The "Sobieski" took the regiment to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where 135th Fd Rgt and 53rd Brigade transshipped to the USS "Mount Vernon" and CT5 sailed on via Port of Spain to Cape Town. News of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and Malaya was received, and the convoy's destination was changed from the Middle East to India, and then the "Mount Vernon" was detached and sent direct to Malaya.