Bay.
On 8 June a Japanese submarine shelled Sydney suburbs, making it quite clear that every coastal settlement was under threat.
On 8 June a Japanese submarine shelled Sydney suburbs, making it quite clear that every coastal settlement was under threat.

There was a bit of a lull in activities until 20 July when the Greek ship George H Lavanos was sunk off Point Perpendicular 125km north of Moruya, fortunately with no casualties. No such luck the following day, when a crewman was killed when the Coast Farmer was sunk 110 km north of Moruya.
On 22 July the Liberty Ship William Dawes was torpedoed off Tathra. An eighteen metre launch from Moruya went to the area to assist, while the ship burnt from stem to midships before sinking. Five crew were killed but four boatloads of survivors, several of them injured, were rescued.
Five days later on 27 July, and 170 km south of Moruya a submarine opened fire on the ship Coolana but it wasn’t sunk.
An attack close to the Eurobodalla shores happened on 3 August, when the Sydney based 35 metre steam trawler Dureenbee was attacked in the early hours 25km east of Moruya. The submarine shelled her for 45 minutes killing 2 people, injuring 4 and causing her to be abandoned. Locals took out the trawler Mirabooka, courageously with lights blazing so that survivors might see them. It meant, of course, that the submarine would be able to see them too, mercifully it seemed to have left the area. Of the crew of eleven, two were dead. One seriously wounded crewman and 3 wounded were brought to Moruya Hospital, the seriously injured crewman later died. The three casualties were buried in Moruya Cemetery, where their headstones still stand in the south western section. |
Things quieted down until the early hours of 8 February 1943 when the Iron Knight was torpedoed 30km north east of Montague Island. The first searchers found wreckage, rafts, damaged lifeboats and other debris without sighting any survivors. Then the French destroyer Le Triomphant rescued 14 survivors, but the other 36 crew were found to have perished. After another lull, on 11 April the Yugoslav ship Recina was torpedoed off Gabo Island. She sank in less than a minute and only ten of the company of 42 survived. |
It wasn’t only the sailors who were facing danger, aircraft had to provide cover in all kinds of weather. In August 1942 an Anson aircraft had been forced to crash land at Camel Rock, 60km south of Moruya. Worse was to come when, on 9 September 1943 and with Moruya aerodrome closed due to rotten weather, an Anson aircraft tried to make it back to Nowra but crashed on Pigeon House Mountain 60km north of Moruya, and the three on board were killed. In a more fortunate incident, on 30 December 1943 another Anson aircraft force landed in the sea 5 km off Moruya Heads. Three crew escaped in their dinghy, and were landed by the rescue boat at Moruya. Later on the captain phoned in, he was safe but closer to Narooma than Moruya.
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Ten months later and with the war having moved well to the north, in October 1944 No 11 Advanced Operational Base Moruya closed down. But then on Christmas Day, about 75km south of Moruya the rogue German submarine U-862 torpedoed the US liberty ship Robert J. Walker at 2.50am and again at 6.00am. Sixty-seven men made it into lifeboats, two were lost. A Vought Kingfisher seaplane searching for the survivors and the submarine had to make a forced alighting on Moruya River with engine trouble. Depth charges were jettisoned, but the crew was safe and the plane undamaged. |
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And so it was that the war came to the Eurobodalla. How tense would it have been for the local trawler men watching every white-cap to see if it was a periscope, and for everyone else whenever an unidentified aeroplane appeared. There were local people in the Volunteer Defence Corps who kept watch over the sea and shore 24 hours a day. There were local people in the Volunteer Air Observer Corps, they reported every aircraft sighting, watching for the enemy and providing vital information about planes that had gone missing.
And on the land and on the sea the region’s vital industries kept going, giving crucial support to Australia’s war effort in those dark days. The Eurobodalla certainly has an abundance of World War 2 heritage to be proud of.
Lives Lost Jervis Bay to Gabo Island
Gabo Island Iron Crown 37
Jervis Bay Coast Farmer 1
Tathra William Dawes 5
Moruya Dureenbee 3
Montague Island Iron Knight 36
Gabo Island Recina 32
Wallaga Lake Robert J. Walker 2
Pigeon House Mountain Avro Anson aircraft 3
Total Losses 116
Let’s not forget that the war did come to the Eurobodalla.
And on the land and on the sea the region’s vital industries kept going, giving crucial support to Australia’s war effort in those dark days. The Eurobodalla certainly has an abundance of World War 2 heritage to be proud of.
Lives Lost Jervis Bay to Gabo Island
Gabo Island Iron Crown 37
Jervis Bay Coast Farmer 1
Tathra William Dawes 5
Moruya Dureenbee 3
Montague Island Iron Knight 36
Gabo Island Recina 32
Wallaga Lake Robert J. Walker 2
Pigeon House Mountain Avro Anson aircraft 3
Total Losses 116
Let’s not forget that the war did come to the Eurobodalla.
Below is a plan of the Moruya Aerodrome during World War 2.
STRIP BUILDINGS
40. Old Operations Building (Revetted).
41. Communications Hut.
42. Motor Transport Workshop, Stores & Ramp.
43. Combined Ranks Latrines.
44. Ablutions.
45. Power House.
46. Pump House.
47. Log Cabin Rest Hut.
48. Underground Power House.
49. Latrine.
50. Old Transmitter Building (Revetted).
51. VHF/DF Tower Building.
52. Pyrotechnic Store.
53. Standard Hut.
54. Underground Transmitter Building. ) Transmitting.
55. Latrine. Site.
56. Bomb Dump Building. (Concrete).
57. Bomb Dump Building. (Concrete).
58. Underground Operations Building.
59. Latrine.
60. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
61. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
62. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
63. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
64. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
65. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
66. Sentry Box.
67. Petrol Store.
40. Old Operations Building (Revetted).
41. Communications Hut.
42. Motor Transport Workshop, Stores & Ramp.
43. Combined Ranks Latrines.
44. Ablutions.
45. Power House.
46. Pump House.
47. Log Cabin Rest Hut.
48. Underground Power House.
49. Latrine.
50. Old Transmitter Building (Revetted).
51. VHF/DF Tower Building.
52. Pyrotechnic Store.
53. Standard Hut.
54. Underground Transmitter Building. ) Transmitting.
55. Latrine. Site.
56. Bomb Dump Building. (Concrete).
57. Bomb Dump Building. (Concrete).
58. Underground Operations Building.
59. Latrine.
60. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
61. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
62. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
63. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
64. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
65. Underground Petrol Tank. (1000 gallons).
66. Sentry Box.
67. Petrol Store.