Exmouth Submarine Base

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Exmouth Submarine Base is located in Western Australia
Exmouth Submarine Base
Exmouth Submarine Base
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Location of Exmouth Submarine Base in Western Australia
 United States Navy from 1942 to 1943.
USS Pelias submarine tender base at Exmouth Submarine Base
USS Salmon (SS-182) one of many sub serviced at Exmouth Submarine Base

Exmouth Submarine Base, called Operation Potshot, was a

fighter plane cover for the base.[1][2][3]

History

With the loss of

Bofors gun anti-aircraft guns. A US Naval Naval Communication Station was built at the site. While it was thought that Exmouth Gulf was far enough south to be out of range for an attack, on May 20 and 21, 1943 that base was attacked. So the base was moved to Fremantle Submarine Base. Charles A. Lockwood was overseeing the bases at Fremantle and Exmouth. Exmouth Gulf was too north for a base, as it was hit by cyclones.[2] Exmouth was used as part of the staging for Operation Transom in May 1944.[5][6]

1943 raids

On May 20, 1943, two Japanese

Betty bombers were first spotted by the Radar Station at Onslow, just north of Exmouth Gulf. Then spotted by the Radar Station at Exmouth Gulf. At about 10.55 pm the Japanese planes bomb Exmouth Gulf but hit nothing. Two Royal Australian Air Force CAC Boomerang planes of the No. 85 Squadron RAAF tried to intercept the bombers, but did not find them. On May 21, 1943, again the two radar stations spotted two Japanese aircraft. The two planes dropped nine bombs into the Exmouth Gulf at about midnight, again hitting nothing. Again two Boomerang were sent up, but by the time one plane found a bomber, it was low on fuel and had to return to base. Other raids hit close to Radar Station at Exmouth Gulf.[7]
On 15 May 1943, Onslow was
bombed by Japan when a single bomber, bombed the Onslow airfield with no damage done.[8]

Seaplane Base Exmouth

USS Childs (AVD-1)
in 1944
VPB-52 Consolidated PBY Catalina in 1943

The US Navy set up a Seaplane Base at Exmouth Gulf, called Advance Base D that operated two squadrons of

USS Childs, a destroyer that became a seaplane tender. The Double Sunrise airline service also operated from the base. The PBY Catalina did search, combat, rescue, and reconnaissance patrols.[2] On November 26, 1942, PBY-5A # 2407 aborted a take-off at Exmouth, the plane hit a large swell. The front bombing window broke and water poured in. The plane sank in 18 feet, the captain was killed and eight other were injured.[9] On April 28, 1943, a PBY crash at Exmouth, killing 3 in the plane.[10] On July 3, 1943, PBY #08294 crashed in Exmouth Gulf, killing 4 crew members and 8 passengers. The plane was not repairable.[11]

Z Special Unit

Main article: Z Special Unit

Exmouth Submarine Base, code name Potshot, was used as a staging base for Z Special Unit. Z Special Unit was special forces use made up of British, Australian, Dutch, New Zealand, Timorese and Indonesian and a few American troops that operate in Southeast Asia behind Japanese lines. The operation was mostly for reconnaissance and sabotage work. From Potshot Z Special Unit started Operation Jaywick, a successful raid on Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour, in September 1943. Operation Reinau also used the base for staging, the operation was unsuccessful, with all team members were killed as Japanese found them before the raid. Six Z Special crew members killed have streets in Exmouth named after them.[12]

Post war

  • Operation Potshot Memorial Plaque was built in 1963 near the Potshot reconnaissance site.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Potshot Memorial | Monument Australia". monumentaustralia.org.au.
  2. ^ a b c "US Navy Submarine Base, Exmouth Gulf, WA, during WW2". www.ozatwar.com.
  3. ^ "The Town Built by America". HemaX Caravan World.
  4. ^ "Fremantle was big submarine base". Army News. Darwin, NT. 25 August 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ISBN 9781591140443
  6. ^ "EXMOUTH GULF, WA. 1943. THE LANDING FROM WHICH IT WAS PROPOSED TO CONSTRUCT A LANDING STAGE ..." www.awm.gov.au.
  7. ^ Air War Against Japan 1943–1945, by George Odgers
  8. ^ "History - Shire of Ashburton". Shire of Ashburton. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina off Exmouth: 1 killed | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  10. ^ "28 April 1943 - Crash of a Catalina in Exmouth Gulf, near Potshot, WA". ozatwar.com. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  11. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina 08294 Exmouth Gulf, WA". aviation-safety.net.
  12. ^ "Heritage Council of WA - Places Database". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au.

External links

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