HMAS Patricia Cam was an auxiliary vessel operated by the Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

 during World War II. She was sunk by a Japanese aircraft in 1943.

Construction

The ship was built by G. Beattie, of Brisbane Waters, New South Wales as a trawler for the Sydney fishing company Cam & Sons Pty Ltd in 1940.

Operational history

Following the outbreak of war in the Pacific, the ship was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy for use as an auxiliary minesweeper

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

 on 9 February 1942. After commissioning into the RAN on 3 March 1942, HMAS Patricia Cam was based in Darwin

Darwin, Northern Territory

Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...

, where she was mainly used to transport supplies to small communities and military outposts.

Loss

On 22 January 1943, while near the Wessel Islands

Wessel Islands

The Wessel Islands are a group of islands belonging to the Northern Territory of Australia. They extend in a more or less straight line from Buckingham Bay and the Napier Peninsula of Arnhem Land, and Elcho Island, to the northeast. Marchinbar Island is the largest of the group...

 off the north coast of the Northern Territory

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

, Patricia Cam was attacked and sunk by a Japanese floatplane. As she sank, the pilot of the Japanese aircraft machine-gunned and bombed the survivors. The aircraft then landed on the water and captured one of the survivors, the Rev. Leonard Kentish, a Methodist missionary. Eight other crew and passengers were killed during the attack. The 13 survivors were rescued by HMAS Kuru

HMAS Kuru

HMAS Kuru was an auxiliary patrol boat operated by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. Constructed in 1938 for the Northern Territory Patrol Service, Kuru was requesitioned by the RAN following the Japanese declaration of war in December 1941...

 on 29 January. Kentish was flown to Dobo in the Aru Islands

Aru Islands

The Aru Islands are a group of about ninety-five low-lying islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia. They also form a regency of Indonesia.-Geography:...

 where he was interrogated, including the frequent use of beatings, for several weeks, before being executed by his captors on or about 4 May.

The vessel's military service was later recognised with the battle honour

Battle honour

A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....

"Darwin 1942-43".