In memory of the 645 men who lost their life in the sinking of HMAS SYDNEY on the 19 November 1941 May They All Rest In Peace HMAS Sydney [Australian War Memorial]
HMAS SYDNEY (November 19, 1941) Commissioned at Portsmouth in 1935 under the name HMS Phaeton. Transferred to the Australian Navy under her new name HMAS Sydney. The cruiser of 7,000 tons, captained by Captain John Burnett, set sail from Fremantle in Western Australia on November 11 to act as escort for the troopship 'Zealandia' to Sunda Strait. Returning to Fremantle she became engaged in a fire fight off the coast of Western Australia with the German raider Kormoran. Disguised as a Dutch merchantman, and commanded by Theodor Detmers. The Kormoran was one of the ten armed merchantmen employed by the German Navy during the war. Badly damaged and on fire, the Sydney disappeared into the night, never to be seen again. All of her 42 officers and 603 men were lost in this, Australia's worst World War II sea tragedy. The Kormoran also sank with the loss of 85 men but 315 of her crew made it to the West Australian shore, many were rescued by the Australian hospital ship 'Centaur' to spend the rest of the war at the Dhurringile POW camp in Victoria. Controversy raged for decades as to whether there was a cover up by the Australian Government as to the circumstances of the ships disappearance. Will the truth ever be known? The only piece of wreckage found was a life-raft which can be seen in the Australian National War Memorial in Canberra. In a search lasting almost sixty-seven years the wreck of HMAS Sydney was finally found on March 16, 2008, by the search vessel 'Geosounder'. The wreck sits upright on the sea floor at 2,560 metres, nearly two and a half kilometres below the surface. Part of her bow is missing. Twenty-four hours earlier the wreck of the German raider 'Kormoran' was also found twelve and a half kilometres away. Around the wreck was a large field of debris that would suggest the ship had suffered a catastrophic explosion. It is known that the Kormoran carried 320 sea mines.(Theodor Detmers survived the war and died in Hamburg on November 4, 1976) For more on the HMAS Sydney, please go to... HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation.
One of our Aussie mates just got home from the memorial with some photos .... ( hope it's good to post this ) ....... HMAS Sydney 2 Memorial Family History Local History
Ripper, thanks Annie. About the only thing I was disappointed about when leaving WA - I wouldn't be able to make the short four hour drive to Geraldton to attend the ceremony.
