Axis Naval Activity in New Zealand Waters - Submarines

Submarines

Imperial Japanese Navy submarines operated in New Zealand waters in 1942 and 1943:

• I-25 operated off New Zealand in early March 1942. Nobuo Fujita from I-25 in a Yokosuka E14Y floatplane conducted reconnaissance flights over Wellington on 8 March and Auckland on 13 March before departing for Fiji.
• I-21 briefly operated off the northern tip of New Zealand in May 1942. I-21's floatplane conducted a reconnaissance flight over Auckland on 24 May.
• An unknown Japanese submarine operated off New Zealand in February 1943

Neither I-21 nor I-25 attacked any ships during their brief periods in New Zealand waters.