The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, informed the House of Commons: ‘We owe it to Australia and New Zealand to help them remove forever the Japanese menace to their homelands. We have offered the fine modern British Pacific Fleet and asked that it should be used in the main operations against Japan’.
The Fremantle based HMS PORPOISE, (submarine), captured the 100 ton junk MUSTIKA, for use by the Commandos of Operation Rimau.