 At the beginning of the war in the Pacific "Vyner Brooke" was requisitioned by the Royal Navy, painted gray and armed with a four-inch deck gun forward, two Lewis guns aft and depth charges.The ship's Australian and British officers were mostly Malay Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and had been asked to remain aboard the now HMS "Vyner Brooke".The ship's company, under the command of her peacetime captain, Richard E. Borton, was augmented by reservists, some survivors of HMS "Prince of Wales" and HMS "Repulse" and European and Malay professional sailors.