Report: HMAS Sydney located The discovery of a German raider ship, Kormoran, could eventually solve the mystery of what happened to the HMAS Sydney in 1941 (AAP) Accession Number: Ltd., a not-for-profit company set up to support a search for Sydney, in late 2004. [3] The cruiser was 562 feet 4 inches (171.40 m) long, and displaced 8,940 long tons (9,080 t). Sinking of HMAS Sydney - 19 November 1941 Description. 301407. Western Australian Museum, Department of Maritime Archaeology, Report No 243. ; 6th » World War II: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin addresses the Soviet Union for only the … [93][94] On 28 November, HMAS Wyrallah found a German lifeboat and two four-man liferafts, one of which was carrying a dead German sailor, who was buried at sea. [99] Censorship restrictions on the newspapers were lifted to publish the statement, but radio stations were instructed to wait 48 hours before broadcasting the news to avoid alerting any other German ships in the area. [108], Interrogation of the German survivors to discover the fate of Sydney began on 25 November. [1] This was compounded by the loss of HMAS Parramatta, which was sunk by a German U-boat on 27 November; news of this was announced a day after Sydney's fate was made public. [260][261][262], The inquiry recommended that the grave be found, the body exhumed, and its DNA compared to relatives of Sydney personnel. [79] Detmers saw the troopship, but he did not make their boat's presence known, as he hoped to be recovered by a neutral ship. [131] This was attempted at a 1991 forum: although the location of the battle was generally agreed upon, because the exact fate and time of sinking for Sydney was unknown, the possible location could not be more accurately determined. The wrecks of both ships were lost until 2008; Sydney was found on 17 March, five days after her adversary. [76], At 06:00 on 23 November, the troopship RMS Aquitania recovered one of the two rafts carrying 26 German sailors at 24°35′S 110°57′E / 24.583°S 110.950°E / -24.583; 110.950. [90] Despite this, rumours about the ship's loss were circulating, fuelled by the lack of information to substantiate the "missing" telegrams. [8][9] Sydney operated against Italian naval forces for eight months, during which she participated in multiple battles, sank two Italian warships and several merchantmen, and supported convoy operations and shore bombardments. Controversy has often surrounded the battle, especially in the years before the two wrecks were located in 2008. [282] A temporary memorial (consisting of a large boulder, a flagpole, and a bronze plaque), was installed prior to 19 November 1998, and was used in a remembrance ceremony that year. [200], These theories contend that Detmers acted illegally by firing before Kormoran raised her battle ensign, flew a white flag of surrender to trick Burnett into relaxing, or used false signal flags to indicate a medical or engineering emergency and lure Sydney in. [176][177] The controversial views have been maintained and propagated by several organisations, such as the Sydney Research Group and End Secrecy on Sydney, and authors like McDonald and Samuels. The Sydney's entire crew of 645 went down with the ship in the Indian Ocean and its location has been a mystery for 66 years. The result was a round of speculation that seemed to last forever. Sydney, with Captain Joseph Burnett commanding, and Kormoran, under Fregattenkapitän Theodor Detmers, encountered each other approximately 106 nautical miles (196 km; 122 mi) off Dirk Hartog Island. [147] Repairs were made, and the ship reached the south-east corner of the search box just before midnight on 4 March, but the early days of the search were hampered by recurring faults with the sonar and the effects of Tropical Cyclone Ophelia. Boats and rafts carrying survivors from Kormoran were recovered at sea, while others made landfall north of Carnarvon: 318 of the 399 personnel on Kormoran survived. By 2009 more than 26 books had been written about the mystery. [73] During the evacuation, a rubber liferaft carrying 60 people, mostly wounded, sank without warning; drowning all but three aboard. [150], Using the wreck location and the German observations of Sydney after the battle, a 20-by-18-nautical-mile (37 by 33 km; 23 by 21 mi) search box for the cruiser was calculated. [158], Geosounder returned to Geraldton on 20 March, but delays in installing and testing the ROV prevented departure until 29 March, with the ship sailing through the path of Cyclone Pancho. Many years passed after her sinking, with little information… [36][48] The aircraft was shut down by 17:25, and the catapult swung into the storage position; the two ships were too close for a safe launch. So what happened? In November 1941, HMAS Sydney, along with her crew of 645 officers and men, disappeared somewhere off the coast of Western Australia, without a trace. [97], On 26 November, the Naval Board distributed lists of Sydney's ship's company to all district naval offices. [33][34], As she closed the gap, the Australian cruiser requested that Kormoran identify herself. [118] The German officers and sailors were repatriated after the war, departing from Port Phillip Bay with other Axis prisoners aboard the steamer Orontes on 21 February 1947. Available in PDF form www.defence.gov.au/sydneyii/WAM/WAM.070.0010.pdf, Military history of Australia during World War II, Search for HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, Joint Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, "Australian judge to examine wartime ship loss", "WWII Shipwrecks Photographed off Australia", "The HMAS Sydney/HSK Kormoran engagement: an analysis of events leading up the 60th anniversary celebrations in November 2001", "HMAS Sydney wreck to be recorded in safeguard mission", "HMAS Sydney II Memorial completed in time for the commemorative 70th anniversary", The Royal Australian Navy in World War II, Battle between HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, Western Australian emergency of March 1942, Western Australian emergency of March 1944, Coastal defences of Australia during World War II, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_between_HMAS_Sydney_and_German_auxiliary_cruiser_Kormoran&oldid=991074422, Naval battles of World War II involving Australia, Naval battles of World War II involving Germany, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2010, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [256][257], The island's inhabitants believed that the float and sailor were of naval origin, and had come from Sydney. "[178][180], In 1991, the HMAS Sydney Forum was convened by the Western Australian Museum; its goals were to seek a consensus view of the battle, and collect suggestions on how and where searches for Sydney and Kormoran should occur. HMAS Sydney II had just handed over escort of the troop ship Zealandia in the Sunda Strait and was headed for Fremantle.. HMAS Sydney II approached the merchant vessel and requested … [165] During the week-long expedition, 30 hours of video footage and 700,000 still images were generated by two ROVs. [54] With Kormoran's opening salvo (which consisted of two shells instead of four because the raider's two centreline guns were slower to decamouflage), the gunnery officer attempted to bracket the cruiser's bridge but failed to hit it, with the shells striking other parts of the ship or missing completely. The other ‘lantern’ once had an internal red coating, representing port, but nearly all of it is now worn off. According to German accounts—which were assessed as truthful and generally accurate by Australian interrogators during the war, as well as most subsequent analyses—Sydney approached so close to Kormoran that the Australian cruiser lost the advantages of heavier armour and superior gun range. P07425.002, A large crowd of onlookers watch and applaud officers and men of HMAS Sydney II during a ceremonial welcome home march through Martin Place, February 1941. [63], By the end of the 30-minute battle, the ships were about 10,000 metres (33,000 ft) apart: both were heavily damaged and on fire. Western Australian Museum Press, Welshpool. [229][238] Although Sydney is thought of as the only warship lost with all hands, the JCFADT report lists eight other surface warships of similar size lost during the World Wars where none survived, and another six where 95% or more aboard died. [116], One sailor died in captivity from lung cancer on 24 March 1942, and was buried in the Tatura war cemetery. 75 years ago, on 19 November 1941, HMAS Sydney II, a light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy, was lost following a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran off the Western Australian coast. [245], The claim that Sydney was not at action stations originates from an observation by Detmers; as Sydney approached, the cruiser's 4-inch (100 mm) guns were unmanned, and sailors in aprons (which he describes as pantrymen), were standing on deck watching the German ship. [224], The Australian War Memorial undertook a detailed analysis of the carley float during 1992 and 1993 to determine the nature of the damage. [190] Also in 2005, Brett Manning used the alternative theories of the battle as the basis for the spy novel Enduring Deception, in which an American agent must cover-up the cruiser's encounter with a Japanese submarine so the Pearl Harbor attack occurs without warning, drawing the United States into the war. 1.1 The loss of HMAS Sydney1 in November 1941 was a tragedy on a number of levels. [131] WHOI staff did not believe that the search area could be sufficiently narrowed down—shipwreck hunter Robert Ballard commented that searching for the ships could not be described as a needle in a haystack, "because the haystack has not yet been found"—and the WHOI withdrew its support. [210] He considers that the Germans may have used false signals or pretended to scuttle, but only hypothetically. [221] The JCFADT report concluded that there was no evidence to support the presence of the Japanese. Typically these include salt and pepper shakers (such as this set), or small bottles of vinegar and olive oil. Still at it. HMAS Sydney found 16 March 2008 . In November of that year, commemorative ceremonies were … Sydney, with Captain Joseph Burnett commanding, and Kormoran, under Fregattenkapitän Theodor Detmers, encountered each other approximately 106 nautical miles (196 km; 122 mi) off Dirk Hartog Island. [164], In April 2015, an expedition to the wrecks was made by Curtin University and the Western Australian Museum, with the objective of using 3D imaging to map the wrecksites for further study, and to determine if any deterioration since the 2008 discovery requires the development of a conservation management plan. Historical Events for November, 1941. With three years experience under his belt as Sydney 's Executive Officer, Collins selection as the first Australian officer to command the vessel was seen as a logical choice and one which was popular among many of the cruisers 'old hands', who were pleased to see him return. Following the discovery of the wrecks, a second inquiry into the loss of Sydney was held, this time by the Department of Defence. HMAS Sydney under way in 1940 The events that would lead to the sinking of HMAS Sydney began on 19 November 1941 off the west coast of Australia, around 122 miles from Dirk Hartog Island. The ship and its entire company of 645 were lost. HMAS Sydney was a light cruiser and was sunk on 19 November 1941 by the Kormoran, a German auxiliary cruiser. Sydney was last seen steaming out of control and on fire into the blackness of night. [126][127][128], The survey ship HMAS Moresby conducted multiple unsuccessful searches for Sydney and Kormoran between 1974 and 1991, when the ship was based in Fremantle. [223], The alternative engagement theories attribute the lack of survivors, corpses, or debris from Sydney to the need to eliminate evidence of German illegality or Japanese aggression. [195] A month later, shipwreck hunter David Mearns published an account of the search for the two ships: The Search for the Sydney: How Australia's greatest maritime mystery was solved. Military historian Dr Tom Lewis OAM, then a serving naval officer, wrote several analytical articles about the controversies surrounding the battle, all of which argued that the Kormoran account was right. At 6pm a battle ensued and both ships were critically damaged. 19 November – The light cruiser HMAS Sydney engages the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran in an hour-long battle off the coast of Western Australia. [152] Prime Minister Rudd announced the find a day later. [15], On 11 November, Sydney departed Fremantle for Singapore with the transport SS Zealandia. It came across a German raider called the Kormoran that was in disguise, but loaded with guns and torpedoes. 75 years ago, on 19 November 1941, HMAS Sydney II, a light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy, was lost following a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran off the Western Australian coast. [181] Interested parties, including Montgomery, Winter, and Frame, were brought together for the three-day forum, but instead of reconciling different views of the battle, the forum only served to further split the participants. [39][40], Sydney asked Kormoran "Where bound? On 8 July 1933 the ship that would become Sydney (II) was laid down as HMS Phaeton in the shipyard of Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, at Wallsend-on-Tyne in England. [135][192] One not only involved a claim to have located the wreck off Dirk Hartog Island, but it also referred to the location of a grave there.[193]. One of the souls lost with Sydney II’s sinking was Petty Officer Stoker Arthur John Richter. [159] Sydney was the first to be inspected; electrical problems with the ROV set the start of filming back to 3 April. [31] This was one of only three honours awarded during the 20th century for the sinking of a single ship – rather than a lengthy operation in a military campaign – and the second granted to a ship named Sydney. [241][242], Sydney was not fitted with voice transmission equipment, so could not have sent any of the reported voice signals. REL40877. [217] In addition, the positions of all 46 active Japanese submarines at the time of the battle have been accounted for: 28 were in Japanese waters preparing for the attack on Pearl Harbor, seven were readying for operations in the South China Sea and Philippines, nine were heading for the South China Sea, and two had just departed for patrols in the Pacific. Disguised as a Dutch merchant vessel, the Komoran used the advantage of surprise and brought all its armament to bear on Sydney II. [93], The search was terminated at sunset on 29 November. [157] The wrecks were added to the Australian National Heritage List on 14 March 2011. [118] Detmers was found with a German-English dictionary which contained two encrypted accounts of the battle (a deck log or action report, and an engineering log), although these provided little new information. Places of Pride, the National Register of War Memorials, is a new initiative designed to record the locations and photographs of every publicly accessible memorial across Australia. [237] The higher survival rate from Kormoran was because, unlike Sydney, the raider's boats and rafts were well equipped and mostly undamaged. [166], The first collected historical account of the engagement was published in 1947, in George Hermon Gill's Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942, the first of two RAN-oriented volumes in the government-sponsored Australia in the War of 1939–1945 series. P07425.002. Advanced British units captured Sidi Rezegh 10 miles south of Tobruk. [196] Dr Tom Lewis published "What has the wreck of the Sydney told us?" [236] Open watertight doors show that some attempt to abandon ship was made. [24][25][26] After operating in the Atlantic, during which time she sank seven merchant ships and captured an eighth, the raider sailed to the Indian Ocean in late April 1941. 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