After the fall of Singapore "Maryborough" and the flotilla, now including and , were engaged in the defense of the Dutch East Indies, raiding oil refineries in Sumatra to deny them to the Japanese and patrolling the southern area of the Sunda Strait, in particular to prevent Japanese landings in small native craft, until 28 February when Commander Cant took the flotilla to Tjilatjap for replenishment. During the night orders came to return to the strait so that "Maryborough" and three other ships turned back but on 1 March Batavia was ordered evacuated and the ships, then about 50 miles east of Java Head headed again for Tjilatjap. There, as Java was evacuated, Commander Cant made space on his ships for about thirty passengers each and on the night of 2 March, the other ships already having left escorting evacuation ships, "Maryborough" departed escorting the Dutch ship bound for Fremantle.