▁commence ▁anti - sub marine ▁actions . ▁It ▁took ▁another ▁two ▁hours ▁to ▁mobil ise ▁the ▁auxili ary ▁pat rol ▁boats , ▁which ▁did ▁not ▁leave ▁their ▁anch orage ▁for ▁a ▁further ▁hour . ▁Part ▁of ▁these ▁del ays ▁was ▁due ▁to ▁a ▁lack ▁of ▁effective ▁communic ations . ▁None ▁of ▁the ▁auxili ary ▁pat rol ▁craft ▁in ▁the ▁har bour ▁had ▁radio ▁communic ations , ▁so ▁all ▁instructions ▁and ▁reports ▁came ▁from ▁signal ▁lights ▁via ▁the ▁Port ▁War ▁Sign al ▁Station ▁or ▁Garden ▁Island , ▁or ▁by ▁physical ▁communication ▁via ▁launch es . ▁In ▁Mu ir head - G ould ' s ▁pre lim inary ▁report ▁on ▁the ▁attack , ▁he ▁stated ▁that ▁the ▁Port ▁War ▁Sign al ▁Station ▁was ▁not ▁designed ▁for ▁the ▁volume ▁of ▁communic ations ▁traffic ▁the ▁attack ▁caused . ▁Tele phone ▁communic ations ▁with ▁Garden ▁Island ▁were ▁un re li able ▁during ▁the ▁early ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁attack , ▁and ▁then ▁the ▁first ▁tor ped o ▁explos ion ▁disabled ▁them ▁completely . ▁ ▁The ▁need ▁to ▁keep ▁information ▁secret ▁may ▁also ▁have ▁contributed ▁to ▁the ▁del ays ▁and ▁the ▁def enders ' ▁s cept ic ism . ▁As ▁the ▁auxili ary ▁pat rol ▁boat ▁cre ws , ▁the ▁indicator ▁loop ▁staff , ▁and ▁other ▁personnel ▁man ning ▁def ensive ▁positions ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁outside ▁' need ▁to ▁know ' ▁and ▁would ▁not ▁have ▁been ▁informed ▁about ▁any ▁of ▁the ▁inc idents ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁attack , ▁they ▁would ▁not ▁have ▁been ▁alert , ▁contrib uting ▁to ▁the ▁dis