On 8 December 1941, Japan invaded Hong Kong. At the time, the force numbered 800 men. During battle, the unit saw mass desertions. The whole crew of HMS "Perla" "bolted" after the adjacent HMS "Indira" was sunk. The morale worsened on 11 December, when seamen were ordered to fire upon fellow Chinese, whose junks were wrongly-accused of carrying Japanese infiltrators. The seamen also feared for the safety of their family, who had not been moved to safe houses due to the abruptness of the invasion. The fears were made worse when Kowloon was evacuated on 13 December, leaving the fate of many on the peninsula unknown. Many seamen deserted to check on their families. On 16 December, the replacement crew of HMS "Minnie" witnessed a large scale air-raid and immediately refused to serve. As a Japanese victory drew nearer, orders were sent out to have all ships in the harbour scuttled. Several HKRNVR members of the 2nd MTB Flotilla refused the order, and with their motor torpedo boats, aided Admiral Chan Chak in his escape to China.