The Japanese submarine I-21 torpedoed the merchant ship PETER H BURNETT 420 miles east of Sydney. The destroyer USS ZANE, and corvettes HMAS DELORAINE and HMAS GYMPIE, were sent to tow her back to Sydney. They failed, and eventually the task was handed to the corvette HMAS MILDURA, (LCDR C. J. P. Guille, OBE, RANR), which carried a heavier, (but non-regulation), towing cable. MILDURA succeeded in bringing the stricken vessel safely to Sydney Harbour. Within weeks all corvettes were instructed to carry the heavier style towing cable.
The stores vessel, HMAS PATRICIA CAM, (LEUT A. C. Meldrum, RANR), was attacked and sunk by a Japanese sea plane off the Wessel Islands in northern Australia. The plane attacked from out of the sun with engines cut and dropped a single bomb which struck amidships, and blew the bottom out of the ship. PATRICIA CAM sank within one minute. The Japanese aircraft then attacked the survivors in the water with another bomb, and machine gun fire, before landing among the survivors, picking up the Reverend L. N. Kentish, who was taking passage in PATRICIA CAM to his mission at Echo Island. The aircraft then departed. The survivors from PATRACIA CAM managed to get ashore and were rescued seven days later by HMAS KURU. 5 ratings and 3 natives onboard were killed in the attack, or died from wounds and exposure. The Reverend Kentish was taken to Dobo, (Aru Islands Group), where he was questioned and later executed by the Japanese.