MV Krait

The MV Krait is a wooden-hulled vessel famous for its use during World War II by the Z Special Unit (Z Force) of Australia during the raid against Japanese ships anchored in Singapore Harbour. The raid was known as Operation Jaywick. The MV Krait is on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) in Sydney. History Krait was originally a Japanese fishing vessel based in Singapore named Kofuku Maru. Following the outbreak of war, the ship was taken over by the American destroyer USS Edsall and used to evacuate over 1,100 people from ships sunk along the east coast of Sumatra. The ship eventually reached Australia via Ceylon and India in 1942, and was handed over to the Australian military. In Australian service, she was renamed Krait after the small but deadly snake. In September 1943, Krait transported members of Z Special Unit to Singapore, where they successfully raided the city's harbour, sinking seven ships, in what became known as Operation Jaywick. She returned to Australia in October. Krait was used by the Australian military throughout the war, and was present at the surrender of the Japanese forces on Ambon in September 1945.