the ship did not arrive on schedule. On 23 June, a radio request was made for Matafele to report her position. There was no reply, but on 24 June, a Bristol Beaufort overflying the China Strait reported seeing the vessel underway but struggling close to the coast in heavy weather. After no reply was received and the ship still did not arrive, the Naval Officer in Charge New Guinea had a second transmission sent, with orders to break radio silence and report. The lack of reply prompted a search by the corvettes , , , and , the motor launches 1338 and 1339, and aircraft from Cairns and New Guinea; again with no results. An oar with the ship's name carved into it, along with two damaged boats, were later found off the south coast of Papua. A Board of Inquiry concluded in October 1944 that Matafele had foundered en route, likely on 20 June, with all aboard (4 officers, 20 RAN sailors, and 13 Pacific Island crew) lost. A second inquiry, a few weeks later, rejected the foundering conclusion, but was unable to determine the cause of the disappearance. The possibility of attack by submarine was considered by a post-war inquiry, which determined that no Japanese submarines were in the area at the time. Memorial A memorial plaque is dedicated to HMAS Matafele and her Tasmanian RAN personnel at the Tasmanian Seafarers' Memorial at Triabunna on the east coast of Tasmania. Citations External links 1938 ships Ships built in Hong Kong Cargo ships of the Royal Australian Navy Maritime incidents in June 1944 1944 in Australia Ships built by the Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Company