AUSTRALIAN MILITARY NAVAL World War II –
Built in 1934 in Japan and originally named Kofuku Maru (Happiness or Good Fortune), Krait collected fish from fishermen and ports around the Rhio Archipelago and took the catch to the Singapore markets.
It took food, water and other supplies to the fishing fleet.
Confined to port early in World War II, the boat was used by Captain Bill Reynolds to evacuate hundreds of civilians to nearby Sumatra and when the Japanese continued to advance he took it to Colombo. It was soon proposed that the vessel be used as part of a covert operation.
Renamed Krait (after a deadly species of snake) its most famous hour came in 1943 when a 14-strong company of British and Australian army and naval personnel set out on a daring commando night raid on shipping in the Singapore Roads.
- Operation Jaywick (1943): Commanded by Major Ivan Lyon, the Krait sailed from Exmouth, Western Australia, into Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbour in September 1943.
- The Raid: Six operatives paddled canoes from the Krait to attach limpet mines to Japanese ships, sinking or damaging seven vessels (approximately 40,000 tonnes).
- Disguise & Tactics: The vessel was chosen for its appearance as a local boat, allowing it to move through Japanese-occupied waters undetected.
- Significance: It is credited with sinking more enemy shipping than any Australian warship and is considered one of the most successful special-forces operations in history.
- Fate: Following the war, the vessel returned to use in the Borneo timber trade before being repatriated to Australia in 1964.