SINGAPORE. — During World War II, Australia was involved in numerous strategic operations in the Pacific arena, many of which are relatively unknown to most Australians. Operation Jaywick was one such operation, being a secret raid on Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour.
Early in September 1943, a captured Japanese fishing vessel departed Exmouth Gulf in north-western Australia. This was the MV Krait, a wooden-hulled craft which was handed over to the Australian military when it reached Australia after it had been captured and used to evacuate over a thousand people from ships sunk along the Sumatran coast.
The MV Krait carried eleven Australian and four British Army and Navy personnel, most of whom came from the Z Special Unit of the Special Operations Australia (SOA). Being a Japanese shipping vessel, the raiders were able to travel undetected through enemy territory in Lombok Strait and across the Java and South China Seas.
The crew enhanced the effect by covering their bodies with a dark dye to appear more Asiatic and were meticulous in what sort of rubbish they threw overboard, lest a trail of European garbage arouse suspicion.
Just over two weeks later, the Krait reached Pandjang Island, where six men from the raiding teams were offloaded, along with canoes and equipment.
During the next week, they paddled towards Singapore Harbour under cover of darkness.
On September 26, 1943, they launched their raid from Subar Island, 11 kilometres from Singapore, attaching limpet mines to several Japanese vessels. When the mines exploded, seven Japanese ships were sunk or severely damaged.
The men managed to escape undetected, rendezvousing a week later with the Krait 100 km away. The small vessel made its way back into Australian waters safely, returning to Exmouth in mid-October.
The Krait continued to be used by the Australian military throughout World War II.
It is now located in the Australian Maritime Museum in Sydney.
