REL26111, Ship model of HMAS Sydney II crafted by Wayne Masters in 1981. [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. The entire complement of HMAS Sydney II comprising 42 Officers and 603 ratings were all killed as a result of this tragic incident. [65] Prior to the torpedo launch, Detmers had decided to destroy Sydney completely and ordered the raider to turn to port so four-gun salvoes could be fired: this manoeuvre caused the torpedoes to pass astern of Kormoran. [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]. [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. [31][32], On 19 November, shortly before 16:00, Kormoran was 150 nautical miles (280 km; 170 mi) southwest of Carnarvon, Western Australia. [90], Centaur, which had been ordered to collect the Germans from Carnarvon and transport them to Fremantle, encountered Detmers' lifeboat at 22:20, at coordinates 24°39′S 112°15′E / 24.650°S 112.250°E / -24.650; 112.250. Accepting that his duty was to remain with the convoy, Melbourne ’s Captain ML Silver, RN, ordered Sydney, the escort closest to Cocos, to raise steam for full speed and investigate. [90] Telegrams to next-of-kin, stating that their relatives were "missing as a result of enemy action" were lodged, although naval censors advised the media that no announcements relating to the cruiser be made. [76][77] Warships were expected to maintain wireless silence unless absolutely necessary; none of these were sufficient reason to break silence and inform Fremantle of the delay. [117] On 11 January 1945, Detmers and 19 other Axis officers escaped from Dhurringile through a tunnel excavated during the previous seven months; all were recaptured within days. [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. "What may the wreck of the Sydney reveal", published in Warship Vol 42; the RUSI Journal United Service in Feb 2008, and in the Australian Naval Institute's Headmark in Dec 2007, was the first battle-damage assessment of what the wreck of the Sydney – if it was found – would look like. [107] The events were made public in December 1943, after the early accounts were confirmed by a sailor from Kormoran sent home in a prisoner exchange. 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. [19][20], Kormoran was commissioned in October 1940: after modification, she was 515 feet (157 m) long, and measured 8736 grt. HMAS Sydney II was lost with all hands on 19 November 1941 after a short encounter with German auxiliary cruiser HSK Kormoran. [156] On discovery, both wrecks were placed under the protection of the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. [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. By 2009 more than 26 books had been written about the mystery. [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. Loss of HMAS Sydney. [112] Based on this, it was concluded that the true story was being given, and that there were no widespread attempts to falsify accounts. [207] He cites other parts of the autobiography, where Detmers repeatedly asserts that he had committed no crime, while stating his fear of court martial, as indicating a guilty conscience. [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. [22] The 15-centimetre (5.9 in) guns were concealed behind false hull plates and cargo hatch walls, which would swing clear when the order to decamouflage was given, while the secondary weapons sat on hydraulic lifts hidden within the superstructure. [266][267] While DNA comparison testing did not produce definite results, as of September 2010 it remained on-going. 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. The Finding Sydney Foundation has been searching for the vessel in the hope of finding the location of HMAS Sydney, which was sunk following a battle off the WA coast in November 1941. [34] Detmers ordered Kormoran to alter course into the sun (heading 260°) at maximum achievable speed (which quickly dropped from 15 to 14 knots (28 to 26 km/h; 17 to 16 mph) because of problems in one of her diesel engines), while setting the ship to action stations. [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. [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. Just dropped a ROV at 112.55 and 26 looking for a historic wreck from 1941. [120] Coincidentally, tied up to the opposite pier was the real Straat Malakka. [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. [93][96] A second Carley float, which washed up on Christmas Island in February 1942, is believed to be linked with the cruiser. The Germans used nine ‘Hilfskreuzers’ (auxiliary cruisers) – disguised merchant raiders during the war. 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. [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. Sydney sank after a naval battle with the German ship Kormoran off the coast of Western Australia. [48][53] During the turn, the 10th German salvo tore the roof from "B" turret and destroyed "A" turret's housing. She did not arrive as expected and the District Naval Officer, Western … [114] The sailors were placed in No. [130], In 1990, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) were approached to join a Western Australian Maritime Museum-led search for Sydney and Kormoran, which was agreed to on the condition that the search area be narrowed considerably. [260][261][262], The inquiry recommended that the grave be found, the body exhumed, and its DNA compared to relatives of Sydney personnel. [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. [33][38] By 16:35, with Sydney 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) away, the malfunctioning engine aboard Kormoran was repaired, but Detmers chose to keep it in reserve. [102] Curtin made a second announcement three days later, providing some detail of the battle. From 24 November, after Sydney failed to return to port, air and sea searches were conducted. The Finding Sydney Foundation has been searching for the vessel in the hope of finding the location of HMAS Sydney, which was sunk following a battle off the WA coast in November 1941. September 7, 2000. [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. [48][54] One analysis claims that this was either a warning shot just over the superstructure, or an attempt to destroy the raider's bridge as a prelude to capture. There have been several ships named HMAS Sydney. The first 'action honour' was awarded to the Town-class light cruiser, McCarthy, M., 2009. REL40877, Trench art cruet set: Petty Officer A J Richter. [48] Accounts disagree on which ship fired first, but agree that both opened fire almost simultaneously. [178] Winter used material from German and American archives in addition to Australian sources, with the main thrust of her work comparing the relative experience and competence of Burnett and Detmers, which supported the accepted view of the battle. Both ships were destroyed in the half-hour engagement. Until 2008 none of the attempts to locate the Sydney had succeeded. 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 … HMAS Sydney found 16 March 2008 . [48][49] During her manoeuvre, Sydney appeared to signal "IK" (the short-form for "You should prepare for a cyclone, hurricane, or typhoon"), which Kormoran did not respond to, as from their perspective, such a signal did not make sense. Accession Number: [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. [138] In mid-September 2004, the German government granted Mearns permission to film Kormoran if she were found. Your generous donation will be used to ensure the memory of our Defence Forces and what they have done for us, and what they continue to do for our freedom remains – today and into the future. Other sources state that 317 survived, including two Chinese. [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. The loss of HMAS Sydney in 1941 was almost impossible for many Australians to comprehend, and over the years a number of theories have been put forward as to just what did happen on that fateful day. Nevertheless, several post-war publications have alleged that Sydney's loss had been the subject of an extensive cover-up, that the Germans had not followed the laws of war, that Australian survivors were massacred following the battle, or that the Empire of Japan had been secretly involved in the action (before officially declaring war in December). On 16 November, Captain JA Collins, RAN returned to Sydney to relieve Captain Waller, RN as her Commanding Officer. Starboard side view of the cruiser HMAS Sydney II, August 1941. is reliant on assertions that had been proved false, unreliable sources (including a 'sailor's report' found to be a translation of an inaccurate Australian newspaper article), and selective use of German accounts that fit the hypothesis, and Montgomery is generally credited with igniting the controversy surrounding the battle. [48][52], In response to the cruiser's signal, Detmers ordered that Kormoran's disguise be dropped, for the Dutch flag to be replaced by the Kriegsmarine ensign, and for the guns and torpedoes to open fire. The loss of the Sydney with its 645 crew remains Australia’s worst naval disaster. [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… Some claim they heard the explosions from HMAS Sydney in Geraldton. All 645 crewman on board the Australian light cruiser perished. 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. [256][259] The JCFADT inquiry concluded "on the balance of probability, that the body and the carley float ... were most likely from HMAS Sydney. [187] The inquiry was presided over by Terence Cole, an expert in maritime law and a former Deputy Judge Advocate General. [87] On the morning of 26 November, aircraft spotted two boats at sea, but were unable to find them again that afternoon. [63] The German survivors were in five boats and two rafts: one cutter carrying 46 men, two damaged steel liferafts with 57 and 62 aboard (the latter carrying Detmers and towing several small floats), one workboat carrying 72 people, one boat with 31 men aboard, and two rafts, each bearing 26 sailors. [283] The memorial included four major elements: a stele of the same size and shape of the ship's prow, a granite wall listing the ship's company, a bronze statue of a woman looking out to sea and waiting in vain for the cruiser to come home, and a dome (dubbed the "dome of souls") onto which 645 stainless steel seagulls were welded. [48][58] Sydney's main armament was completely disabled (the forward turrets were damaged or destroyed, while the aft turrets were jammed facing port, away from Kormoran), and her secondary weapons were out of range. 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