HMAS Kuru was an auxiliary patrol boat operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II.

Kuru was built at Balmain, New South Wales in 1938 for the Northern Territory Patrol Service and was used to counter poaching by Japanese fishermen.

In late November 1942, the RAN was called on to evacuate the commandos of the 2/2nd Independent Company after ten months of guerilla warfare against the Japanese in Timor (an evacuation attempt in September had failed when the destroyer HMAS Voyager grounded, then was destroyed by Japanese aircraft), a contingent of Dutch troops, and over 100 Portuguese civilians, while delivering a relief contingent of Royal Netherlands East Indies Army and Australian soldiers.

[2] After offloading the supplies and taking on 70 women and children, the vessel waited for Armidale and Castlemaine to arrive, but after they failed to appear by 02:00 the next morning, sailed for Darwin.

[2] Following the evacuation of Timor, Kuru operated in Northern Australian waters and rescued the survivors of HMAS Patricia Cam in January 1943.