19 February 1942
On the morning of 19 February 1942, 188 Japanese aircraft launched from 4 aircraft carriers in the Timor Sea. They appeared in the sky over Darwin just before 10am. It was the first enemy attack on the Australian mainland.
Over the course of the raid, many ships in the harbour were bombed. Six large vessels were sunk and another 14 damaged. The cargo vessel MV Neptuna exploded alongside the wharf, causing massive damage. In the harbour, Japanese dive bombers sank the American destroyer USS Peary. This resulted in the loss of 88 lives, including commanding officer Commander John M Bermingham USN.
Several Royal Australian Navy (RAN) vessels were in Darwin at the time. Their crews defended the harbour as best they could with anti-aircraft fire. Leading Cook Francis ‘Dick’ Emms had formerly been a gunnery sailor, and took up one of HMAS Kara Kara’s machine guns. Despite being badly wounded, his accurate fire drove off attacking Japanese aircraft. However, he later died from his wounds.
Leading Cook Emms was subsequently awarded a posthumous mention in dispatches, for courage and devotion to duty in HMAS Kara Kara during an enemy air raid on Darwin on 19 February 1942’.
Over the following year and a half, Japanese air raids were conducted on several towns and cities across northern Australia including:
- Wyndham, Port Hedland and Derby in Western Australia
- Darwin and Katherine in the Northern Territory
- Townsville and Mossman in Queensland
- and Horn Island in the Torres Strait.
In all, 97 air raids were conducted by Japanese aircraft on Australian targets between February 1942 and November 1943.