From 27 September to 4 October, "Sydney" conveyed the Governor-General of Australia, Viscount De L'Isle, on a tour of Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands. The ship then departed on a training cruise to northern Queensland, during which five personnel drowned in the Whitsunday Islands. Over several days, groups of trainee officers and sailors had been ordered to take one of the ship's whaleboats on a twelve-hour voyage around Hayman and Hooke Islands; out of the sight of both the carrier and her escort, the destroyer . The third group boat left "Sydney" at around 0500 hours on 17 October with a midshipman and four trainee sailors aboard, and was believed to have capsized four to five hours later. Despite poor weather, "Sydney"s captain had declined an offer by "Anzac"s captain for the destroyer to move to the north of Hayman Island in case of incident, and a search party was not sent until after the boat failed to return at 1900 hours. A Board of Inquiry was held aboard "Sydney", which resulted in the ship's captain, executive officer, and training officer facing courts-martial. The latter two were acquitted, and although the captain was found guilty on one of the charges brought against him, it was dropped on a technicality relating to the wording of the charge.