H.M.A.S Syndey found

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Ripper

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http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/17/2190983.htm?section=justin

Wreck of HMAS Sydney found

Posted 49 minutes ago
Updated 38 minutes ago
Wreck found: The crew of the HMAS Sydney (ABC TV)


The group searching for the HMAS Sydney has found the wreckage of the World War II Australian warship off the coast of Western Australia, the ABC has confirmed.
The Sydney was sunk with all hands in November 1941 after a battle with the German raider Kormoran.
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.
The Finding Sydney Foundation yesterday revealed it had discovered the wreckage of Kormoran off the Western Australia coast, raising hopes that the Sydney would be relocated.
The Australian ship was last seen badly damaged and steaming over the horizon after the exchange of gunfire with the Kormoran, which also sank after the battle.
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That didn't take long.

Hopefully they will be able to work out what happened.
 

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CharlieG said:
Hopefully it's too deep to be disturbed by divers.

If there's any remains that can be located, do you know if it's the usual practice to remove them for a proper burial?
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I don't think many remains were ever covered from sunken ships during WWII. To my knowledge even the USS Arizona in pearl harbour still contains the remains of around 1000. If the Sydney site is secure and in deep water I can't imagine remaining relatives wanting the remains of the sailors to be removed. The sailors went down with the ship and they're at rest with her.
 
Perrin said:
I don't think many remains were ever covered from sunken ships during WWII. To my knowledge even the USS Arizona in pearl harbour still contains the remains of around 1000. If the Sydney site is secure and in deep water I can't imagine remaining relatives wanting the remains of the sailors to be removed. The sailors went down with the ship and they're at rest with her.
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A quick check of the web reveals that the Arizona is listed as a war grave and still contains the remains of 1000 crew who where trapped when it sunk. Many of the ships survivors have even had their ashes (or have arranged to) placed in the hull sunken hull after they've died.
 
It was a very sad day for Australia and im glad they have finally found the HMAS Sydney. From what ive read the Captain of the Sydney would have had alot of explaining to do if he survived as when the Sydney approached the German raider (which was disguised as a dutch merchant vessel) the Sydney didnt have their main guns pointed that the Germans, they werent even at ready stations and then the Germans opened fire they were taken completely by surprise and by the time the Sydney managed to return fire it was already serously damaged. Its sad to think about it but the HMAS Sydney should never have got that close to a unknown vessel without being at ready stations and having their guns pointed at the unknown vessel.
 
Some good photos of the wreck have been posted on the findingsydney.com site. The lack of lifeboats is an interesting twist, would be interested to hear the experts views on this.
 
Slacker said:
Some good photos of the wreck have been posted on the findingsydney.com site. The lack of lifeboats is an interesting twist, would be interested to hear the experts views on this.
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They were wooden? Explosion and sinking ripped them out?
 
Qsaint said:
They were wooden? Explosion and sinking ripped them out?
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Its hard to tell the condition of the whole wreck from a few photos - but it all seems a bit too intact to explain using a magazine explosion or the like. The hull seems intact enough that it's sinking would have provided enough time to get a few lifeboats off, particularly on the presumably less damaged starboard side.

My feeling is that something untoward happened (ie machine gunning survivors in the water), but there is just not enough evidence left to prove either way.
 
Why should we have a ____ing fund for a ship that was wounded by a German merhcant ship, then, unlike the German ship, steamed off to it's death?

The Germans understood naval warfare, the Sydney did not.

Why celebrate that shit performance?
 
JW Frogen said:
Why should we have a ____ing fund for a ship that was wounded by a German merhcant ship, then, unlike the German ship, steamed off to it's death?

The Germans understood naval warfare, the Sydney did not.

Why celebrate that shit performance?
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And while we're at it, why celebrate Gallipoli? We got our f___ing arses handed to us there. Don't get me started on Vietnam, either.

I mean, it means nothing that people died serving their country. Lets just celebrate the wins, hey?
 

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JW Frogen said:
Why should we have a ____ing fund for a ship that was wounded by a German merhcant ship, then, unlike the German ship, steamed off to it's death?

The Germans understood naval warfare, the Sydney did not.

Why celebrate that shit performance?
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Do your research before mouthing off. The HMAS Sydney had a very good war record in the Mediterranean where she had several big named kills to her name.
 
JW Frogen said:
Why should we have a ____ing fund for a ship that was wounded by a German merhcant ship, then, unlike the German ship, steamed off to it's death?

The Germans understood naval warfare, the Sydney did not.

Why celebrate that shit performance?
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They disguised themselves as a civilian ship, how is that naval warfare?
 
RUNVS said:
Do your research before mouthing off. The HMAS Sydney had a very good war record in the Mediterranean where she had several big named kills to her name.
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I am impressed!

The Sydney watched the Italian card board navy sink.

Then the Sydney faced a real foe, and was sunk by a German Volkswagen, the Germans living, the German CO being a real CO, and the Old Man of the Sydney going off on an ego cruise and killing all his crew.

Ships are not ships; they are the crew and the CO.

And the crew and the CO wrote their own history, I had nothing to ____ing do with it, and their bottom line is at the bottom of the ____ing sea.
 
JW Frogen said:
I am impressed!

The Sydney watched the Italian card board navy sink.

Then the Sydney faced a real foe, and was sunk by a German Volkswagen, the Germans living, the German CO being a real CO, and the Old Man of the Sydney going off on an ego cruise and killing all his crew.
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What on earth are you talking about. The Giovanni dalle Bande Nere and Bartolomeo Colleoni were both Italian light cruisers and the Sydney was a British light cruiser. The Italians may not have been that good fighting on land but they fought well at sea and they certainly knew how to make their battleships.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cruiser_Giovanni_dalle_Bande_Nere

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cruiser_Bartolomeo_Colleoni
 
There have been a lot of excited people at my work (the Australian War Memorial) the last couple of weeks.

This is the sole relic that was salvaged from the Sydney (it landed 200 miles from Carnarvon), a 'Carley Float':

ump.retrieve_uma
 
bradrowe#32 said:
There have been a lot of excited people at my work (the Australian War Memorial) the last couple of weeks.
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Well since you work at the Australian War Memorial i have to say that you are all doing a amazing job as the War Memorial is one of the only things worth going to in Canberra. There arnt many museums which like can wander around all day and not get board (i get board easily) :D
 
JW Frogen said:
I am impressed!

The Sydney watched the Italian card board navy sink.

Then the Sydney faced a real foe, and was sunk by a German Volkswagen, the Germans living, the German CO being a real CO, and the Old Man of the Sydney going off on an ego cruise and killing all his crew.

Ships are not ships; they are the crew and the CO.

And the crew and the CO wrote their own history, I had nothing to ____ing do with it, and their bottom line is at the bottom of the ____ing sea.
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A Real Foe?

Then if why did they disguise themselves, if they were so good then they shouldn't have had it disguise themselves.

Show some respect.
 
RUNVS said:
What on earth are you talking about. The Giovanni dalle Bande Nere and Bartolomeo Colleoni were both Italian light cruisers and the Sydney was a British light cruiser. The Italians may not have been that good fighting on land but they fought well at sea and they certainly knew how to make their battleships.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cruiser_Giovanni_dalle_Bande_Nere

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cruiser_Bartolomeo_Colleoni

People like you should be pitied as you have no pride in your nation and feel the need to belittle the achievements and sacrifices of our defence forces.
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Were those the pathetic rust bardges that sunk the Sydney?

The answer is no.

When hit, the CO steamed off and killed his entire crew. Most of the sour kruats lived.

They had a good CO, the Sydney had a shit CO.

In war if you ____ up, you die.

If you are sunk by a German rust bucket you deserve to die.
 

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