The wreckage of the Imperial Japanese Navy I-124 submarine sunk off the coast of Darwin during WWII will be examined by experts, as they plunge 50 metres to capture video of the mysterious sub as part of a new scientific project.

The submarine was part of Japanese covert operations during the War, laying mines in waters near Darwin in a bid to intercept Allied vessels and close down the port.

The Australian Historic Shipwrecks Act of 1976, later replaced by the Underwater Cultural Heritage act of 2018, declared the wreckage site under protection.

Now, a crew of technical drivers, archaeologists, a filmmaker, and a cultural liaison officer from the Australian-Japanese Association of the Northern Territory will be conducting the expedition for future research needs and site management.

The survey dives are scheduled to occur between November 17 to 19.

The expedition is being jointly funded by the NT Government and the Federal Government’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Program.

A documentary film, based on the crew’s documentation, is expected to be released next year during the Bombing of Darwin anniversary.

The I-124 submarine, which was part of a Japanese Navy fleet secretly laying mines between Bathurst Island and Darwin in 1942, was sunk by the HMAS Deloraine using depth charges. The submarine’s entire crew of 80 perished and are still entombed in the vessel 50 meters below the water surface.

“This expedition will reveal new information about one of the Territory’s most important maritime history sites. By sending experts down to the wreck, we give ourselves the best chance to get the most accurate picture of what happened 80 years ago, and the condition of the wreck today,” Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Chansey Paech said.

Commonwealth Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said, “These events during WWII were a pivotal moment in the history of modern Australia, shaping the lives of all those living at the time”.

“As well as an important site for Australia, we need to reflect on the historical significance of this site for the Japanese people – with whom we share a warm relationship today,” Ms Plibersek said.