The War Down Under

Early in 1942, the Allies established submarine
bases in Brisbane and Fremantle, Australia to
harass Japanese sea lanes in Southeast Asia. An
outstanding example of the campaign's
effectiveness occurred in November 1943 on the
USS Bowfin's second war patrol. Leaving
Fremantle on November 1, 1943, Bowfin
threaded its way north to the Indo-China
coast. Over the next four weeks Bowfin sank
5 large and 7 small merchantmen before
returning to Fremantle.
U.S. submarines sank over 50 Japanese ships
in November 1943.