The Fujita Salvage Operation

On 19 February 1942 Darwin was heavily bombed by Japanese aircraft, the largest attack on modern Australia by a foreign power. At the time there were over 50 vessels in Darwin Harbour, ranging from small pearling luggers to major naval ships. The bombing sank at least seven large ships and damaged many others. 

By the 1950s, there were still seven large shipwrecks in Darwin Harbour including cargo vessel MV Neptuna. They were an eyesore, a hazard to shipping and a barrier to future port development. The local administration lobbied the Commonwealth to do something about them, but a local contractor able to do the work could not be found.

After multiple failed tendering processes, the salvage contract was finally awarded to a Japanese firm, the Fujita Salvage Company. President Ryugo Fujita and 120 workers aged between 16 and 65 arrived in Darwin Harbour on 21 July 1959. They would spend two years salvaging the sunken wrecks and processing the scrap metal to be taken back to Japan. 

The MV British Motorist was the first wreck raised by the Fujita Salvage Company. It was a challenging task due to its size (over 130 metres long) and the huge tidal variations the workers had to contend with. It became home for Fujita and his crew, with makeshift bunkhouses built on the deck and a long-drop toilet installed, visible in this image.

The Fujita salvage team lived on board the MV British Motorist during the two-year salvage mission. One chef and four cooks fed the 120-man crew. They are pictured here celebrating New Year’s Day in 1961. 

Divers would descend into the water to cut and blast the scrap metal into large sections using dynamite and underwater gas torches. The skills of these professional divers were often intergenerational and their craft was greatly respected by Darwin locals. But it was dangerous work and one diver died during the salvage operation. 

After the divers broke the wrecks into pieces, a floating barge crane was used to lift each section to the surface. 

Once on the surface, the scrap was further broken down and neatly stacked, awaiting transport to Japan. Each stack contained about 100 pieces of salvaged metal and weighed 30 tonnes.

As well as salvaging the sunken ships, the Fujita team acquired huge amounts of scrap metal on land, including the two 9.2-inch counter-bombardment guns situated at East Point. Cut into foot-long pieces, the mounts, cradles, and associated equipment were also salvaged.

Although anti-Japanese sentiment was strong throughout Darwin in the 1950s, many prominent Darwin figures were invited aboard the MV British Motorist to dine with Ryugo Fujita and his family during the salvage operation. Visitors were treated to Japanese beer and sushi, a rarity in Australia at that time. 

The salvage operations coincided with the building of the Darwin Memorial Uniting Church on Smith Street in Darwin. In a spirit of generosity, Fujita commissioned 77 bronze crosses for the church from scrap they had salvaged from the MV Zealandia. Ryugo Fujita spoke at the official opening of the church on 23 July 1960.

Ryugo Fujita considered the salvage operations in Darwin Harbour to be his life’s great work. His tombstone in Japan was marked by a blade from the propeller of the USAT Meigs transport ship salvaged from Darwin Harbour. It stood as a monument at his grave until 2017 when the blade was returned to Darwin.

Hundreds of photographs were taken during the salvage operation. In 2010, Ryugo Fujita’s son, Senichiro, who also took part in the salvage operation, returned to Darwin, donating over 200 photographs, films and documents to the Northern Territory Library.