HMAS ''Black Snake'' was a Snake-class

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built for the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She was launched in 1944 and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 30 December 1944. She was used by the

Services Reconnaissance Department Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD), also known as Special Operations Australia (SOA) and previously known as Inter-Allied Services Department (ISD), was an Australian military intelligence and special reconnaissance unit, during World War II. ...

(SRD) and was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...

on 3 November 1945, before being handed over to the British Civil Administration in Borneo. On 26 April 1945 ''Black Snake'', commanded by Sub-Lieutenant John Key, deployed a party of nine SRD operatives, called Giraffe 3, in the Celebes area. They anchored off the west coast of Maloe Island. Using Hoehn military folboats ( collapsible kayak) a party of four, including Key, landed at Pasirpoeth to repair native boats. Some then sailed on to nearby Tifore Island to give assistance and medical attention to natives there. On 30 April 1945, ''Black Snake'' returned to Morotai. On 16 May 1945, a party of SRD operatives, codenamed Swift, went to Loloda Island in the Celebes via ''Blacksnake'' and used a folboat to go ashore and gather general intelligence.

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