HMAS Sydney Found at Last

Australia’s greatest sea mystery has been solved after sixty-six years, since it vanished off the west coast of Australia.

On the fateful day of November 14th, 1941, the HMAS Sydney was sunk by German auxiliary cruiser HSK Kormoran. At 4pm this day, the Australian Naval ship reported sighting of a merchant ship somewhere west coast of Shark Bay, Western Australia. The merchant ship which had identified itself as the Dutch ship Straat Malakka was Kormoran under disguise. Report accounts from survivors of the Kormoran say that Sydney had closed within 1,000 meters of the it’s nemesis when they opened fire. The surprise attack caught Sydney off guard by the heavily armed German ship whose artillery and torpedos had been cleverly disguised.

The last reports of the HMAS Sydney were from the survivors of its German enemy. The reports say that the Sydney was last seen heavily on fire and down by the bow. The Kormoran, who was also badly damaged during battle, was abandoned by its crew whilst the 645 crew members of the HMAS Sydney were never seen again and it’s where abouts left unknown.

For sixty-six long years, the families of those whose lives had been lost aboard the HMAS Sydney, and the world were left wondering what had happened to the so called “invincible” Ship. After years of searching for the answers, many searches had been abandoned until earlier this year when a AU$3.9 billion dollar government-funded search, led by famed shipwreck hunter David Mearns was conducted. Mearn, who had studied the demise of the Sydney for four years prior the search and was quoted as saying the search for Sydney would be the most difficult in his career. He is also noted for finding British Royal Navy ship HMS Hood and the German battleship Bismarck, and had no doubt that the HMAS Sydney could, and would be found.

The hunt for the warship discovered the wreckage of the Kormoran on March 15th 2008, 241km from Shark Bay, Shark Bay being the original rumoured location of both wreckages. The finding of the German ship was a promising find in the search for Sydney.

It was two days later, on the 17th of March that the infamous HMAS Sydney’s wreckage was finally found approximately 112 nautical miles off the coast and only 22km from the wreckage of the Kormoran.

The wreckage has now been suggested as a war grave for its crew to remain where it has been found and to rest in peace, with their family’s content on knowing the ship had been found after so many years waiting.

The finding of the HMAS Sydney has solved one of Australia’s greatest maritime mysteries, but still presents questions of the events that took place that fateful day in November, 1941, when the beloved ship disappeared. As investigations of the wreckage and into its sinking are now taking place, more answers are rumoured to be revealed in the coming 24 hours, and Australia can now rejoice with finally knowing what happened to the HMAS Sydney during World War II.