Navy Divers Finally Reach the HMAS Sydney – What They Found Forces Mission Abort

The HMAS Sydney was no ordinary warship.

Built in Great Britain, this 562-foot cruiser was a symbol of Australian naval pride and strength.

Equipped with eight powerful 6-inch guns and capable of speeds exceeding 32 knots, the Sydney was a floating fortress, battle-hardened from previous victories in the Mediterranean Sea.

The crew, confident and seasoned, was escorting a troop ship back home in November 1941, unaware that their fate was about to be sealed in a deadly encounter.

The adversary was the German raider Kormoran, a merchant ship turned secret weapon.

Disguised as the Dutch vessel Straat Malacca, the Kormoran was equipped with six concealed guns, torpedoes, and over 300 mines.

This wolf in sheep’s clothing lurked in the same waters as the Sydney, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

On November 19th, the two ships spotted each other roughly 100 miles off the Australian coast.

Captain Joseph Burnett of the Sydney, despite his experience, made a fateful decision.

Instead of maintaining a safe distance and using his superior firepower, he moved closer—within just 1,000 yards—to inspect the suspicious ship.

This proximity allowed the Kormoran to unleash a devastating surprise attack.

The German raider dropped its disguise and opened fire with deadly precision.

The Sydney’s bridge, where the ship’s command was stationed, was hit first and almost instantly.

A torpedo struck beneath the Sydney’s forward guns, causing catastrophic damage and flooding.

Despite the chaos, the Sydney’s crew fought back fiercely, managing to set the Kormoran’s engine room ablaze.

The battle raged for about half an hour, a close-range inferno of fire and smoke, before the Sydney, badly damaged and burning, began to drift away.

Tragically, none of the Sydney’s 645 crew survived.

The Kormoran’s crew abandoned ship and were rescued, but the Sydney vanished beneath the waves, becoming one of the greatest naval mysteries of World War II.

For decades, the exact location of the Sydney remained unknown.

The ocean depths where it sank were treacherous and remote, frustrating numerous search efforts.

It wasn’t until 2008 that renowned shipwreck hunter David Mearns utilized cutting-edge sonar technology to locate the Kormoran’s wreck first.

This breakthrough led to the discovery of the Sydney’s wreck nearby, resting over two miles beneath the ocean surface.

The images sent back by remote-operated vehicles shocked everyone.

The Sydney was not intact but torn apart in ways that told a story of unimaginable violence.

The bow—the ship’s front—was completely detached, lying a short distance away from the main hull.

This explained the rapid sinking.

The hull bore more than 80 shell holes from German cannons, many large enough to suggest internal explosions.

The ship’s armor, expected to withstand heavy fire, was ripped open like paper.

The bridge was almost obliterated, confirming that the ship’s leaders were likely killed within moments of the attack.

Even more haunting was the state of the lifeboats.

Unlike typical shipwrecks where lifeboats are deployed or show signs of use, the Sydney’s lifeboats remained locked in their racks or were destroyed by fire, implying the crew never had a chance to abandon ship.

The ship’s airplane, positioned mid-deck, was twisted and charred, likely igniting a fire that trapped many crew members.

The wreck also exhibited signs of a violent impact with the seabed, crushed and bent under immense pressure.

These findings transformed the Sydney’s story from legend to stark reality.

The wreck was a graveyard of steel and shattered dreams, a testament to a battle that was won through surprise and sheer luck by the Germans.

An official investigation followed, scrutinizing the battle and Captain Burnett’s decisions.

It concluded that Burnett’s trust and failure to use reconnaissance tools, like the ship’s aircraft, or maintain a safer distance, contributed heavily to the disaster.

The Sydney’s crew fought valiantly but were overwhelmed by the unexpected and ferocious assault.

Years later, a somber discovery added a personal dimension to the tragedy.

In 2021, DNA testing identified a sailor’s body found in a lifeboat washed ashore on Christmas Island as Thomas Clark, the only confirmed Sydney crew member ever recovered.

His fate, and that of his shipmates, remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of war.

Today, the Sydney and Kormoran wrecks are protected war graves, resting silently beneath the waves.

They serve as solemn memorials and warnings about the dangers of complacency in wartime.

The story of the HMAS Sydney is not just about a ship lost at sea; it’s about courage, tragedy, and the relentless pursuit of truth.

Could there still be undiscovered secrets lying among the debris? The ocean may keep some mysteries, but the legacy of the Sydney will never sink into oblivion.