HMAS ML's 825 and 805 - history and fate below

 

Fairmile Motor Launch ML 805 (MV Petaj)

RAN B Type Fairmile Motor Launch 65 Tons 112' x 18' 3" x 4' 10" RAN August 17, 1945 RAN Sept 10, 1945 RAN 1948 Dive Gizo 1997

Ship History Built at Greenpoint Naval Boatyard at Sydney. Delivered to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as B Type Fairmile Motor Launch ML805 (ML 805) under the command of Lt. E. H. W. Sturt, RANVR. On the stern was "805". Wartime History On March 10, 1945, ML805 and ML802 covered the Australian Army landings at Wide Bay on the southern coast of East New Britain. During July 1945, the Australian 6th Division believed that the Japanese on the offshore islands off Wewak were ready surrender. Both ML805 and ML809 were outfitted with broadcasting equipment to play surrender messages offshore in hopes they might surrender. On August 1, 1945 ML805 and ML809 approached Mushu Island broadcasting surrender messages without any result. On August 17, 1945 two days after Japan surrendered, a pair of Japanese boats with white flags approached ML805 and the Japanese party were taken aboard and meeting was arranged on the beach at Mushu Island to accept the surrender of the Japanese Navy personal on the offshore islands. On September 10, 1945 Rear-Admiral Sato boarded ML805 in the Kairuru Strait. He signed the terms of surrender and handed over his sword to Major-General Horace Robertson commander of the 6th Division, Australian Army. Postwar After the war, the ship returned to Australia and was stored in reserve off Village Point, Watson's Bay near Sydney. During 1949, sold off and purchased by a private owner who renamed the vessel MV Petaj and used as a dive boat in Queensland. Later, chartered as crew accommodations to support seismic exploration operations for Shell Oil in Papua New Guinea (PNG) including operating on the Sepik River. Bob Hodgson adds: "The Petaj was chartered to be used to support seismic exploration operations for Shell Oil in New Guinea on the Sepik River in mid 1980's, she was used as accommodation for crew coming in and out of the field operations, and when I stayed aboard here in 1985, she was moored up at Hauna up the Sepik River.  She had been somewhat modified from her original configuration, however there was some battle damage left and a plaque commemorating the Japanese surrender." In 1994, the vessel was operated by Indian Pacific Seafood Company and used as a cargo vessel in the Solomon Islands. During 1997 the vessel was to be sunk off New Georgia. Instead, purchased by Danny Kennedy / Dive Gizo. Fate During 1997, sunk off Ghizo Island by Danny Kennedy / Dive Gizo as a SCUBA dive site and as an artificial reef. Wreckage Today the shipwreck has become an artificial reef and SCUBA dive site. References AWM "Wewak surrender ceremonies" F07243 cine footage ML805 September 10, 1945 off Kairuru 1:15-1:21, 2:28-3:10, 3:19-5:00 AWM AWM78 Class 241 - [Fairmile Motor Launch] HMA ML 805 (AWM78 241 , RCDIG1073618) Fairmile Ships of the Royal Australian Navy Volume II pages 79-81 Thanks to Danny Kennedy / Dive Gizo for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated August 4, 2020

Fairmile Motor Launch ML825

RAN B Type Fairmile Motor Launch 65 Tons 112' x 18' 3" x 4' 10" 1 x 40mm Bofors 20mm AA cannons 12 depth charges 2 x .50 cal MG (added) RAN c1944 RAN c1948

Ship History Built during 1943 at Greenpoint Naval Boatyard at Sydney. Delivered to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as B Type Fairmile Motor Launch ML825 under the command of Lt. Harold Venables. While in Australia, Venables traded a bottle of scotch for a pair of extra .50 caliber machine guns to provide extra armament. Wartime History On January 24, 1945 both ML825 and ML802 engaged in a shooting exercise against a Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) used as a gunnery target in a contest between the sister ships arranged by the Royal Australian Navy Port Directorate at Jacquinot Bay. On March 9, 1945 the ship had a cracked exhaust manifold on one of the engines, limiting their speed to 12 knots while motoring roughly ten miles southwest of Cape Orford motoring westward bound for Jacquinot Bay when suddenly attacked by a single enemy aircraft, A6M2 Zero pilot Kawato that dove and released one cluster bomb that exploded 30 yards away. Turning around for another attack run, the vessel opened fire with anti-aircraft fire from the 40mm Bofors, 20mm cannons and .50 caliber machine guns as the Zero fired three bursts of gunfire that hit the gunboat nine times before the Zero was hit by anti-aircraft fire that exploded the right fuel tank. Damaged, the Zero ditched into the sea roughly a mile away. The entire attack lasted only 42 seconds. Afterwards, ML825 searched where the Zero ditched, but did not find any trace of the crew. In fact, pilot Kawato managed to swim ashore and attempted to return to Japanese lines until he found local people who turned him over to the Australian Army. Postwar At the end of the Pacific War, returned to Australia. During 1948 part of the RAN reserve fleet anchored off Village Point in Watson's Bay at Sydney along with ML801, ML805, ML810, ML822 AND ML825. Fate Ultimate fate unknown likely scrapped or otherwise disappeared. References Note, some sources list the designation of this Fairmile Motor Launch as ML 825 or ML-825. Sabretache: The Journal of the Military Historical Society of Australia "The Duel: Petty Officer Kawato flew in what is believed to be one of the last Zero fighter actions in the South West Pacific during World War II" by Robert Piper vol. 27 no. 3 (1986) pages 25-28 The Siege of Rabaul (1996) by Henry Sakaida pages 62-63, 73-78 Fairmile Ships of the Royal Australian Navy Volume II pages 143-148, 157 (footnote) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated