Search for HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran
Numerous attempts were made to find the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney and the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, which were both lost in a sea battle in 1941. Efforts immediately after the battle focused on finding Sydney when she failed to return to port. While searchers located over 300 survivors from Kormoran, none of the 645 aboard the Australian warship were found. In March 2008, shipwreck hunter David Mearns commenced a search for the two wrecks. Kormoran was located on 12 March in close proximity to the sinking position given in German accounts. Using the survivor's information on Sydney's last known heading, Mearns and his search team located Sydney on 17 March.
Post-war searches attempted to find one or both of the combatants, but were unsuccessful because of a lack of detailed information about the battle's location. Searchers distrusted the German survivors and their accounts; the large difference between the number of survivors from each ship prompted theories that Kormoran's crew had acted illegally during the battle and were attempting to cover up their actions. As a result, hypotheses about the wrecks' locations varied from deep water many kilometres off Dirk Hartog Island, to sites nearer to Carnarvon, Western Australia, and as far south as the western side of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands.
History
Wartime
The
Post-war
In 1981 the
- No documents had been maliciously destroyed
- The Kormoran's torpedoes were an important factor in the battle
- It was common practice at the time to close on unknown ships to prevent their crews scuttling them
- There was a total lack of evidence of Japanese involvement
- Attempts should be made to identify the unidentified body on Christmas Island
- The newly formed HMAS Sydney Foundation Trust should coordinate a search for the wrecks centring on the position identified by the Western Australian Museum's seminar in 1991
- A new Fremantle; the Royal Australian Navy should set up a naval history research grant scheme in the name of Sydney and its crew; and commemorative services should be held in Fremantle, Sydney, and at the wreck site.
In 2001, as a result of the parliamentary inquiry, the Royal Australian Navy's Seapower Centre (SPC) conducted a seminar at the Western Australian Museum, designed to examine the feasibility of a search of the area discussed in 1991. Due to dissension among the researchers present, claims that the battle had taken place near the Abrolhos Islands, and a lack of hard evidence and wreckage relating to Sydney, the SPC found against conducting a search. Nonetheless, after the Foundation Trust folded, the
The Western Australian Museum's research and other works (notably Barbara Winters' HMAS Sydney: Fact, Fantasy and Fraud, Tom Frame's HMAS Sydney: Loss and Controversy, and Wes Olson's Bitter Victory) supported the German account regarding the location of the battle. In late 2005, University of Western Australia Press published Glenys McDonald's book, Seeking the Sydney: A Quest for the Truth. McDonald had conducted extensive interviews with residents of the coastal area nearest the battle, much of which had been tabled at the 2001 SPC seminar. According to McDonald, many residents of Port Gregory, about 80 kilometres (43 nmi) north of Geraldton, reported the sights and sounds of a naval battle at about the time that Sydney and Kormoran engaged. This suggested—incorrectly—that the ships may have sunk much further south than the location given by Detmers or the Australian government.
Independent researcher Warren Whittaker, who had presented evidence at the 2001 seminar based on his and Lindsay Knight's experimental wreck-locating system, wrote in
In March 2007 HMAS Sydney Search Pty Ltd reported that Whittaker's proposed site had been surveyed by a
In June 2007 British maritime researcher Timothy Akers, a former employee of Mearns, claimed to have located the wreck of the Sydney, along with wrecks from a Japanese battle group, using high quality satellite imagery.[10] This claim was disputed by the Western Australia Museum and Ted Graham, the chairman of HMAS Sydney Search Pty Ltd, who said it was not possible to locate the wreck using satellite imagery.[11]
On 11 August 2007 a group of amateur wreck hunters claimed they had located the wreck of Sydney off Cape Inscription on the northern end of Dirk Hartog Island using a grappling hook and an underwater video camera.[12] A survey conducted by HMAS Leeuwin on 17 August found that the wreck off Dirk Hartog Island is only 30 metres (98 ft) long and 5 metres (16 ft) high, too small to be the Sydney, which was over 170 metres (560 ft) in length.[13] The reasons why the search for HMAS Sydney was taking so long were examined in a 2008 Western Australia Museum report.[14]
Discovery of the wrecks
Mearns had previously been involved in the discovery of the cargo ship Lucona (the key evidence in the arrest of Udo Proksch for murder and insurance fraud), the bulk carrier Derbyshire (the largest British ship to be lost at sea), and the battlecruiser HMS Hood.[15] He first learned of the battle and mutual destruction of Sydney and Kormoran during a conference in 1996, and started studying the battle in 2001 with a view to finding the ships.[16]
With the assistance of other historians and the Western Australian Museum, Mearns researched the battle, focusing on primary source documents. He discovered several archive files and Kormoran diaries previously believed to be lost.[17] His research led Mearns to believe that the German accounts were accurate.[18] After two failed attempts to attract the attention and support of the Royal Australian Navy, Mearns was informed in January 2004 that the navy was reconsidering its stance.[19] At this point Mearns and his company entered a partnership and drew up a memorandum of understanding with HMAS Sydney Search Pty Ltd.[20] In mid-September 2004 Mearns received approval from the German government to film Kormoran if she was found.[21]
On 14 August 2005 the Australian government announced a A$1.3 million funding grant to the Finding Sydney Foundation, the charitable foundation set up in 2003 by the directors of HMAS Sydney Search, which was quickly followed by a A$500,000 contribution from the Western Australian government and a A$250,000 grant from the government of New South Wales.[22] Several small donations were made by companies and the public, but plans to search for the ships were on hold until the Australian government approved another A$2.9 million in funds in October 2007.[23][24]
Mearns planned to determine a 'search box' for Kormoran by plotting possible starting points of its two lifeboats through a reverse drift analysis.
The survey vessel SV Geosounder was chartered from the
Using the newly discovered wreck and German accounts describing Sydney's heading, speed, and last sighting after the battle, a 20 by 18 nautical miles (37 by 33 km) search box for the cruiser was calculated.[36] The dramatic difference in the size of the search boxes was because the German raider's location had been recounted by survivors only as a broad latitude and longitude, while much information was available concerning the Australian cruiser's position relative to the raider.[36] Sydney was located on 17 March just after 11:00, only hours after Kormoran's discovery was publicly announced.[37] News that the cruiser had been found was made public the next day in another official announcement by Prime Minister Rudd.[38] Sydney's wreck was located at 26°14′31″S 111°12′48″E / 26.24194°S 111.21333°E in 2,468 metres (8,097 ft) of water; the bow of the cruiser, which had broken off as the ship sank, was located at the opposite end of a debris field stretching less than 500 metres (1,600 ft) north-west from the hull.[39][40] The wrecks were 11.4 nautical miles (21.1 km) apart, with Sydney south-east of Kormoran.[41] On discovery, both wrecks were placed under the protection of the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976, which penalises anyone disturbing a protected shipwreck with a fine of up to A$10,000 or a maximum five years imprisonment.[42]
Geosounder returned to Geraldton on 20 March. Major delays during the installation and testing of the ROV delayed departure until 29 March, with the survey ship sailing through the path of Cyclone Pancho.[43] Electrical problems with the ROV pushed the start of filming back to 3 April. Sydney was the first to be inspected,[44] with six ROV dives over a five-day period, during which the main hull and debris field were filmed and documented.[45] The bow had torn free, causing the ship to sink; the main hull section had hit the seabed stern first.[46] This damage corresponded with descriptions given by the Kormoran' crew after the battle.[47] Geosounder next travelled to the wreck of Kormoran.[48] The ship had been split into two large pieces by the explosion of the mine deck, which also destroyed the superstructure and scattered debris across a wide area.[48] A possible battle site was located during the sonar search, but observation with the ROV revealed that what was thought to be debris from the ships were actually outcrops of pillow lava.[49]
The search was declared complete just before midnight on 7 April; Geosounder returned to Geraldton.[50] In November 2009 the Finding Sydney Foundation donated more than 1,400 photographs and 50 hours of video of the wrecks to the Australian War Memorial.[51]
References
- ^ Gill 1957, pp. 451–453.
- ^ Joint Standing Committee 1997.
- ^ Laurie 2005.
- ^ King 2005.
- ^ Banham 2005.
- ^ a b ABC News 2005.
- ^ HMAS Sydney Search Pty 2006.
- ^ Whittaker 2006.
- ^ a b HMAS Sydney Search Pty 2007.
- ^ Morelli 2007.
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald 2007.
- ^ Murray 2007.
- ^ news.com.au 2007.
- ^ McCarthy 2008.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 64–76.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 61, 77.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 80–93.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 121.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 93.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 95, 108.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 104.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 110, 252.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 113–115.
- ^ McCarthy 2008, p. 9.
- ^ a b Mearns 2009, pp. 121–122.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 90–92, 121–122, 129.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 121–122, 137.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 126–127.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 126.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 127.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 133–135.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 136.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 136–143.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 143–149, 217.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 157.
- ^ a b Mearns 2009, pp. 150–151.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 157–158.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 160.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 158–160, 204–205.
- ^ Cole 2009, p. 217, Vol 2.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 204.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 169.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 165, 168, 170–172.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 173–174.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 189.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 181.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 183, 186–187, 198.
- ^ a b Mearns 2009, pp. 216–217.
- ^ Mearns 2009, pp. 215–216.
- ^ Mearns 2009, p. 228.
- ^ McLintock 2009.
Sources
- Banham, Cynthia (15 August 2005). "PM offers reward to find sunken warship". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Cole, Terence (July 2009). The Loss of HMAS Sydney II (3 volumes). Canberra: Department of Defence. OCLC 432200965. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Gill, George Hermon (1957). Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Series 2 – Navy. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- King, Jonathan (23 February 2005). "Sunk, but not forgotten". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Laurie, Victoria (17 September 2005). "In Search of HMAS Sydney". Australian Magazine. HMAS Sydney Search Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- McCarthy, Michael (2008). "A précis of search-related events leading up to the commencement of the HMAS Sydney Search" (PDF). Western Australian Museum Department of Maritime Archaeology. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- McLintock, Penny (17 November 2009). "HMAS Sydney vision given to War Memorial". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- OCLC 301679923.
- Morelli, Vincent (29 March 2007). "Claims sunken WWII RAN ship finally found". News.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Murray, Paul (11 August 2007). "We found wreck of the Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Staff (18 August 2007). "Navy sinks HMAS Sydney hopes". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 March 2008.
- Staff (19 September 2005). "WA Govt chips in for Sydney search". Geraldton News. Archived from the original on 20 March 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Staff (1997). "HMAS Sydney II and the Kormoran: Parliamentary Inquiry reports on the loss of HMAS Sydney". Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. Archived from the originalon 4 March 2000. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Staff (23 April 2006). "NSW Supports New Search for HMAS Sydney". HMAS Sydney Search Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Staff (23 March 2007). "Search for HMAS Sydney Underway: 'Southern' Kormoran Site Investigated". HMAS Sydney Search Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 29 July 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Staff (3 June 2007). "HMAS Sydney find 'nonsense'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- Whittaker, Warren (22 July 2006). "Wrong turn in the hunt for an old wreck". The Australian. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
Further reading
- Lewis, Tom (December 2007). "What may the Sydney wreck reveal" (PDF). Headmark: Journal of the Australian Naval Institute (125). Australian Naval Institute: 4–12.