The attack on the Japanese in Singapore Harbour by members of Z Special Unit under the cover of darkness in 1943 has been shrouded in secrecy as were the subsequent beheadings of seven of their members in a second raid designed to build on the success of the first raid. Today the Krait is on show at the Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney, but there are hopes to build a new space for it in the museum and take it out of the water so that it can be preserved forever.
Originally called the Kofuku Maru, the Krait was built by the Japanese as a fishing boat and had been confiscated by the British during World War Two. During Operation Jaywick it was used by to get commandoes into position for the attack on Singapore Harbour on the night of 26th September, 1943. The commandoes managed to sink two ships and damage another five. The Japanese were totally mystified by what had happened never suspecting the attack to be the work of enemy soldiers. They interrogated and tortured locals for many months, instead, in an attempt to discover the identity of the perpetrators. Survivor Douglas Herps has been leading the charge to have the boat preserved as a war memorial in memory of the 'bravery and loyalty shown by all Special Operations men, not just those who served on Operation Jaywick'.
