For years, Neil Roberts and Col Whitfield thought they were the only two living survivors from the depot ship Kuttabul sunk by a Japanese torpedo in Sydney Harbour on June 1, 1942.

That was until a couple of weeks ago when Neil caught a 15-second glimpse and brief interview with a Bill William on the TV program Australians at War.

In the interview, Bill told of being on the ferry when the torpedo from the midget submarine turned it to matchwood and took 21 lives.

The attack came just months after similar submarines had tried to take out US warships in Pearl Harbour.

Neil, with the help of the Navy, began a search for Bill.

He found him in a retirement village in Hunters Hill and invited him to join Col and himself at the annual Kuttabul remembrance service on Garden Island.

The trio were seated with family members at the service. It attracted more than 250 people.

Bill explained to Navy News, "After the war I lived in several spots.

"I was unaware that an annual service to remember Kuttabul was held at Garden Island.

"However an interview I had done for Australians at War in June of 2000 was put to air recently.

"Neil spotted me and tracked me down. Just four days before the ceremony he contacted me at Hunters Hill and invited me to come along."

Neil and Col could be forgiven for not knowing Bill.

After all LSSTOKER Bill William, then aged 20, was spending his first night on the ferry after he had reported himself as AWOL from HMAS AUSTRALIA which had just returned from the Coral Sea.

"I was asleep in my hammock on a lower deck when the torpedo hit," Bill explained.

"I was knocked out and was unconscious for about three days. I now know I was found floating face down in an oil slick.

"A mate of mine pulled me out of the water, into a boat and took me to the Man O War steps. I was then taken to Sydney Hospital. Apart from the head injury I had a broken pelvis," he said.

Bill spent several weeks in hospital and in recuperation.

"Then they assigned me to the USS MUGFORD so it could take me north to rejoin AUSTRALIA," he said.

Now aged 80, Bill married in 1946, losing his wife last year.

His son Robert accompanied him to the moving service.

Neil Roberts' escape from death on that night was also told at the memorial service.

"I was on sentry duty that night but my relief was 15 minutes late," Neil said.

"I went aboard to wake him.

"He was apologetic and knowing sleep was valuable, invited me to use his hammock on the top deck instead of going to my own below deck.

"I had just gone to sleep when there was a terrible explosion. It simply shattered the ferry.

"Colin had disappeared.

"I fell into the water and found myself trapped in a box-like situation. I remembered where I was, dived beneath the water and escaped to the seawall," he said.

Of Colin he said, "He had two broken ankles.

"At the hospital a doctor said he wanted to amputate both his feet but a nurse instead strapped them in splints.

"His feet were saved but since then he has had to walk with callipers," Neil said.

Neil commended the holding of the memorial services, as apart from remembering the Australian dead, they gave the Japanese the opportunity to remember those Japanese who had given their lives.

All six officers and sailors, who in three midget submarines, had attacked Sydney seeking to destroy warships, including the USS CHICAGO, perished.

The wreckage of two of the midgets was recovered. The third was not found.

Among those to lay wreaths on the memorial were the Systems Commander, RADM Merv Davis, the Japanese Consul-General Mr Shigenobu Kato and Mrs Kato, the trio of survivors, the RSL's Mr Rusty Priest, the CO of HMAS KUTTABUL CMDR Vicki McConachie, Naval associations and students from St Vincents College.

The RAN Band appeared, an RAN catafalque party was provided and a large number of FIMA Sydney and HMAS KUTTABUL officers and sailors attended.

The RAN's musical director, CMDR Ashley Greedy was the MC while CHAP Mark Walbank and Rabbi Raymond Apple did prayers.

The VIPs and guests then went to morning tea in the beautifully restored workshop at the northern end of Garden Island.