Between 2:15 am and 2:31 am "I-21" fired 34 shells at Newcastle. These rounds landed over a wide area, however, and caused little damage. Only one of the 20 conventional shells exploded, causing damage to a house on Parnell Place. Another shell damaged a nearby tram terminus but did not explode. At 2:28 am the guns at Fort Scratchley near the entrance to Newcastle's harbour opened fire on "I-21". The submarine's commanding officer, Commander Matsumura Kanji, continued the bombardment for another three minutes as he believed that it would take time for the Australian gunners to locate the submarine. By the time the attack concluded the fort's two guns had fired two salvos each, but none of the four shells struck "I-21".