[270] He also believed that Burnett was not suspicious of Straat Malakka: had he been, he would have used the Walrus to identify the ship or broken wireless silence and enquired about the ship. [206] Conversely, Frame considers the possibility as knowledge of doing so would have been limited to very few people. HMAS Sydney II – Lost. The Australian War Memorial acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia. [165] During the week-long expedition, 30 hours of video footage and 700,000 still images were generated by two ROVs. [73] During the evacuation, a rubber liferaft carrying 60 people, mostly wounded, sank without warning; drowning all but three aboard. [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. Come and see why. [181] An Inquiry into the loss of HMAS Sydney was carried out by the Joint Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JCFADT) during 1997 and 1998, and was tabled in March 1999. REL40877, Trench art cruet set: Petty Officer A J Richter. [224] The recovered carley float—with its damage attributed to machine-gun fire—is often presented as proof. [250] The JCFADT report suggests a third group: a damage control party in fire-fighting gear. [55] Two torpedoes from Kormoran's starboard above-water tubes were launched simultaneously with the raider's attack, and the close proximity of the target allowed the use of the anti-aircraft and close defence guns to rake Sydney's flank, thus preventing the use of the cruiser's secondary weapons. Kormoran also sank, but with survivors who were later captured. [268] Up until the 1980s, most of the material published relating to the loss of Sydney accepted the German interpretation of events (that Burnett was deceived by Kormoran's disguise, and placed his ship in a tactically unsound position) and assigned Burnett various levels of blame for his role in the cruiser's demise. [169] Several biographical and autobiographical works which touched on the battle (including books by Detmers and former Sydney commander John Collins) were also published around this time: none of these contributed new information. [33][34] At 15:55, what was initially thought to be a tall ship sail was sighted off the port bow, although it was quickly determined to be the mast of a warship (HMAS Sydney). Sydney sailed from Fremantle on Armistice Day, 11 November, 1941 to escort the troopship Zealandia to Sunda Strait where she was to be relieved by the British cruiser HMS Durban for the last leg of the voyage to Singapore. 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. 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. [135], American shipwreck hunter David Mearns first learned of the battle and mutual destruction of Sydney and Kormoran during a conference in 1996, and started studying the battle in 2001. Today, I found this tid bit, which attempts to rationalise the catastrophic loss of the HMAS Sydney. On 19 November 1941 the Sydney was sunk in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia by the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran. HMAS Sydney’s Last Engagement The events of 19 November 1941 have been dealt with in many books and articles. Lewis argued if the wreck damage matched the article then it would show the Kormoran account was accurate. It sailed from Fremantle on Armistice Day, 11 November 1941, to escort the troopship Zealandia to Sunda Strait. In 2008, the wrecks of HMAS Sydney II and the German raider Kormoran were found off the coast of Western Australia. 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. [33] The raider was sailing northwards (heading 025°) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). IN NOVEMBER 1941 . [80], Six Lockheed Hudson aircraft from No. Richter crafted this this trench art cruet set while he was serving on Sydney II between April 1941 and the ship's last shore visit in Western Australia, possibly for his wife, Muriel. [178] In her work, Winter also sought to identify and prove false all the rumours and theories that had appeared since the battle. 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. In this foreword he provides a brief overview of books, reports and commissions of inquiry undertaken since publication of the first edition of this guide, The Sinking of HMAS Sydney. P07425.002. [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. It was the largest loss of life in the history of the Royal Australian Navy, the largest Allied warship lost with all hands during World War II, and a major blow to Australian wartime morale. [140] Several small donations were made by companies and the public, but it was not until the Australian government approved another A$2.9 million in October 2007 that the search could proceed. HMAS Sydney was a light cruiser and was sunk on 19 November 1941 by the Kormoran, a German auxiliary cruiser. [202], The claim of Japanese involvement, specifically a submarine operating with Kormoran, is based on several elements. [176][177], Although not written as such, the 1984 HMAS Sydney: Fact, Fantasy and Fraud by Barbara Winter served as a reply to Montgomery's work. ", to which the raider responded "Batavia". 1941 November 17 HMAS Sydney (II) turned Zealandia over to Durban for further escort to Singapore. [122], Sydney was granted the battle honour "Kormoran 1941" in recognition of the damage done to Kormoran. Some, who have spent many years investigating the incident, say the Sydney may have been involved in a ruse … / The HMAS Sydney – HSK Kormoran Engagement (November 1941) – Part 2. [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. HMAS Sydney found 16 March 2008 . The other ‘lantern’ once had an internal red coating, representing port, but nearly all of it is now worn off. [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. November 19, 1941 (Wednesday) The Battle between HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran occurred off the coast of Western Australia. Prepared for the HMAS Sydney II Commission of Inquiry. Lewis also argued in "The truth about Sydney – conspiracy theorists should crawl back into the bilges." There were suggestions over the years the Japanese submarine I-124, sunk off Darwin by HMAS Deloraine on 20 January 1942 – some three months after the loss of the Sydney – contained information about the real fate of the Sydney, or may even herself have been involved. All that was known was Sydney had come under fire from the German raider HSK Kormoran, which also sank. The German survivors were found with milk bottles bearing Japanese labels. [286], Other memorials commemorating the loss of Sydney include an oak tree planted at the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance, and an avenue in Carnarvon lined with 645 trees. [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. 1941 November 11 HMAS Sydney (II) sailed from Fremantle escorting Zealandia to the Sunda Strait. [136] Mearns focused on primary source documents, which led him to believe that German accounts of the battle's location were truthful, and was able to convince the RAN that a search around that area was feasible. Last year both wrecks were found off Western Australia. Sydney sailed from Fremantle on Armistice Day, 11 November, 1941 to escort the troopship Zealandia to Sunda Strait where she was to be relieved by the British cruiser HMS Durban for the last leg of the voyage to Singapore. [7], Initially assigned to escort and patrol duties in Australian waters, Sydney was sent to the Mediterranean in mid-1940. [266][267] While DNA comparison testing did not produce definite results, as of September 2010 it remained on-going. [71], Kormoran was stationary, and at 18:25, Detmers ordered the ship to be abandoned, as damage to the raider's engine room had knocked out the fire-fighting systems, and there was no way to control or contain the oil fire before it reached the magazines or the mine hold. [254] The flesh of his right arm had been eaten away by fish, and his eyes and nose consumed by birds. One of the raider’s spectacular coups was the sinking of two British ships in mid Atlantic on 29 January 1941. [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. [109] Many did not follow this instruction, but their accounts included second-hand information of varying reliability. [209] Olson doubts that a surrender flag was used to lure Sydney in, as this would have informed Burnett that Straat Malakka was not what she seemed. 301407. [171] Frame and Olson both credit Montgomery with igniting the controversy; the former describes Montgomery's work as "a polemical, finger-pointing, brawling account" which, if not deliberately prepared to create a controversy, had that effect, while the latter claimed that the book only "sparked debate [and] opened old and new wounds". [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. If you mean the WW2 light cruiser, it was sunk by the German raider Kormoran on 19/11/41. Sydney II had an impressive record of war service. None of … The Kormoran was also sunk, but 317 of its crew of 397 were rescued. [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. [93] All of the German lifeboats were accounted for: between them, 318[c] of Kormoran's 399 personnel survived. [38][39] Sydney signalled "Make your signal letters clear", which the signals officer aboard Kormoran did by lengthening the halyard and swinging it around to starboard. Controversy has often surrounded the battle, especially in the years before the two wrecks were located in 2008. [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. HMAS Sydney (II), a Modified Leander Class Light Cruiser began life as the British Royal Navy’s HMS Phaeton on the 8 July 1933. REL26111. [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]. [63][66] After completing the turn, battle damage caused Kormoran's engines to fail completely, leaving the raider dead in the water while Sydney continued to sail southwards at low speed. 75 years on, surveys from the oceans depths are beginning to unravel what happened that fateful day. [170], Michael Montgomery's 1981 book, Who Sank The Sydney?, was the first published work to focus solely on Sydney and the events surrounding her loss, and the first to comprehensively challenge the accepted view of the battle. [145] Mearns focused on finding Kormoran first: the German wreck's approximate location could be predicted, and while the same was not true for Sydney, there was a wealth of information indicating her position relative to Kormoran. [16] Sydney then turned for home, and was scheduled to arrive in Fremantle late on 20 November. The crew of HMAS Sydney (II) posing through the damaged forward funnel . [1] Australian authorities learned of Sydney's fate from the surviving Kormoran personnel, who were held in prisoner of war camps until the end of the war. [222] Cole's report concluded likewise, and stated that the allegations made to 'prove' the presence of a submarine were factually wrong, lacked collaborating evidence, or otherwise did not support the claims. [77] When the ship failed to arrive by 23 November, wireless communications stations (initially those in Fremantle, then all high-power stations in Australia) began signalling ordering Sydney to report in. [4] Sydney carried eight 6-inch (152 mm) guns in four twin turrets ("A" and "B" forward, "X" and "Y" aft) as primary armament. [5] These were supplemented by four 4-inch (102 mm) anti-aircraft guns, nine .303-inch (7.7 mm) machine guns, and eight 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in two quadruple mountings. Starboard side view of the cruiser HMAS Sydney II, August 1941. [62] The cruiser was wreathed in smoke from fires burning in the engine room and forward superstructure, and around the aircraft catapult. [55] The fourth 15-centimetre (5.9 in) gun was ready by this time, and all four began to fire: the third and fourth salvoes knocked the cruiser's "A" and "B" turrets out of action before they could fire a second time, and the fifth hit Sydney on the waterline in proximity to the forward engine room, although one shell hit high and destroyed the Walrus. [182] Published in 1993, this was the first book dedicated to the subject authored by a naval officer or a trained historian, and in addition to analysing the battle and its aftermath, looked at the historiography to date and the development of the controversy. [83][85] On 25 November, HNLMS Tromp was sent from Sunda Strait to follow Sydney's assumed course if she had headed for Surabaya or Singapore after sustaining damage. [213] However, several shorthand experts consulted by Winter could find nothing resembling Einheitskurzschrift (or any other shorthand style) in the sketches. [83], Wireless signals to Sydney ceased, as it was assumed that if the cruiser had survived, battle damage or operational reasons prevented her reply. [181][187], Over the next few years, several books about the battle were published. [22] The ship could be disguised as one of several Allied or neutral vessels. [215][216] The Cole report noted that false submarine sightings are a common wartime occurrence. [48] The cruiser may or may not have been at action stations: the main guns and port torpedo launcher were trained on Kormoran and her Walrus scout plane had been readied for launch, prompting Detmers to prepare to engage Sydney, but her 4-inch (100 mm) guns were unmanned, and personnel were standing on the upper deck. [105] Sydney was the largest Allied ship to be lost with all hands during the war. [219] Claims that items from Sydney (such as cap tallies) were found in Japan after the war have also been aired, but further investigation found these to be based on unfounded speculation.[220]. It was on the return of one of these voyages that she encountered the HSK Kormoran, on 19 November 1941. [153] Sydney's wreck was located at 26°14′31″S 111°12′48″E / 26.24194°S 111.21333°E / -26.24194; 111.21333 at 2,468 metres (8,097 ft) below sea level: the bow of the cruiser had broken off as the ship sank, and was located at the opposite end of a debris field stretching 500 metres (1,600 ft) north-west from the hull. [69][70] However, after the wrecks were located, it was determined that Sydney was under limited control after the battle, maintaining a course of 130–140 degrees true at speeds of 1.5 knots (2.8 km/h; 1.7 mph). [130] Other searches were conducted by aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force carrying magnetometers; again, these were only in response to claims of possible locations. In November of that year, commemorative ceremonies were … HMAS Sydney II was Australia’s most famous warship after her success in the Mediterranean against Italian cruisers during the Battle of Cape Spada during those critical early days in World War II. The exact location of the sinking was unknown, as were details of what happened. More than 600 crew members aboard the Sydney were lost at sea, and with no survivors alive to give their account, many Australians do not believe the German account of the battle. [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. [48][56], Subsequent salvoes from the raider were more accurate. HMAS Sydney (II) crew - Portrait of the crew in full uniform after a successful mission in the Mediterranean Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial (P00795.001) Captain Burnett - Took command of HMAS Sydney (II) on 14 May 1941 HMAS Sydney (II) - A celebratory march through Perth, Western Australia We recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and waters. [78] Initially believing that these were survivors of a German raider attack, and that the raider might still be in the area, Aquitania resumed her voyage to Sydney, maintaining silence until the afternoon of 26 November. [111] In addition, some of the Germans were interviewed, formally or informally, prior to their group reuniting with others; the independent accounts provided the same common elements. Theories surround HMAS Sydney sinking. [229][236] Based on survival rates for contemporary warship losses, Olson determined that anyone who survived the sinking would have died from wounds, exposure, or drowning before the search commenced, and corpses would not have floated to the surface until after the search had been terminated. 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. [63] Kormoran discontinued salvo firing, but the individually firing aft guns scored hits as Sydney crossed the raider's stern. HMAS Sydney II was lost with all hands on 19 November 1941 after a short encounter with German auxiliary cruiser HSK Kormoran. [227] The Chinese survivors are also cited as proof that no machine-gunning of Australian survivors took place, as if they had witnessed or learned of such an act, they too would have been killed to preserve the secret. On 19 November 1941, Sydney was involved in a mutually destructive engagement with the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, and was lost with all hands (645 aboard). 75 years on, surveys from the oceans depths are beginning to … [161] The damage found by the search team corresponded with the descriptions given by Kormoran survivors after the battle. [203][204], All German accounts indicate that Kormoran lowered the Dutch flag and raised the German war ensign before the order to fire was given, although general distrust of German claims, plus the statement in Detmers' autobiography that it took six seconds to raise the flag, decamouflage, and start firing, led to questions. [124][125] This was due to the lack of a detailed location, a problem which was compounded by supporters of alternative engagement theories, who believed that the Germans were lying and that the ships would be found further south and closer to shore. [84] Aircraft from No. On 16 November, Captain JA Collins, RAN returned to Sydney to relieve Captain Waller, RN as her Commanding Officer. [213] A civilian working for Australian military intelligence attempted to decode these, and after relying on interpolation and speculation to make sense of the decoded characters and fill in the gaps, came up with a message that included the phrase "a Japanese gunfire attack from Japan itself". The events of the battle were later inferred using German … Dr Lewis, who wrote Sensuikan I-124, and Darwin's Submarine I-124, contributed to the Cole inquiry, arguing strongly that this was impossible. [275] Canberra pursued the suspected raider, and fired from maximum range to avoid retaliatory fire, while her Walrus amphibian attempted to stop the tanker with bombs. [89] At sunset, the 31-man boat was located by the passenger ship Koolinda at 24°07′S 112°46′E / 24.117°S 112.767°E / -24.117; 112.767, which recovered the sailors and made for Carnarvon. 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. [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. [36][37] After another delay, Kormoran raised "PKQI"—the call-sign for the Dutch merchant ship Straat Malakka—on the triatic stay and hoisted a Dutch merchant ensign. [171] The son of Sydney's Royal Navy navigator, Montgomery could not accept the ship's loss as described by Gill, and claimed that the true events were being covered up. [159] Sydney was the first to be inspected; electrical problems with the ROV set the start of filming back to 3 April. [183][184] Frame's work was pro-RAN and supportive of Burnett, and while he dismissed many of the alternative claims made regarding the battle, he felt that those involving German duplicity were plausible. [247], Olson lists two groups of sailors that could have been mistaken for pantrymen, but had a reason to be where Detmers saw them. [120] Coincidentally, tied up to the opposite pier was the real Straat Malakka. According to reports from the survivors of the Kormoran, the German ship was disguised and travelling under a false flag. [282] During the playing of the Last Post, a large flock of seagulls flew over the participants and headed out to sea in formation; this inspired the design of the permanent memorial. [67] The raider fired her guns for the last time around 17:50, with the range at 6,600 yards (6,000 m), and a torpedo was launched at 18:00, but missed Sydney. [234] However, the presence of all but two of the ship's boats in the nearby debris field, plus indications that the davits for the two missing boats were shot away during the battle, led Mearns to believe that evacuation was attempted after the bow snapped off, but there was not enough time or seaworthy boats to do so. [264][265] During an autopsy, a metal fragment was found embedded in the skull, which was believed to have killed the man through brain trauma: although seized upon by believers in the massacre of Sydney's sailors, the fragment was found to be German shell shrapnel. [48][53] During the turn, the 10th German salvo tore the roof from "B" turret and destroyed "A" turret's housing. This and the fact that the cruiser should, in [228], The accepted view of the battle (based on German damage descriptions) is that the majority of Sydney's personnel were killed during the battle, with the rest dying when the cruiser sank. [115] Kormoran's executive officer, gunnery officer, and a sailor who manned the starboard 37-millimetre (1.5 in) gun were awarded the Iron Cross First Class (for the executive officer, this was a bar to a previous Iron Cross), while the rest of the ship's company were all awarded the Iron Cross Second Class. The result was a round of speculation that seemed to last forever. [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. [172] According to his book, Kormoran had fired on Sydney while flying the flag of a neutral nation, a Japanese submarine was involved in the battle, and any Australian survivors were killed to hide the involvement of the Japanese. 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