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WRECK OF WARSHIP HMAS SYDNEY FOUND

Two Maltese Seamen among the crew


The final resting place of HMAS Sydney has been found.

Ted Graham chairman of Finding Sydney Foundation said "From my point of view ... they contain the remains of many people and our firm view is that they should be left alone."

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd confirmed at a press conference in Canberra that the wreckage of HMAS Sydney has been found.

Mr Rudd said "The Australian Government hopes that the discovery of HMAS Sydney brings some closure to the families of the 645 Defence Force personnel who lost their lives bravely in this naval action in World War II.

"It's also a time for the nation to reflect on the bravery of all the men who gave their lives in the defence of this country in this particularly brutal and bloody engagement.

"I wish to confirm that under the Historic Shipwrecks Act, the Minister for Environment is in the process of issuing an interim protection order for both vessels." The other vessel is the HSK Kormoran which was located yesterday 112 nautical miles from Steep Point, Western Australia. HMAS Sydney is 10 nautical mile west of the Kormoran.

HMAS Sydney was sunk on November 19, 1941 by the HSK Kormoran, itself later scuttled by her crew, with the loss of all hands which has fuelled many concerns about what actually happened along with theories of Government coverups over the events. The location of the Sydney is consistent with reports from the survivors of the Kormoran.

Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Shalders says that there is more work to do in unlocking the mystery of what happened 66 years ago.

Barbara Craill, daughter of Walter Freer who went down with the Sydney, has said "I feel there should be definitely an inquiry," saying that while the discovery closes one part of the mystery only a judicial inquiry can discover the all that happened "... because there are things that should be brought out. I mean surely we are adult enough to know that not all was well."

The federal government hoped the find would bring some closure for the families of the 645 sailors who went down with the ship.

Among the list of those who perished with the HMAS SYDNEY were two Maltese -Salvatore Zammit, canteen manager, from Zejtun and Samuel Psaila, canteen assistant, from Siggiewi. Both men lived in Sydney Australia.




HMAS SYDNEY crew members in 1940>

HMAS Sydney II and the Kormoran

The loss of HMAS Sydney, 19 November 1941

The most grievous loss suffered by the Royal Australian Navy occurred on 19 November 1941, when the cruiser HMAS Sydney was lost in action with the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran off the Western Australian coast. None of the Sydney's complement of 645 men survived. The Kormoran was also sunk in the action.

The circumstances of the Sydney-Kormoran action contain dramatic elements which have continued to attract public attention for over half a century. The ships' careers had been the antithesis of each other. The Sydney was an outstandingly successful warship, the most famous of the RAN's ships in November 1941. Aesthetically elegant, she had created headlines with her exploits in the Mediterranean, especially the brilliant action off Cape Spada.

On the other hand, the Kormoran's mission was to shun the limelight. Converted from a freighter she was well armed with guns, torpedoes and mines, but this armament was carefully disguised so that only the closest scrutiny would reveal that she was not a merchant ship. It was not her role to fight fleet actions but to operate alone against unescorted shipping for months at a time, avoiding publicity and supported by clandestine meetings with supply ships in remote locations.

The two ships met off the Western Australian coast in the afternoon of 19 November 1941. In the ensuing action the Kormoran's disguise was sufficient to entice the Sydney into close range where she was able to overwhelm her with gunfire and torpedoes. However, although mortally hit, the Sydney was able to fight back and ensure the raider's destruction before limping slowly away to her own fate and that of her crew.

With the complete loss of the Australian cruiser's crew the only accounts of the action are from the Kormoran's survivors. Regrettably these circumstances have led to the circulation of many rumours, accusations and conspiracy theories, which have no basis in fact and supporting evidence.

Update

On 17 March 2008 the Australian Government announced that the wreckage of both HMAS Sydney and the German raider Kormoran had been found, approximately 112 nautical miles off Steep Point, Western Australia. Kormoran is lying at a depth of 2,560 metres; Sydney, approximately 12 nautical miles away, is at 2,470 metres.

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