RAN
B Type Fairmile Motor Launch
Tons
65
Via Dive Gizo
Ship History
Australian Patrol boat built in 1943 at Greenpoint Naval Boatyard at Sydney as ML 805.
Wartime History
Commanded by Lt. E. H. W. Sturt, RANVR. In 1945, this ship with ML 802 covered the landings at Wide Bay on New Britain.
Next, ML 805 operated from the Wewak area. In July 1945 the Australian 6th Division belived that the Japanese would surrender, on August 1, 1945 ML 805 was fitted with broadcasting equipment and along with ML 809 approached Mushu Island unsuccessfully broadcasting news to surrender. On August 17, 1945 (two days after Japan's surrender) two Japanese boats with white flags approached the boat, and a meeting occurred on the beach of Muschu to arrange surrender of Navy personal. On September 10, 1945 Rear-Admiral Sato boarded ML 805 in the Kairuru Strait surrendered Navy troops on Muschu and Kairuru by handing over his sword to Australian Major-General Robertson of the 6th Division.
Postwar
After the war, the ship was sold to private owners. Renamed MV Petaj.
It worked as a dive boat in Queensland. In 1994, the vessel was in service with Indian Pacific Seafood Company as a cargo vessel operating in the Solomon Islands. In 1997, the ship was scheduled to be sunk off New Georgia.
Sinking History
Instead, it was purchased by Danny
Kennedy and deliberately sunk as a dive site off Ghizo Island in 1997.
Wreckage
Today it is an artificial reef and dive site.
