Sydney ship. Sydney-class light cruisers

On November 19, 1941, the cannonade of war rumbled off the coast of Australia. After a brutal but short fight cruiser Australian Navy" HMAS Sydney"was sunk by a German raider" HSK Kormaran". None of the 645 people escaped. The body of one of the sailors washed ashore a few months later, the rest could not be found. The cruiser took the secret of its death with it to the bottom. This is the worst tragedy in the history of the Australian Navy.

Why the Australian team cruisers went missing, and hundreds of Germans survived. Only after the discovery of the wreckage of the cruiser at the bottom of the ocean, the sunken ship opened the veil of its secret.

For the relatives of the deceased cruiser, the past decade has not lessened the grief, and the events of 1941 still haunt them.

In 1940 the cruiser HMAS Sydney"under the command of Captain John Collins, the light cruiser of the Italian Navy also sank. The cruiser returned to Australia a true hero. The people meeting on the shore rejoiced, and the ship became a real symbol of the Australian Navy. One of the first to congratulate the Australian sailors was the Prime Minister of Australia. When he got on board, the crowd cheered. The next evening there was a grand parade, which was attended by many people.

After laying up off the east coast for several months, he was transferred to western Australia. And on November 19, 1941, the ship was sunk by the German raider " HSK Kormaran". All the newspapers of the country wrote about this incident, and along with the bitterness of loss came suspicions of a conspiracy.

Disappeared for many years cruiser gave rise to many questions and conflicting versions of death. Someone suggested that the Germans violated the rules of war and took the ship by surprise, and then shot the surviving sailors to hide the evidence. When the war ended, the relatives of the dead demanded an explanation, but the floodgates of secrecy were not opened until 30 years later, thanks to the established Sydney Foundation, which organized an exploratory expedition to search for the wreckage of the ship.

Behind the foundation's big word is its chairman, Ted Graham, and his four associates. For many years they knocked on the thresholds of offices until they collected the $ 5 million needed for a research expedition.

German raider "HSK Kormaran"

« HSK Kormaran"This is a warship disguised as a harmless Dutch bulk carrier" Straat Malakka". As a rule, the raiders raised their real flag at the last moment before the attack. It was the newest and largest raider in the German navy. Behind the harmless silhouette were large-caliber guns, torpedo compartments, and more than three hundred torpedoes intended for Australian ships and vessels lay in the holds.

In 1940, German raiders approached the coast of Australia and sank several cargo ships and three more dry cargo ships were sunk in the Indian Ocean. So imperceptibly the war crept up to Australia.

In March 1941 raider went to the Pacific Ocean with a combat mission, the ultimate goal of which was the western coast of Australia.

November 17, 1941 cruiser " HMAS Sydney» escorted transport « Zelandia» to the Sunda Strait. After that, the ship headed for the port of Fremantle, where it was supposed to arrive in 3 days, but this did not happen. Careful searches that were conducted on the territory of the alleged zone of the death of the ship did not lead to anything. The cruiser and her crew are gone. Soon, on November 28, lifeboats with Germans appeared on the remote beaches of Australia. BUT " Centaur"arrived in the Australian port of Carnarvon, dragging two boats with the crew of the raider in tow" HSK Kormoran”, in which, among other sailors, were the captain of the ship. The captain of the passenger ship did not let the Germans on board, fearing that they might seize the ship. The arrival of the surviving sailors of the raider was bad news. They reported that they fought with a cruiser of the class " Perth and this confirmed the worst fears of the Australians. After 10 days, the search was canceled, which was resumed only after 66 years and brought good luck.

The wreckage of the cruiser HMAS Sydney" lie at a depth of 2468 m. They were discovered by a famous explorer, who found the remains of the cruiser " Hood" and " Bismark". But the only question remains unanswered - how did the German raider manage to sink the Australian cruiser, as a result of which the ship went to the bottom and why no one escaped. The answers lie on the ocean floor.

Disguised as a Dutch merchant ship raider « HSK Kormoran' took a course to the north. Meeting him cruiser « HMAS Sydney” took the same course, giving a signal with a searchlight. But the captain of the German ship Theodor Detmers had an advantage - he knew that his enemy was in front of him, but his colleague, the commander of the cruiser John Burnett, did not know what kind of ship he was pursuing. The cunning German captain reported on the radio that some kind of warship was pursuing him so that the enemy would believe that it was real. With every minute the distance between the ships was reduced. With every meter, the cruiser lost the advantage of its firepower. Soon the cruiser was within range of the raider's guns. A few minutes later, the captain of the German ship gave the order to remove the Dutch flag and raise his own. A volley and the first shell exploded not far from the cruiser. The next one hit the navigation bridge exactly, destroying the artillery post. This projectile most likely killed the commander of the ship, John Burnett, and everyone in the wheelhouse. At the same instant, the cruiser responded with a counterattack, but missed. The German captain then took 10 degrees to starboard and aimed two torpedoes that took 65 seconds to reach the target. The raider's powerful cannons fired with merciless accuracy. They hit the middle of the hull, destroying the aircraft, bow guns and torpedo bays, making it impossible for the cruiser to resist.

The first torpedo hit below the waterline in the bow of the cruiser. It was this blow that proved fatal for the ship. The cruiser turned towards the raider in order to ram it, but the disguised bulk carrier slipped away. Cruiser " HMAS Sydney”was on the verge of death and finally launched two torpedoes, but again missed. German machine gunners continued to pour fire on the flaming ship, which was already moving towards the shore. The next morning, more than seven hundred people and two ships were gone. 318 German sailors ended up on lifeboats. The entire cruiser crew of 645 people perished in the depths of the sea. The researchers, having lowered the underwater vehicle to the wreckage, did not find traces of the Germans' crime, they saw only evidence of how bravely the sailors fought.

Monument to the fallen sailors of the cruiser HMAS Sydney, in Western Australia

Now both ships lie at the bottom like silent witnesses of a tough naval battle. After receiving several hours of footage, the Australian government will conduct an investigation, but the main thing is that a place has appeared on the map for the relatives of the dead sailors.

In August 2009, the Australian Defense Department published a report on the most notorious disaster in the history of the country's naval forces - the death of the cruiser Sydney, the pride of the fleet during the Second World War. The reason why the ship, together with a crew of 645 people, lost the battle in November 1941 to the inferior German raider Kormoran for a long time haunted not only Australians, but also everyone who was interested in naval topics. Defense Commissioner Terence Cole attempted to answer this question when he began his investigation in March 2008, when the wrecks of both ships were discovered 100 miles off the Australian coast.

It is authentically known that the loss of "Sydney" was discovered by the Australian naval leadership on November 21, 1941, when there was no active hostilities in the region yet. Ten days earlier, he left the port in the Western Australian city of Fremantle to escort a transport with cargo. Safely arriving in the designated area of ​​the Indian Ocean, "Sydney" handed over the ward under the protection of another ship and lay down on the return course. The cruiser was expected to return home on November 20, but he never returned to Fremantle. They tried to contact Sydney with the help of the most powerful radio stations, sent planes to search for him, but this did not bring results.

Only a few days later, the military learned that the Germans began to land on the coast of Shark Bay in Western Australia, who surrendered without resistance. Some of them were picked up by patrol ships off the coast. It soon became clear that they were members of the crew of the Kormoran raider, which sank during an armed clash with the Sydney. From the prisoners, it became known that the Australian cruiser also died. 317 people out of 397 escaped from the German ship, but no one managed to survive from the Sydney crew of 645 people.

Until now, held on November 19, 1941, were known only from the words of captured Germans. There was no particular reason not to trust them, although the Australian interrogating officers at that time were more interested not in how the Sydney died, but what were the tactics of the German raiders in general and what measures should be taken to stop their further sorties. Nevertheless, they also asked about what had happened to the cruiser.

The surviving German sailors fell into the hands of the Australians in scattered groups, and they were also interrogated separately. The testimonies of different groups did not contradict each other, and at the same time, all the prisoners claimed that before leaving the sinking Kormoran, they did not have time to receive from its captain Theodor Detmers (who was also captured) any instructions regarding a single version, which should have been stick to interrogations.

Auxiliary cruiser "Kormoran". Photo from the German Federal Archives.

Detmers and his subordinates said that, having noticed the Sydney and assessed its power, they decided to leave the area immediately and did everything to avoid meeting the cruiser. The German raider, who laid mines in the Australian coastal zone, was disguised as the Dutch merchant ship Straat Malacca and decided to hunt exclusively the Allied merchant ships, which he could easily deal with. The Kormoran did not want to engage in open battle with the enemy ship, which was significantly superior in class and armament.

However, according to the Germans, "Sydney" set off in pursuit of them and, using the advantage in the course, caught up with them an hour later. From the Australian cruiser they constantly requested an imaginary Dutchman, trying to get him to identify himself. Detmers delayed as long as he could, but when he was asked to give his secret code, which he, of course, did not know, he realized that it was useless to delay the inevitable. The German crew was ordered to throw back the camouflage shields that hid the artillery mounts and change the Dutch flag to the flag of the German Navy. A few seconds later the first salvo rang out.

Officially, the main reason for the death of "Sydney" is considered to be that, after dragging out with unsuccessful negotiations, the cruiser approached a disguised German raider at a critically close distance - about a kilometer - and set him on board, moving in a parallel course. This negated all the advantages of the Sydney: after the first German shots and torpedo attacks, the cruiser received critical damage (and its captain, apparently, was killed), and although the Australian sailors managed to fire on the Kormoran, hitting its engine room and calling on enemy ship strong fire, their fate was sealed.

Captain "Sydney" Joseph Burnet. Photo from www.findingsydney.com

However, for decades the Australian public could not be satisfied with this version. There were two main reasons for this. First, everything that was known about the death of Sydney was known from the words of the enemy. Secondly, if events developed exactly as Detmers and his subordinates reported during interrogations, this meant that the captain of the Sydney, Joseph Burnett, either showed unacceptable carelessness, or committed irreparable stupidity, but in any case led did not behave in the way his reputation as an experienced and reliable officer demanded.

Over the years that have passed since November 1941, many versions have accumulated that tried to explain the death of the Sydney in a different way than the official conclusion. They were supported by nothing but speculation, but partly relieved Burnet of responsibility and presented what happened as the result of enemy treachery and violation of the rules of naval warfare. Here are some of them: "Kormoran" sailed under the Norwegian flag; the captain of the Kormoran realized that he had been identified as an enemy, and before opening fire, threw out a white flag; urgent assistance was requested from Kormoran, allegedly due to a technical breakdown or the need to bring a doctor on board; The Cormoran set up a smokescreen and the Sydney moved blindly; on the Kormoran they knew the secret code of the Straat Malacca; The Kormoran opened fire before the German flag was raised; and even - a Japanese submarine intervened in the course of the battle, which sank the Sydney.

In a word, the Australians demanded the truth, and in March 2008, during the implementation of a special program approved by the government of the country, the remains of two ships were found. After that, the Terence Cole commission began work, which not only studied many archival documents, but also met with German veterans in order to once again restore the course of events. A year and a half later, the commission submitted a report, a total of 1500 pages. However, the conclusions of Cole and his colleagues were disappointing for the injured national pride of the Australians.

Cole's report provides data from a visual inspection of the hulls of the Sydney and Kormoran, carried out after the discovery of their remains. In general, they correspond to the description of the battle given by the German prisoners of war. On the Sydney hull, experts counted 86 holes from the 150-millimeter guns that the Kormoran was armed with, and also found a hole in the bow from a torpedo attack. In addition, the nose of the Sydney, where the main battery guns and the landing area for the aircraft were located, was fired from 37-mm cannons and 20-mm anti-aircraft machine guns of the German raider. Already after the cruiser was submerged under water, the nose separated from the main body and now lies at the bottom about half a kilometer from it. The superstructures and the deck of the Sydney, in addition, suffered from a severe fire. Experts concluded that up to 70 percent of the Australian ship's crew were killed during the battle, with the rest suffocated in the smoke or drowned because all means of escape were destroyed by German fire.

The hull of the Kormoran was found 12 nautical miles from the wreck of the Sydney. The forward part of it was almost not affected by artillery fire, and the reason for the death of the raider, apparently, was the explosion of a mine depot caused by a fire in the stern, which corresponds to the description of the Germans.

The coordinates where the remains of the ships were found roughly correspond to the data reported by Captain Detmers in 1941. The nature of the shell holes in the Sydney's hull makes it possible to establish that the cruiser was hit at close range - no more than 1000-1500 meters, which in terms of naval combat is considered direct fire.

In his report, Cole writes that back in July 1941, the Australian navy received special instructions on how to act if a merchant ship seen at sea behaves unusually, like an enemy raider. According to this document, the crew first had to determine whether the ship looked "harmless" or "suspicious". In both cases, it was supposed to approach him at such a distance as to distinguish the name. If it was an overseas rather than a British merchant, the captain was also advised to find out his ports of departure and destination.

In order to exchange prearranged signals using flags or lanterns, the warship had to come closer to the intended merchant ship. If it seemed "suspicious", the captain had to give the order to his crew to take up combat posts, and also stay no closer than 7-8 nautical miles from him. Such a distance would be enough to keep the alleged raider at gunpoint and at the same time be out of reach of his guns.

According to the Cole Commission, the main mistake of the Australian captain was that he initially classified the "Dutch ship" as "harmless". Because of this, the cruiser approached the raider at an unacceptably dangerous distance, and the Sydney crew at that moment was not ready for battle.

Cole also notes that Burnet had information that a German raider may have been in the area. At the same time, he received no information that a Dutch merchant ship could pass nearby.

Why did the experienced captain of the Sydney ignore these and other facts, making a mistake that led to the death of the cruiser and the entire crew? The expert believes that we will never know this, but the mistake, nevertheless, is obvious and it is pointless for Australians to deny this fact.

According to Cole, after the Sydney began to approach the Cormoran, there were several other significant events that should have increased Captain Burnet's suspicions.

In particular, while the crew of the Australian cruiser tried to make out the conventional signals that were shown to them from the "Dutch ship", it turned against the sun in such a way that it was even more difficult to understand them. In fact, the Germans provoked "Sydney" to come to them as close as possible.

The crew of the Cormoran could not respond in time and accurately to the request for the conventional letter code "Straat Malacca", which the Australian sailors gave with a daylight signal searchlight from a distance of about seven miles. Cormoran also sent out a radio signal on a frequency that, according to the expert, the Sydney should have definitely heard. And this signal didn't exactly follow the rules. However, Burnet for some reason did not attach any importance to this.

While the Australian cruiser was approaching the "Dutchman", moving against the sun for an hour and as if not noticing that he was either ignoring conditional requests or answering them incorrectly, Captain Burnet decided to prepare the Walrus aircraft on board for departure, but later abandoned this intentions. From the side of their ship, the Germans saw how the plane began to warm up the engine, but then stopped it.

Why this happened is also unclear. But, according to Cole, the preparation of the aircraft for a reconnaissance sortie indicates that the Australian captain still had some doubts about the "harmlessness" of the Dutchman.

Sunken Sydney. Photo from www.findingsydney.com

Nevertheless, the report notes, it is obvious that the Kormoran really tried to the last to avoid a collision with the Sydney and was only forced into a battle that lasted no more than half an hour. As a result, both ships ended up at the bottom of the sea, although most of the crew members of the German raider managed to escape.

The Terence Cole Commission also tried to examine the speculation that has accumulated since the Second World War about why the Sydney crew died every single person. Some of these versions, according to the researchers, were deliberately fabricated in a given period by different people. A separate story is connected with Japanese submarines that allegedly participated in the sinking of the Sydney. In particular, it was claimed that they managed to find a Japanese submariner who sank an Australian ship. There was a version that the crew members who survived after the battle were finished off by the same submarine. Finally, it was alleged that the Australian sailors who survived the sinking of the Sydney were captured by the Japanese. But for none of these and other "sensational" versions, experts have not found evidence.

Means "entrance to the lakes" - in this place, an extensive network of rivers and lakes flows into the ocean, creating ideal conditions for fishing.

Indeed, there were quite a few fishing trawlers on the pier at Lakes Entrance, which immediately sold fresh fish and shrimp. Almost all vacationers in this place in Victoria could see a boat, many hotels have corners with tables for cutting fish.

Well, where there are fish, there are pelicans.

And the fishermen...

In general, apart from fish and a couple of beaches, there is nothing special to see in Lakes Entrance, except for the private maritime museum Griffiths Sea Shell Museum, where you could find just tons of different types of shells, alcoholized and dried fish and other marine reptiles.

Not far from Lakes Entrance are the Buchan Caves.

Well, after visiting the caves, it was nice to skip a mug of local beer at the Bullant Brewery.

25 Aug 2012 12:12

We were already in Canberra in 2008, stopping by for a couple of days on our way to Sydney. Then we saw that there are many places in the city that can be visited in a few days.

Before leaving Canberra we visited the Australian Parliament building. There were several police officers at the entrance, who let visitors through the frame, like in airports. After walking through the halls and offices, visiting the green roof, we drove on...

15 Aug 2012 02:10

The Economist Intelligence Unit consulting group has published its top cities in the world and Melbourne topped it for the second year in a row.

The top ten cities look like this:

great ocean road

Jun 20, 2012 03:02 AM

Last December we took a ride on the Great Ocean Road and just yesterday added everything from that trip.

You can drive the whole road in one day, if you leave early in the morning, stop not everywhere, but return directly along the highway. In order not to rush into sightseeing, we stopped for a couple of nights right in the middle of the road, in the town of Port Campbell (Summer's Rest Units).

On the first day it was cloudy, so we had to put on jackets, but on the second day the sun came out and it became much more fun.

A few places we visited:

Despite s18(1) of the Spam Act 2003 (Cth), I agree and acknowledge that any message Vodafone sends me will not contain an unsubscribe facility. I understand that I can, at any time, opt out of receiving marketing material by contacting Vodafone Customer Care.

In general, Australian laws may not be followed, the main thing is to report this in small print.

23 Feb 2012 05:13

She received the surname "Macpherson" from her stepfather, Neil MacPherson.

Thanks to her ideal body proportions (90-61-89), at the age of 18, El signed the first contract with the famous Click Model Management modeling agency.

In 1985, El decides to marry the photographer and creative director of Elle magazine Gilles Bensimon, who was 20 years older than McPherson. Through her marriage, El appeared in every issue of Elle magazine for six years.

Elle was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1986. By that time, she had already been on the covers of magazines such as Cosmopolitan, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and Playboy. El also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated six times during her career.

In 1989, McPherson and Bensimon divorced, and along with her husband, Elle lost her largest employer, Elle magazine. This period in the girl's career and life is not easy, but Elle pulls herself together and decides to move on.

Elle MacPherson in the movie "On the Edge"

In 1990, the first film with the participation of a famous model, Alice, directed by Woody Allen, was released. Then she plays in several films: "Sirens" (with Hugh Grant), "Batman and Robin" (with George Clooney), "On the Edge" (with Anthony Hopkins) and others.

Also in 1990, MacPherson launched her Elle Macpherson Intimates underwear line, which is sold exclusively in Australia.

In 1995, together with supermodel friends, El opened the Fashion Café restaurant chain, which did not become profitable and was closed in 1998.

In 1999, Elle MacPherson starred in five episodes of the hit series Friends.

Elle was engaged to French financier Arpad Busson in 2003, with whom she had two sons, Flynn in 1998 and Cy in 2003.

In 2005, the couple broke up, and today Elle lives in London with her children.

Smile!

22 Feb 2012 02:08

I'm reading today in the local newspaper about what to do when traveling, and I see this advice:

smile. always smile.

It "ll get you places you wouldn't believe. From persuading Parisian waiters to speak English to figuring out where the hell you"re supposed to be sitting on that train, a little smile and a good attitude will get you help in no time. NB: There"s an exception to this rule – it "s called Russia. (They" ll think you "re mad.)

In translation:

Smile! Always smile.

It will open up so many new opportunities for you that you never dreamed of. For example, a waiter from Paris will suddenly speak English, or you will finally find that fucking seat on the train - just smile a little and act accordingly.

One exception to this rule is Russia. They will think you are crazy.

HMAS Sydney

Historical data

common data

EU

real

dock

Booking

Armament

Ships of the same type

General information

HMAS Sydney was the first light cruiser built Amphion(which is why it is sometimes called type Sydney). What is characteristic HMAS Sydney was laid down a few days after the laying of the first ship of this type - HMS Amphion, but went into operation almost a year faster than its sisterships due to the better work of the shipyard. An interesting fact is also that the ship was laid down under the name HMS Phaeton and was intended for service in the Royal Navy, but during the construction process was transferred to the Australian Navy and renamed HMAS Sydney. In exchange for 3 type cruisers Amphion Australia handed over a hydro-aircraft carrier to the mother country HMAS Albatross .

The ship is also called Sydney (II), as it was the second ship of the Australian Navy to bear that name. Except this ship name Sydney wore:

1. HMAS Sydney (1912)- Town-class light cruiser
2. HMAS Sydney (1948)(when bookmarked - HMS Terrible) - type aircraft carrier Majestic
3. HMAS Sydney (1980)- frigate type Adelaide

November 19, 2015 another ship was laid down HMAS Sydney- type destroyer Hobart which should be operational by 2020.

History of creation

predecessors

Communications, detection, auxiliary equipment

HMAS Sydney became the first Australian ship to be fitted with the British-made Type 125 sonar. Also on board were 4 × 47 mm Hotchkiss rapid-fire salute guns.

Modernizations and conversions

In the summer of 1940, the ship underwent a minor upgrade - the number of 7.62 mm Lewis machine guns was reduced to 9, and the 7.62 mm Vickers machine guns and 47 mm Hotchkiss salute guns were removed. In December 1940, as part of a minor overhaul, degaussing equipment was installed on the cruiser.

Service History

pre-war period

• HMAS Sydney fully completed the tests and left Portsmouth on October 29, 1935. Immediately after leaving the port, he receives an order to go to Gibraltar to connect with the 2nd British Navy Cruiser Squadron, whose task was to enforce economic sanctions against Italy.
• In January 1936, the cruiser underwent maintenance in Alexandria, and in March HMAS Sydney was reassigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron, where he continued to monitor compliance with sanctions against Italy and participated in the exercises of the British fleet.
• Due to the easing of tensions, on 14 July 1936 the cruiser sailed for Australia, arriving at the port of Fremantle at the end of July. On August 8, the ship visited Melbourne, and on August 11 - visited Sydney, after which it was named.
• In Australia, the cruiser spent most of her time on exercises and training trips. At the beginning of August 1939 HMAS Sydney was in the port of Darwin. Due to the aggravation of the situation in the world (which served as the beginning of World War II), the cruiser was ordered to arrive in Fremantle, where she arrived on August 22, 1939.

Service at the start of World War II

HMAS Sydney at Port Fremantle, 1939

At the time of the entry of Great Britain into the Second World War, September 3, 1939, HMAS Sydney was at his base in the port of Fremantle. Its crew was transferred to the wartime staff and increased to 645 people. First combat missions HMAS Sydney were patrolling and escorting ships in Australian waters.

The cruiser participated in patrols in the Indian Ocean until the end of 1939, when she received orders to return to Sydney for docking and Christmas mooring. February 8, 1940 the ship again arrived on combat duty to the western shores of Australia. From February to April 1940, the ship escorted convoys off the coast of Australia and in the Indian Ocean.

May 1, 1940 HMAS Sydney returned to Fremantle after escorting another convoy and was ordered to proceed at maximum speed to Colombo. Stopping in Singapore for refueling, the ship arrived in Colombo on May 8, 1940. However, already on May 12, he received an order to go to the Mediterranean Sea, and on May 26 he arrived in Alexandria, where he joined the British forces in the Mediterranean Sea.

Service in the Mediterranean

At the beginning of June 1940 HMAS Sydney participated in the exercises of the 7th cruiser squadron, where he quickly gained a reputation as a well-trained and, most importantly, successful ship. June 10, 1940 Italy declared war on Britain. HMAS Sydney at that time he was in Alexandria and received an order to immediately go to sea to search for the Italian fleet and ensure the safety of navigation in the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean. During the patrol, the ship did not meet with the enemy.

June 21, 1940 HMAS Sydney first participated in hostilities - the shelling of the Italian port of Badria. The ship's artillery shelled the military base for 22 minutes. At the same time, a Supermarine Walrus seaplane launched from the ship was mistakenly attacked by British aircraft. Pilot T.M. Price managed to land the plane, but it was beyond repair.

On June 22, France signed an armistice with Germany, which meant that French ships were to be disarmed under the supervision of German and Italian forces. The command of the British fleet ordered that the French fleet should not be allowed to go over to the side of Germany at any cost. In Alexandria, where at that time he was HMAS Sydney, the entire British fleet was ordered to point the guns at the French ships and be ready to open fire. However, the conflict was resolved peacefully, the French ships were disarmed and their crews were reduced to 30%.

June 28, 1940 HMAS Sydney participated in the pursuit of 3 enemy destroyers discovered by allied aircraft. Realizing that they could not escape pursuit, the destroyer commander Espero sacrificed his ship to enable the other 2 destroyers to leave. After a long fight HMAS Sydney sunk Espero and, picking up 47 surviving Italian sailors, he went to Alexandria. On June 30, the ship was attacked by Italian aircraft and once again confirmed the reputation of a happy ship without receiving any damage.

July 9, 1940 HMAS Sydney participated in the battle near Calabria, where he acted along with the rest of the cruisers of the 7th squadron.

July 18 HMAS Sydney left Alexandria with the destroyer HMS Havok in the direction of Athens, where they were supposed to join the flotilla of British destroyers in the Aegean Sea and protect the northern coast of the island from the Italian fleet. Crete. July 19 radar HMAS Sydney discovered 2 Italian cruisers that were trying to avoid a collision with the British fleet. As it turned out later, the Italian cruisers Bartolomeo Colleoni and Giovanni delle Bande Nere went to Libya with a cargo of fuel and ammunition placed directly on the decks. The Italian ships suspected the presence of British destroyers and decided to turn back to the coast of Italy when they suddenly encountered HMAS Sydney and accompanying destroyers. HMAS Sydney managed to sink Bartolomeo Colleoni and seriously damage Giovanni delle Bande Nere with virtually no damage. This battle went down in history as the Battle of Cape Spada.

After this momentous battle, the cruiser until the end of 1940 performed the tasks of patrolling and escorting convoys. So, July 27, 1940. ship along with HMS Neptune participated in the sinking of an Italian tanker Ermioni, and on September 3-4, 1940, disguised as an Italian light cruiser of the type Condottieri, bombarded the air base in Scrapanto from the sea.

After a minor repair in Malta, on January 8, 1941, the cruiser was ordered to return to the coast of Australia. The plans were to carry out a large-scale modernization of the cruiser (mainly it consisted in strengthening air defense) and rotate Australian ships in the Mediterranean. The immediate task of the cruiser was to protect the coast of Australia from German raiders and the Japanese fleet. Along the way HMAS Sydney several times he was involved in escorting merchant ships and searching for German raiders in the Indian Ocean. On February 5, the ship arrived at its base in the port of Fremantle.

For 8 months of service in the Mediterranean, the cruiser's crew lost only one sailor who died due to illness.

HMAS Sydney in combat camouflage

Service off the coast of Australia

Ship in camouflage as of August 1941.

• On February 9, 1941, the cruiser arrived in Sydney, where her crew was greeted like heroes. After a short renovation HMAS Sydney departed for Fremantle 27 February 1941. and received the task of escorting convoys and patrolling in the Indian Ocean.
• April 19, 1941 the ship took the Australian delegation to Singapore for a secret meeting of representatives of the British Commonwealth, the Dutch East Indies and the United States.
• Already May 15, 1941. the cruiser again arrives in Singapore, now with the task of escorting transport ships that delivered troops to Singapore.
• All summer 1941 HMAS Sydney escorted convoys in the Indian Ocean.
• September 19, 1941, after painting in a new camouflage, the cruiser left Melbourne for Fremantle with the task of patrolling the western coast of Australia.
• During October 1941. the cruiser passed the entire western and northern coast of Australia, escorted convoys, reconnoitered minefields.

Finally, on November 17, the cruiser received orders to return to Fremantle, where she was supposed to arrive on the evening of November 20.

Doom

Battle scheme

November 19, 1941 the cruiser met with an unknown merchant ship, which was moving at a speed of 14 knots in the direction of the coast of Australia. The cruiser commander made an unacceptable mistake and approached an unknown vessel, which introduced itself as a Dutch transport Straat Malakka, at a distance of 1.3 km. For almost an hour, the ships exchanged flag signals until at 17:30 it became clear that the unknown vessel was a German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran .

After a half-hour battle at close range, the opponents dispersed. Kormoran received serious damage to the engine room, in addition, a fire broke out on the ship, which threatened the magazines with ammunition, so at 18:25 the commander ordered the crew to leave the ship. Surviving team members Kormoran stated that they saw on the horizon a glow from a fire on board HMAS Sydney until 22:00.

As it turned out later, HMAS Sydney, having received severe damage, retained controllability and tried to approach the shore, but at some point lost buoyancy, rolled over to the port side and sank.

Of the 645 crew members who were on board at the time, no one survived. It was the biggest loss of the Australian Navy in its entire history, and HMAS Sydney became the largest Allied ship to die with the entire crew during World War II.

Search for the remains HMAS Sydney

Remains of a cruiser (computer reconstruction)

After all possible deadlines for the ship's arrival in Fremantle had passed, the command of the Australian Navy began searching for the missing cruiser. November 26 HMAS Heros found a damaged empty lifeboat, which was identified as a lifeboat with HMAS Sydney.

On November 19, 1941, the German raider Kormoran and the Australian cruiser Sydney met in the Pacific Ocean, disguised as a merchant ship. The ships entered the battle, and as a result of the damage received, both sank. The Germans were much more fortunate, since most of the crew managed to escape on boats, but none of the 645 Australians survived, some of them died during the battle, others drowned along with the ship. For a long time, the death of the cruiser, which had enormous advantages, remained a mystery, however, marine archaeologists were able to find the answer to this question.

Tool "Linda". Under the barrel, you can distinguish images of a skull with crossbones.

The Sydney was one of the light cruisers of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Length - 171.4 meters, displacement - nine thousand tons. Armament: eight 152 mm guns, four 102 mm anti-aircraft guns, machine guns and eight torpedo tubes.
In 1940, Sydney was sent to the Mediterranean Sea, where she sank two Italian warships and several merchant ships, participated in convoy operations and coastal bombardments. The cruiser was recalled to the coast of Australia due to the increased activity of German raiders in the Indian Ocean in 1941. Joseph Barnet was appointed commander of the vessel.

"Sydney" in Sydney Harbor

The 2015 expedition was organized by Curtin University in conjunction with the Western Australia Museum. The cost of the project exceeded two million dollars. The underwater controlled vehicle was able to get vivid pictures of the hole in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Sydney captain's bridge: a shell that hit there after one of the first volleys of the Kormoran most likely killed most of the officers and paralyzed the ship's control. The ability of the Australians to respond to the fire of the Kormoran was significantly narrowed.

Remote Control Submersible Approaching the Wreck

Due to the restrictions imposed on the dimensions of warships by the Treaty of Versailles, the Germans decided to rely (in a future war) on cruisers converted from civilian ships. The Steiermark, renamed Kormoran, was the newest and largest of the nine Handelsstörkreuzer (Trade Disruption Cruisers) raiders. Displacement - 8876 tons, six single 150-mm guns, anti-aircraft guns and torpedo tubes. The main guns were camouflaged behind false hull plates and cargo hatches, which were opened after the order to drop the camouflage. The ship's commander was Theodor Ditmers.

Raider "Cormoran"

November 19, 1941, at about 16:00 local time, "Kormoran" was 280 kilometers from the coast of Western Australia. Seeing the masts of a warship on the horizon, the captain ordered to leave. But Sydney also noticed the raider and moved to intercept.

Kormoran 20mm anti-aircraft gun and camouflage flap

Approaching, the Australian cruiser demanded that the Kormoran identify itself. The Kormoran signaled - the name of the merchant ship Straat Malakka - and raised the Dutch flag. "Sydney" asked the question "Where are you going?" to which the raider replied: "Batavia". During the exchange of messages, "Sydney" walked a parallel course on the starboard side of the raider. The main guns aimed at the Kormoran, the seaplane was ready to take off, which prompted Ditmers to order the crew to prepare for battle.

The ruined nose of the Sydney, which has grown anemones

"Sydney" gave a secret signal, the answer to which only the team of the real Straat Malakka knew the answer. The raider was silent. "Sydney" additionally showed a spotlight: "Demonstrate your secret signal." Ditmers realized that the Kormoran would now be exposed, and ordered to throw off the disguise, raise the flag of the Kriegsmarine instead of the Dutch flag and open fire from all guns and torpedo tubes.

One of the 150mm Kormoran guns

Sailors' shoes on the seabed

Both ships most likely opened fire almost simultaneously. The first shots of the Sydney's eight guns did little damage to the German ship. The close range (about 1300 meters) allowed the raider team to use anti-aircraft guns and short-range defensive guns, preventing Sydney from using additional weapons. The Germans destroyed the bridge of the cruiser with a second salvo, damaged the upper superstructures, including the fire control tower, radio room and foremast. By the eighth or ninth salvo, the Kormoran's torpedo had blown a hole in the side of the Sydney, and the cruiser began to roll forward.

Severed bow of the "Sydney"

The first part of the battle was over: "Sydney" went south with a slowdown, "Kormoran" did not change either course or speed. The main armament of the Sydney was completely disabled (the front turrets were damaged or destroyed, the stern turrets jammed on the port side). The cruiser was enveloped in the smoke of fires in the engine room and forward superstructures, as well as around the aircraft catapult. Sydney's torpedoes missed their target. But the Kormoran vehicles failed due to combat damage. Stopping, "Kormoran", continued intense fire. By the end of the 30-minute battle, both ships were badly damaged. They were about ten kilometers apart.

Torpedo tube "Sydney" with unused torpedoes

Anemones on the wreck of the Kormoran

For four hours, the Sydney remained buoyant, but then her bow broke off and stood almost vertical under the weight of anchors and chains. The ship sank quickly. Nobody survived.

Life raft system Carly (from "Sydney")

Kormoran could not move after the battle. Ditmers ordered to leave the ship: the fire-fighting system was out of order, and the fire in the oil tank was getting close to the mine cellar. The Germans settled in five boats and two rafts. Late at night, the mine cellar exploded, and the Kormoran sank.

Anchor "Kormoran" lies on the skin of the ship

The crew of the raider was clearly proud of their achievements. The list of military victories begins with the Greek cargo ship Antonis (sunk on January 6, 1941) and ends with another Greek ship, Stamatios G. Embirikos (sunk on September 26, 1941).

List of 11 ships captured or sunk by the Kormoran

In the twentieth of November, British and Australian ships picked up all the German boats (out of 399 people from the Kormoran crew, 318 survived). The search for "Sydney" was not successful. No survivors were found. Only on November 27, the Virallah ship discovered an inflatable life buoy from the cruiser. Later, in 1942, two more Carly life rafts were found.

Boat and longboat "Sydney"

The sinking of the Sydney with all her crew dealt a severe blow to Australian morale - it was the largest loss of the Australian Navy in history, amounting to 35 percent of the total loss of Australian Navy personnel during the Second World War.

Crew of the Sydney

Due to the size of the area where the battle between Sydney and Kormoran could take place, the search was unsuccessful for a long time. It wasn't until March 2008 that American wreck hunter David Mearn discovered a German ship. Soon they found the "Sydney" - 21.1 kilometers from the "Kormoran". On March 14, 2011, the ships were inscribed on the Australian National Heritage List.

Kormoran's gun

The investigation confirmed the testimony of Captain Ditmers and refuted conspiracy versions of events (for example, about the secret assistance of a Japanese submarine to the Germans). The powerful Australian cruiser was lost primarily because Captain Barnet got too close to the raider and lost the advantages of long-range artillery. The shells of the Kormoran easily pierced the armor of the Sydney.

Stern "Sydney"

Some historians accuse Barnet of recklessness: he did not suspect a dirty trick, did not raise a seaplane for reconnaissance and did not make inquiries about a foreign ship on the air.

Part of the cabin of the captain of the "Sydney"

Others believe that Barnet was confused by conflicting instructions from his superiors. Raiders were supposed to be shot at a distance, and merchant ships captured by the enemy were required to be boarded and then replenished with the Allied fleet. Apparently, Barnet was trying to capture the Kormoran, mistaking it for a "prize" (merchant ship).

The remaining intact guns "Sydney"