On 1 March, with the two ships and survivors approaching Tjilatjap the withdrawal from Batavia was ordered and all British ships were to gather at Tjilatjap for evacuation. By the time the two corvettes arrived on the afternoon of 1 March Japanese forces were already south of the port and "Bendigo" broadcast a message from Commodore Collins that all ships with enough fuel to avoid that port should proceed directly to Fremantle or Colombo. During the evening Collins arrived from Batavia and boarded "Burnie". Evacuees were loaded on all ships available in the port and at 8 p.m. on 2 March "Burnie" departed flying Collins' flag and reaching Fremantle on 8 March after narrowly escaping Admiral Kondō's cruisers that sunk , the first of the British ships that left Tjilatjap, , and .