Stoker Ray Major passed away on the 12 January (his 89th birthday).
He was the last known survivor of HMAS Kuttabul, the depot ship sunk by Japanese midget submarines on the night of 31 May/1 June 1942.
There was a lunch-time harbour cruise on Sydney Harbour and a laying of wreath on the water near where Kuttabul was sunk, to commemorate this event. Naval historian Steven Carruthers narrated the battle as the cruise boat Bella Vista followed the route of the battle. Also, the divers who discovered the wreck of the missing submarine, M24, off Sydney’s northern beaches also gave a presentation.
