Shelling of Newcastle The Shelling of Newcastle was conducted by the Japanese submarine " I - 21 " in the early hours of 8 June 1942 . The bombardment followed the Attack on Sydney Harbour on 31 May , and was conducted shortly after " I - 24 " shelled the eastern suburbs of Sydney . During the attack " I - 21 " fired 34 shells at Newcastle , including eight illumination rounds , but caused little damage . The Australian gunners at Fort Scratchley fired four shells at the submarine , but scored no hits . Background . During 1942 and 1943 Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) submarine s conducted a number of patrols along Australia ' s east coast . On 16 May 1942 the submarine " I - 29 " attacked the Soviet freighter " Wellen " south - east of Newcastle , but did not cause any damage to the ship . In response , a naval force was dispatched from Sydney to attempt to locate the submarine and ships were not permitted to sail between Newcastle and Sydney for 24 hours . On 23 May " I - 29 " s floatplane flew over Newcastle and Sydney searching for shipping which could be attacked by midget submarine s . On the night of 31 May three Japanese midget submarines attacked shipping in Sydney Harbour . The ultimate aim was to sink the U . S . Navy Heavy Cruiser , although unsuccessful in this objective , the attack did result in the sinking of the accommodation ship HMAS " Kuttabul " . All three midget submarines were however lost in the attack . Following this raid , the large submarines which had launched the midgets attacked shipping off the east coast ; these included two attacks on ships near Newcastle on the night of 3 June . At 10 : 18 pm the coastal steamer " Age " was shelled by " I - 24 " south - east of Norah Head ; she did not sustain any damage and docked at Newcastle at 1 am the next day . At about midnight on 3 June the coaster " Iron Chieftain " was torpedoed and sunk by " I - 24 " near where " Age " had been attacked . Bombardment . During the early hours of 8 June " I - 24 " and " I - 21 " carried out brief bombardments of Sydney and Newcastle respectively . The purpose of these attacks was to generate what historian David Jenkins has called an " air of disquiet " rather than inflict significant damage on targets in the two cities . Between 00 : 15 and 00 : 20 " I - 24 " fired ten shells which landed in the suburbs of Bellevue Hill , Rose Bay and Woollahra . Only one of these shells exploded , and they caused little damage and only injured one person . While the Sydney Harbour defences spotted " I - 24 " s gun flashes , the submarine ceased its attack and submerged before the Australian gunners could open fire on it . " I - 21 " began her bombardment of Newcastle two hours after the attack on Sydney . At this time submarine was from Newcastle , and was sailing eastwards as her deck gun was stern - mounted . Prior to the attack the submarine ' s gun crew had prepared 34 rounds of ammunition ; these comprised 26 conventional rounds and eight illumination rounds . The target of the attack was the BHP steelworks in the city . Between 2 : 15 am and 2 : 31 am " I - 21 " fired 34 shells at Newcastle . These rounds landed over a wide area , however , and caused little damage . Only one of the 20 conventional shells exploded , causing damage to a house on Parnell Place . Another shell damaged a nearby tram terminus but did not explode . At 2 : 28 am the guns at Fort Scratchley near the entrance to Newcastle ' s harbour opened fire on " I - 21 " . The submarine ' s commanding officer , Commander Matsumura Kanji , continued the bombardment for another three minutes as he believed that it would take time for the Australian gunners to locate the submarine . By the time the attack concluded the fort ' s two guns had fired two salvos , but none of the four shells struck " I - 21 " . Aftermath . " I - 21 " and " I - 24 " were not attacked by Allied ships during or after their bombardments as no anti - submarine warfare - capable vessels were available in either port . While one person was injured by falling masonry and debris in Sydney , there were no casualties in Newcastle . Although the bombardments caused little damage , they were successful in generating concern among Australians .