 Later in the year, in October, a force of three destroyers, a yacht and the cruiser "Encounter" were sent into the Macassar Strait to search for a German munitions base that had been reported in the area.Nothing was found, although the patrol served to interrupt German efforts to carry out subversive activities in a number of British possessions.In May 1917 the British government requested assistance from the Australian government in dealing with the increasing threat posed by German U-boats.