The Dutch Flying Boat wrecks are a favourite site for tourists visiting Broome. The wreckage of the seaplane, evidence of a Japanese air raid on the town during World War II, is located 1 kilometre from Town Beach.
On 3 March 1942, 10 Japanese planes flew over Broome on their way to the occupied island of Timor. There was no armed defence in the town apart from a few riflemen from the local military detachments, because it was thought that the Japanese simply would not reach Broome with the amount of fuel their planes had. However, nine Zero's and one Bab reconnaissance aircraft, equipped with spare fuel tanks, disproved this belief. At 9.30am they raided a flotilla of 16 Dutch seaplanes and seven aircraft on the runway, among them two bombers.
The Zero aircraft pulled off the operation with ease, using tracer charges to set the helpless aircraft on fire. Only one aircraft, a small US Navy seaplane, managed to survive the carnage. The tragedy was also that there were women and children aboard the Dutch seaplanes. The exact number of casualties is still unknown, but it is believed that there were over 100 dead. Many bodies were never recovered.
The muddy shore of Roebuck Bay has kept the remains of the Catalina aircraft in good condition. At low tide, they become visible to those walking along the shoal from Town Beach.
