During the attack on Sydney Harbour by Japanese midget submarines, a torpedo fired by one of the submarines at USS CHICAGO, (cruiser), missed the target and struck the sea wall on the eastern side of Garden Island. The force of the explosion blew the bottom out of HMAS KUTTABUL, (a converted Sydney ferry, now a depot ship), and the vessel sank at once. 21 sailors, (19 RAN and 2 RN), sleeping onboard, were killed or drowned. The Dutch K9, (submarine), which was moored outboard of KUTTABUL, was also damaged.