Defending the Eye of the Needle : A history of Cape Otway 1939-1945

AUSTRALIAN MILITARY

 When the shadows of war became a reality in September 1939 Australia was forced to look to its own resources for its defence. Initially this involved reopening a number of World War 1 Naval lookouts, known as War Signal Stations, at key points around its coast. These were quickly proved ineffective as in 1940 the German Navy had sent a number of disguised, heavily armed ships to prey on commercial shipping in all parts of the world. One of these ships easily evaded the War Signal Stations at both Wilsons Promontory and Cape Otway to lay 110 mines in Bass Strait. Those mines claimed two ships before they could be cleared. This prompted plans to deploy top secret radar stations at Cape Otway and other key points.Before the radars could be commissioned Japan sent a submarine to the vicinity of King Island. An aircraft was launched from it to make a reconnaissance flight over Melbourne. It was sighted but before action could be taken it had flown back to the submarine which quickly left the area. In both cases radar would have provided timely warning of the intrusion so that defences could have reacted successfully. The Cape Otway radar station was duly brought into operation and in these pages you can read accounts of it by the men who served there as well as the above events.

xviii, 195 p. : ill., map, ports. ; 25 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. 184-188) and index. First Edition. #010723 SCARCE

Radar defense networks — Victoria — Otway, Cape.  |  World War, 1939-1945 — Victoria — Otway, Cape — Radar.  |  Otway, Cape (Vic.) — History.