Title: Latest news on HMAS Sydney
Andy in West Oz - October 4, 2006 02:59 AM (GMT)
Steve Raymond - October 4, 2006 04:12 AM (GMT)
You are quick Andy. I only read about this in The Age (Melbourne) this morning.
pink little birdie - October 5, 2006 12:40 AM (GMT)
Ditto but Canberra times. I thought I'd be first to post this.
But this is exciting if it is a HMAS Survivor.. might give a bigger clue to where the HMAS Sydney is...
Wicked cool. This is my favorite Shipwreak
But this is exciting if it is a HMAS Survivor.. might give a bigger clue to where the HMAS Sydney is...
Wicked cool. This is my favorite Shipwreak
loren1 - October 12, 2006 01:18 PM (GMT)
This sounds like a case for Clive Cussler. It would make a great search. b:
rowan - October 13, 2006 12:02 AM (GMT)
How big would the search area be and is there any way to narrow it down? Are there no records from the Comorant? Was it sunk too?
Andy in West Oz - October 16, 2006 03:02 PM (GMT)
Rowan
The general area of the two wrecks has been something of major debate and conspiracy theories pretty much since the Sydney and the Kormoran sank. The most credible group at the moment is Sydney Search (www.sydneysearch.com.au) and they have received funding from the Australian govt, the West Oz govt and the New South Wales govt. They are trying for $4 million and I think they are about half way there. Basically they want to be ready to roll and be totally self-sufficient should a ship capable of a search become available for charter in the area. Based on reports from the German survivors as to where they last saw the Sydney (a blazing fire ont he horizon), it is quite possible that finding the Kormoran first will lead to the Sydney by just "going to the south-west".
I wrote a 1500 word story about the current search planning in the first half of the year which got published. Not sure I should post it here but I can email it to anyone who might be interested in a better explanationt than I've written above!
Cheers beer:
Andy
The general area of the two wrecks has been something of major debate and conspiracy theories pretty much since the Sydney and the Kormoran sank. The most credible group at the moment is Sydney Search (www.sydneysearch.com.au) and they have received funding from the Australian govt, the West Oz govt and the New South Wales govt. They are trying for $4 million and I think they are about half way there. Basically they want to be ready to roll and be totally self-sufficient should a ship capable of a search become available for charter in the area. Based on reports from the German survivors as to where they last saw the Sydney (a blazing fire ont he horizon), it is quite possible that finding the Kormoran first will lead to the Sydney by just "going to the south-west".
I wrote a 1500 word story about the current search planning in the first half of the year which got published. Not sure I should post it here but I can email it to anyone who might be interested in a better explanationt than I've written above!
Cheers beer:
Andy
pink little birdie - October 17, 2006 01:27 AM (GMT)
yes please Andy det:
I've even donated $200 in Cussler money to you for it
I've even donated $200 in Cussler money to you for it
Andy in West Oz - October 17, 2006 02:29 PM (GMT)
Okie dokie, here tis, it's a bit long. This was written and published in the Western Independent in April 2006.
Closer Still: Searching for HMAS Sydney
Somewhere off the Western Australian coast near Carnarvon, the grave site of 645 Australians lies in complete darkness, save for the natural glow of the deep ocean creatures that inhabit the sea floor several kilometres beneath the surface.
The grave site is the wreck of the HMAS Sydney, the pride of the Royal Australian Navy during the Second World War and lost with all hands in November 1941 after a fierce close range battle with the German raider, Kormoran. Sixty-five years of conflicting theories, arguments and frustration have done little to convince authorities that a search is worthwhile.
Finally, after extensive research and lobbying, a Perth based organisation has received part funding from the Federal and Western Australian governments to conduct a search for the Sydney. It will be a search that will hopefully close a chapter in the lives of many Australians who lost loved ones when the Sydney did not come home.
The reports of the German survivors from the Kormoran remain the only accounts of the loss of the Sydney. Understandably, many Australians did not believe the German account. They believed that there was more to the loss of Sydney than a simple, devastating battle at close range. Their wildly diverse theories have made their way into the public arena and continue to be discussed today. It was not until a seminar was held at the Fremantle Maritime Museum in 1991 that clarity began to be seen in the quest for the Sydney.
One of the outcomes of this seminar was that finding the Sydney was a government responsibility. A parliamentary enquiry was duly created and while keeping the loss of the Sydney and her crew in the public eye, the term of the enquiry unfortunately straddled a federal election which required a cessation of activity until the government settled back in. The enquiry eventually recommended that there be another seminar to re-examine the facts and subsequent investigations.
This next seminar was convened in 2001. Frustratingly, despite all the work done to present an accurate view on where the Sydney may lie, opposing views and theories were given voice. Despite the government essentially saying, “If you can all agree that it’s possible, we’ll do it”, no clear way forward was determined. Therefore, no recommendation was made to government and the Sydney was no closer to being found.
A group of frustrated individuals subsequently set themselves the task of researching and defining an area where they believed the Sydney sank. They became Sydney Search Pty Ltd. As all members were busy businessmen, it was decided they needed a “figurehead”, someone who had the time to be the face of Sydney Search, run its day to day existence and develop a broad range of contacts in the corporate, government and military sectors. Enter Commodore Bob Trotter, RAN (Ret’d).
Bob looks every inch a Navy man. Studious, sporting a full beard and with a piercing, determined gaze that can judge a person’s character from 20 paces, he has been the chief executive officer of Sydney Search since 2003:
“When I retired from the Navy…what I didn’t want to do was get into long term employment with another boss.
“What I was trying to do was to find things that I wanted to do and I had some autonomy over.”
Ted Graham, a Sydney Search director, approached Bob and told him the organisation needed “someone who had a little bit more time than they did to start moving some of [the] issues on”. Owing to his naval contacts and an association with the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney, Bob jumped at the chance.
He knew nothing of the conspiracies and passionate investigation surrounding the loss of the Sydney prior to moving to WA courtesy of the Navy.
“I was posted here…for the first time to my home state in my 34th year of naval service as the senior naval officer in WA,” he said.
“I soon came to learn that here in WA, the energy that was put into the Sydney thing by a number of people was something that I’d never really, well, I never even knew existed.
“From the east coast, there was nothing.”
Sydney Search had determined from its extensive research a definable area in which to search for the Sydney. They were able to substantiate their claim without conjecture or conspiracy. Unfortunately, they were thrown onto the heap of conspiracy theorists that had caused the moderator of the 2001 seminar to throw up his hands in despair and admit defeat as to the possibility of everyone agreeing on one theory.
Bob remembered when they began to apply some heat to a number of politicians and officials, renowned shipwreck hunter, David Mearns, appeared “almost out of left field”.
“He had been covering a lot of the same research that we’d undertaken but he was able to give a fresh view to it,” said Bob.
“We then put that to the then Chief of Navy…and he said, ‘This is convincing’.
“The biggest controversy at the time was between northern and the southern [search] sites and all of a sudden, by quite independent means… [we had] an informed view that the northern site was the most logical to go for.”
This support from an expert wreck hunter was what turned the tide in Sydney Search’s favour. Suddenly, government took them seriously. Here was an organisation that had risen above the conspiracies, done its research and managed to be backed up by an international figure “who had done this many times before”.
In 2005, Sydney Search was invigorated to approach the State and Federal governments for funding when a ship capable of performing a search was mobilised into the area for offshore work. That opportunity passed by as only two governments responded, $1.3 million being received from Canberra and $500,000 coming from the Western Australian government. Much more is needed. Bob Trotter:
“We need another $3 million.
“We’ve had widows of people who were lost in Sydney, on pensions, donating $1000.”
One of these widows is Pat Ingham. Pat’s husband, John Wakelin Ingham, joined the crew of the Sydney in 1938. John, “Jack” as he liked to be called, served in the Mediterranean and was on board the Sydney when she encountered the Kormoran. Pat and Jack were married only six weeks before the Sydney was lost. To this day, the only news Pat has received regarding her husband is a telegram saying that the ship was lost.
“It had to be assumed that they were lost at sea,” she said.
“I never received any other notification to say that they were presumed dead…because [the government] didn’t know.”
Born in England, Pat now uses a walking stick to steady herself. The stick belies an energy that would put many younger people to shame. After the loss of her Jack, Pat did not re-marry and felt the responsibility to continue his service. Initially, she struggled to keep going.
“It’s very hard to come to grips with,” she said.
“You didn’t expect it, I don’t know why you didn’t expect it but when you’re young, you don’t.
“Eventually, I went out and joined the Navy myself.”
Pat served in Perth and Sydney before the end of the war. After working overseas, she returned to Perth and continues to serve through various Naval associations and community groups. Impressed with the recent federal and WA government support, she remains baffled as to why financial support from other state governments has not been more widespread:
“It seems to be all too hard for them.
“[The money] could be easily raised if each state was to put in the same as Western Australia, it would be so simple.
“It’s a small amount from a government point of view…but I don’t know why they’re so reluctant.”
Bob Trotter and his colleagues remain hopeful of support that will bring the commencement of the search closer. When that day comes, there is no guarantee of a successful sonar search. Bob is quick to point out that they don’t actually know the exact location of the Sydney or the Kormoran.
“We’re not saying that we’re going to find these ships and that’s a subtlety [where] we’re having some difficulty with governments and benefactors,” he said.
“What we’re saying is that we want money to search an area.
“One result might be failure.”
It’s that risk of failure that has been a sticking point since the loss of the Sydney. No one could agree on where to start looking. The one constant in all of this has been the location of the Kormoran. German records actually reveal the coordinates of the battle and where the Kormoran was scuttled. Bob and his colleagues argue that there was no point in the Germans trying to hide where their ship sank. Any secrets would be hidden by several thousand metres of water. Therefore, finding the Kormoran is the key.
“We’ll [search for] Kormoran first because that’s the scene of the battle,” said Bob.
“Once you find Kormoran, just move a little bit south east and that’s where you’ll find Sydney.”
Finding either ship will debunk a lot of the theories regarding the battle and the sinkings. It will also put a lot of minds at ease. However, many of those minds have experienced over 60 years of loss for their loved ones or former crewmembers. Time is pushing on. Pat Ingham:
“It’s a finalisation of somebody’s life, everybody feels the same whether it’s at sea or on the land.
“You do want to know, you really do, but whether we will or not in our lifetime, who can tell?”
Sydney Search realises that finding Sydney will close a chapter in peoples’ lives. Bob receives many letters from not just the widows but the “brothers and the sisters and the daughters and the sons”. They all say the same thing: finding Sydney will bring closure, “it’s over because we’ve seen it”.
“It’s a national task, something that hasn’t been done for…almost 65 years,” said Bob.
“Our principles are that everything we see and do, whether it be sonar information, video, visual and whatever, is public knowledge in its un-edited form.”
The search for Sydney may yet end in failure. Right now, after almost 65 years of indecision, there is direction towards a result. The 645 men of the HMAS Sydney would expect Australia to never give up searching for them, just as they never gave up serving this country. We owe them that much, and more. They are waiting in the darkness of the sea floor. They are waiting to come home.
Closer Still: Searching for HMAS Sydney
Somewhere off the Western Australian coast near Carnarvon, the grave site of 645 Australians lies in complete darkness, save for the natural glow of the deep ocean creatures that inhabit the sea floor several kilometres beneath the surface.
The grave site is the wreck of the HMAS Sydney, the pride of the Royal Australian Navy during the Second World War and lost with all hands in November 1941 after a fierce close range battle with the German raider, Kormoran. Sixty-five years of conflicting theories, arguments and frustration have done little to convince authorities that a search is worthwhile.
Finally, after extensive research and lobbying, a Perth based organisation has received part funding from the Federal and Western Australian governments to conduct a search for the Sydney. It will be a search that will hopefully close a chapter in the lives of many Australians who lost loved ones when the Sydney did not come home.
The reports of the German survivors from the Kormoran remain the only accounts of the loss of the Sydney. Understandably, many Australians did not believe the German account. They believed that there was more to the loss of Sydney than a simple, devastating battle at close range. Their wildly diverse theories have made their way into the public arena and continue to be discussed today. It was not until a seminar was held at the Fremantle Maritime Museum in 1991 that clarity began to be seen in the quest for the Sydney.
One of the outcomes of this seminar was that finding the Sydney was a government responsibility. A parliamentary enquiry was duly created and while keeping the loss of the Sydney and her crew in the public eye, the term of the enquiry unfortunately straddled a federal election which required a cessation of activity until the government settled back in. The enquiry eventually recommended that there be another seminar to re-examine the facts and subsequent investigations.
This next seminar was convened in 2001. Frustratingly, despite all the work done to present an accurate view on where the Sydney may lie, opposing views and theories were given voice. Despite the government essentially saying, “If you can all agree that it’s possible, we’ll do it”, no clear way forward was determined. Therefore, no recommendation was made to government and the Sydney was no closer to being found.
A group of frustrated individuals subsequently set themselves the task of researching and defining an area where they believed the Sydney sank. They became Sydney Search Pty Ltd. As all members were busy businessmen, it was decided they needed a “figurehead”, someone who had the time to be the face of Sydney Search, run its day to day existence and develop a broad range of contacts in the corporate, government and military sectors. Enter Commodore Bob Trotter, RAN (Ret’d).
Bob looks every inch a Navy man. Studious, sporting a full beard and with a piercing, determined gaze that can judge a person’s character from 20 paces, he has been the chief executive officer of Sydney Search since 2003:
“When I retired from the Navy…what I didn’t want to do was get into long term employment with another boss.
“What I was trying to do was to find things that I wanted to do and I had some autonomy over.”
Ted Graham, a Sydney Search director, approached Bob and told him the organisation needed “someone who had a little bit more time than they did to start moving some of [the] issues on”. Owing to his naval contacts and an association with the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney, Bob jumped at the chance.
He knew nothing of the conspiracies and passionate investigation surrounding the loss of the Sydney prior to moving to WA courtesy of the Navy.
“I was posted here…for the first time to my home state in my 34th year of naval service as the senior naval officer in WA,” he said.
“I soon came to learn that here in WA, the energy that was put into the Sydney thing by a number of people was something that I’d never really, well, I never even knew existed.
“From the east coast, there was nothing.”
Sydney Search had determined from its extensive research a definable area in which to search for the Sydney. They were able to substantiate their claim without conjecture or conspiracy. Unfortunately, they were thrown onto the heap of conspiracy theorists that had caused the moderator of the 2001 seminar to throw up his hands in despair and admit defeat as to the possibility of everyone agreeing on one theory.
Bob remembered when they began to apply some heat to a number of politicians and officials, renowned shipwreck hunter, David Mearns, appeared “almost out of left field”.
“He had been covering a lot of the same research that we’d undertaken but he was able to give a fresh view to it,” said Bob.
“We then put that to the then Chief of Navy…and he said, ‘This is convincing’.
“The biggest controversy at the time was between northern and the southern [search] sites and all of a sudden, by quite independent means… [we had] an informed view that the northern site was the most logical to go for.”
This support from an expert wreck hunter was what turned the tide in Sydney Search’s favour. Suddenly, government took them seriously. Here was an organisation that had risen above the conspiracies, done its research and managed to be backed up by an international figure “who had done this many times before”.
In 2005, Sydney Search was invigorated to approach the State and Federal governments for funding when a ship capable of performing a search was mobilised into the area for offshore work. That opportunity passed by as only two governments responded, $1.3 million being received from Canberra and $500,000 coming from the Western Australian government. Much more is needed. Bob Trotter:
“We need another $3 million.
“We’ve had widows of people who were lost in Sydney, on pensions, donating $1000.”
One of these widows is Pat Ingham. Pat’s husband, John Wakelin Ingham, joined the crew of the Sydney in 1938. John, “Jack” as he liked to be called, served in the Mediterranean and was on board the Sydney when she encountered the Kormoran. Pat and Jack were married only six weeks before the Sydney was lost. To this day, the only news Pat has received regarding her husband is a telegram saying that the ship was lost.
“It had to be assumed that they were lost at sea,” she said.
“I never received any other notification to say that they were presumed dead…because [the government] didn’t know.”
Born in England, Pat now uses a walking stick to steady herself. The stick belies an energy that would put many younger people to shame. After the loss of her Jack, Pat did not re-marry and felt the responsibility to continue his service. Initially, she struggled to keep going.
“It’s very hard to come to grips with,” she said.
“You didn’t expect it, I don’t know why you didn’t expect it but when you’re young, you don’t.
“Eventually, I went out and joined the Navy myself.”
Pat served in Perth and Sydney before the end of the war. After working overseas, she returned to Perth and continues to serve through various Naval associations and community groups. Impressed with the recent federal and WA government support, she remains baffled as to why financial support from other state governments has not been more widespread:
“It seems to be all too hard for them.
“[The money] could be easily raised if each state was to put in the same as Western Australia, it would be so simple.
“It’s a small amount from a government point of view…but I don’t know why they’re so reluctant.”
Bob Trotter and his colleagues remain hopeful of support that will bring the commencement of the search closer. When that day comes, there is no guarantee of a successful sonar search. Bob is quick to point out that they don’t actually know the exact location of the Sydney or the Kormoran.
“We’re not saying that we’re going to find these ships and that’s a subtlety [where] we’re having some difficulty with governments and benefactors,” he said.
“What we’re saying is that we want money to search an area.
“One result might be failure.”
It’s that risk of failure that has been a sticking point since the loss of the Sydney. No one could agree on where to start looking. The one constant in all of this has been the location of the Kormoran. German records actually reveal the coordinates of the battle and where the Kormoran was scuttled. Bob and his colleagues argue that there was no point in the Germans trying to hide where their ship sank. Any secrets would be hidden by several thousand metres of water. Therefore, finding the Kormoran is the key.
“We’ll [search for] Kormoran first because that’s the scene of the battle,” said Bob.
“Once you find Kormoran, just move a little bit south east and that’s where you’ll find Sydney.”
Finding either ship will debunk a lot of the theories regarding the battle and the sinkings. It will also put a lot of minds at ease. However, many of those minds have experienced over 60 years of loss for their loved ones or former crewmembers. Time is pushing on. Pat Ingham:
“It’s a finalisation of somebody’s life, everybody feels the same whether it’s at sea or on the land.
“You do want to know, you really do, but whether we will or not in our lifetime, who can tell?”
Sydney Search realises that finding Sydney will close a chapter in peoples’ lives. Bob receives many letters from not just the widows but the “brothers and the sisters and the daughters and the sons”. They all say the same thing: finding Sydney will bring closure, “it’s over because we’ve seen it”.
“It’s a national task, something that hasn’t been done for…almost 65 years,” said Bob.
“Our principles are that everything we see and do, whether it be sonar information, video, visual and whatever, is public knowledge in its un-edited form.”
The search for Sydney may yet end in failure. Right now, after almost 65 years of indecision, there is direction towards a result. The 645 men of the HMAS Sydney would expect Australia to never give up searching for them, just as they never gave up serving this country. We owe them that much, and more. They are waiting in the darkness of the sea floor. They are waiting to come home.
loren1 - October 17, 2006 10:17 PM (GMT)
Great Story Andy. Thanks for putting up for us to read. I to will donate some cc money to you. w:
DirkPitt - October 21, 2006 07:41 AM (GMT)
The plot thickens! det:
21st October 2006
The Federal Government has played down rumours that a bullet in the skeleton of a sailor from HMAS Sydney which was found in a hidden Christmas Island grave was from a Japanese or German handgun.
Since it was revealed last week that the skeleton had a bullet in its skull, some Sydney enthusiasts have claimed it is evidence Australian sailors were massacred.
The Sydney sank in November 1941 off the mid-west WA coast after a confrontation with the German raider Kormoran. All 645 crew were lost and the wreck never found.
Some historians say reports by German sailors that they heard shots after the incident is proof that Australian sailors were executed.
Three months later, a skeleton in a navy boiler suit floated into a bay at Christmas Island in a navy float riddled with bullet holes and shrapnel. It was hastily buried in an unmarked grave a few weeks before the island was invaded by the Japanese.
Last month, a navy team discovered the remains and took them to Sydney, where pathologists discovered the bullet. It had entered the skull through the rear and lodged in the forehead. Sources have said the bullet appears to be 9mm calibre, suited to a German Luger or Japanese Nambu pistol.
Minister Assisting for Defence Bruce Billson said yesterday it was too soon to say how big the round was because it was still in the skull.
link
21st October 2006
The Federal Government has played down rumours that a bullet in the skeleton of a sailor from HMAS Sydney which was found in a hidden Christmas Island grave was from a Japanese or German handgun.
Since it was revealed last week that the skeleton had a bullet in its skull, some Sydney enthusiasts have claimed it is evidence Australian sailors were massacred.
The Sydney sank in November 1941 off the mid-west WA coast after a confrontation with the German raider Kormoran. All 645 crew were lost and the wreck never found.
Some historians say reports by German sailors that they heard shots after the incident is proof that Australian sailors were executed.
Three months later, a skeleton in a navy boiler suit floated into a bay at Christmas Island in a navy float riddled with bullet holes and shrapnel. It was hastily buried in an unmarked grave a few weeks before the island was invaded by the Japanese.
Last month, a navy team discovered the remains and took them to Sydney, where pathologists discovered the bullet. It had entered the skull through the rear and lodged in the forehead. Sources have said the bullet appears to be 9mm calibre, suited to a German Luger or Japanese Nambu pistol.
Minister Assisting for Defence Bruce Billson said yesterday it was too soon to say how big the round was because it was still in the skull.
link
Andy in West Oz - October 21, 2006 11:23 AM (GMT)
The plot does thicken!
I heard this on the radio and the thought was that the sailor had shot himself. However, there was no mention of the bullet entering the rear of the skull.
It's gettng like a Kathy Reichs book!
Cheers beer:
Andy
I heard this on the radio and the thought was that the sailor had shot himself. However, there was no mention of the bullet entering the rear of the skull.
It's gettng like a Kathy Reichs book!
Cheers beer:
Andy
DirkPitt - October 22, 2006 04:42 AM (GMT)
It gets better!
THE shock discovery of a bullet in the skull of a sailor from HMAS Sydney has opened fresh claims a Japanese submarine sank the Australian battle cruiser weeks before the bombing of Pearl Harbour.
Forensic experts last week found the bullet while examining the sailor's remains. He was washed up on Christmas Island three months after the ship sank in 1941.
Captain Jim Parsons, leader of the naval team that discovered the remains in an unmarked grave on the island, said: "The round appears to be from a low-velocity weapon, possibly a handgun."
Ballistic experts are trying to confirm the type of gun it came from. It fits descriptions of eight-millimetre bullets used in the Type 14 Nambu, a pistol widely used in the wartime Japanese navy. They are smaller than the nine-millimetre bullets fired by the German Luger and 0.38-inch Australian-issue bullets.
If it was from a Japanese pistol, it would add weight to the theory that a Japanese submarine torpedoed HMAS Sydney during its battle with the German raider Kormoran on November 19, 1941, off the coast from Geraldton, Western Australia.
"The discovery of this bullet changes everything," said John Samuels, author of the 2005 book Somewhere Below, which argues the Japanese submarine I-58 sank the Sydney and then shot survivors in the water.
Sydney University forensic expert Dr Denise Donlon is examining the bones.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/bullet...851181905.html#
THE shock discovery of a bullet in the skull of a sailor from HMAS Sydney has opened fresh claims a Japanese submarine sank the Australian battle cruiser weeks before the bombing of Pearl Harbour.
Forensic experts last week found the bullet while examining the sailor's remains. He was washed up on Christmas Island three months after the ship sank in 1941.
Captain Jim Parsons, leader of the naval team that discovered the remains in an unmarked grave on the island, said: "The round appears to be from a low-velocity weapon, possibly a handgun."
Ballistic experts are trying to confirm the type of gun it came from. It fits descriptions of eight-millimetre bullets used in the Type 14 Nambu, a pistol widely used in the wartime Japanese navy. They are smaller than the nine-millimetre bullets fired by the German Luger and 0.38-inch Australian-issue bullets.
If it was from a Japanese pistol, it would add weight to the theory that a Japanese submarine torpedoed HMAS Sydney during its battle with the German raider Kormoran on November 19, 1941, off the coast from Geraldton, Western Australia.
"The discovery of this bullet changes everything," said John Samuels, author of the 2005 book Somewhere Below, which argues the Japanese submarine I-58 sank the Sydney and then shot survivors in the water.
Sydney University forensic expert Dr Denise Donlon is examining the bones.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/bullet...851181905.html#
Steve Raymond - October 22, 2006 07:11 AM (GMT)
I've been following the story in The Age (Melbourne). Fascinating. A mystery of CC proportions. Andy - you must be beside yourself with excitment as this is your special area of interest
Andy in West Oz - October 22, 2006 08:57 AM (GMT)
Yeah, I am Steve. Finding the ships will hopefully give a definitive answer but you never know. Conspiracies etc aside, there's a lot of Aussie (and German) families who would like to know where their loved ones lie.
The bullet issue is interesting, I only hope the people who support the Japanese involvement idea, don't stir things up and hinder efforts to find the ships.
From what little I know of the the guy who heads up Sydney Search, he'll find the bullet issue interesting but it won't distract him from moving closer to the launch of the search.
Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel?!
Cheers beer:
Andy
The bullet issue is interesting, I only hope the people who support the Japanese involvement idea, don't stir things up and hinder efforts to find the ships.
From what little I know of the the guy who heads up Sydney Search, he'll find the bullet issue interesting but it won't distract him from moving closer to the launch of the search.
Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel?!
Cheers beer:
Andy
pink little birdie - October 22, 2006 11:18 AM (GMT)
ohhh exciting his is getting even more interesting... maybe I should read the papers more
oswalder - October 22, 2006 05:53 PM (GMT)
I must admit that I haven't been following the search and know absolutely nothing about the Sydney, but could it have been captured by the Japanese, refitted, and put back into service and never sunk at all?
Probably way off, there's probably a million accounts of her sinking, but for some reason that just popped into my mind. :blink:
Probably way off, there's probably a million accounts of her sinking, but for some reason that just popped into my mind. :blink:
DirkPitt - October 22, 2006 07:36 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (oswalder @ Oct 23 2006, 01:53 AM) |
| I must admit that I haven't been following the search and know absolutely nothing about the Sydney, but could it have been captured by the Japanese, refitted, and put back into service and never sunk at all? |
You know, I actually read a story somewhere that described the Sydney being sighted in Japan years afterward. Who knows!
pink little birdie - October 23, 2006 01:58 PM (GMT)
nothing new on the HMAS Sydney at the National War Memorial... I'll keep an eye out there and post if the display changes
MG Mal - January 15, 2007 07:24 AM (GMT)
Well...............
This ads to my own research into the loss of HMAS Sydney!
I was pointed to this thread by Andy after I asked him if there had been any new info 'post 2005'.
Andy, your peice is most informative , and the subject of the Christmas island sailor is compelling but not concrete that he was a member of the Sydney's crew.
(althoughbeleived likely).
I still can't get my head around a japanese connection though, as most, if not all there wartime records have been open to the public for quite some time and no one has mentioned finding refernces to there involvement in the Sydneys sinking.
I am continually peicing together bits and peices of info as time and work allow.
I too cannot understand why other territories have not as yet offered similar funding towards the search , as I understand that the Sydneys crew complement included men from all over Australia, not just the Western areas.
I hope that they are one day found, and given the recognition they justly deserve.
Mal.
This ads to my own research into the loss of HMAS Sydney!
I was pointed to this thread by Andy after I asked him if there had been any new info 'post 2005'.
Andy, your peice is most informative , and the subject of the Christmas island sailor is compelling but not concrete that he was a member of the Sydney's crew.
(althoughbeleived likely).
I still can't get my head around a japanese connection though, as most, if not all there wartime records have been open to the public for quite some time and no one has mentioned finding refernces to there involvement in the Sydneys sinking.
I am continually peicing together bits and peices of info as time and work allow.
I too cannot understand why other territories have not as yet offered similar funding towards the search , as I understand that the Sydneys crew complement included men from all over Australia, not just the Western areas.
I hope that they are one day found, and given the recognition they justly deserve.
Mal.
Andy in West Oz - August 11, 2007 01:25 PM (GMT)
Has she been found? Will mean closure for many Australians, perhaps the nation.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/11/2002432.htm
HMAS Sydney found, group claims
Posted Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:36am AEST
Updated Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:42am AEST
Lost at sea: The crew of the HMAS Sydney (AAP: Supplied)
Map: Carnarvon 6701
The patron of a long-running effort to find the wreck of the Australian World War II warship HMAS Sydney says claims the ship has been found need to be verified as soon as possible.
The Sydney sank with 645 crew on board in November 1941 after a battle against the German raider Kormoran off the coast of Western Australia.
The ship's wreck has never been found, but now a team of amateur researchers is claiming to have located it in 150 metres of water off Dirk Hartog Island near Carnarvon.
Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, a patron of the Finding Sydney Foundation, says despite a number of false leads in the past, this one seems to have substance.
"This is seemingly a welcome breakthrough after all these years - over six decades - and if it proves up to detailed analysis [the families] will be absolutely delighted," he said.
"[There will be] closure for many families living in Sydney and Melbourne and right around Australia, who lost loved ones and members of their family on the HMAS Sydney when it sank."
The Foundation's Bob Trotter says the claim is exciting but needs to be verified.
"If they're right we'd be the first to say well done," he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/11/2002432.htm
HMAS Sydney found, group claims
Posted Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:36am AEST
Updated Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:42am AEST
Lost at sea: The crew of the HMAS Sydney (AAP: Supplied)
Map: Carnarvon 6701
The patron of a long-running effort to find the wreck of the Australian World War II warship HMAS Sydney says claims the ship has been found need to be verified as soon as possible.
The Sydney sank with 645 crew on board in November 1941 after a battle against the German raider Kormoran off the coast of Western Australia.
The ship's wreck has never been found, but now a team of amateur researchers is claiming to have located it in 150 metres of water off Dirk Hartog Island near Carnarvon.
Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, a patron of the Finding Sydney Foundation, says despite a number of false leads in the past, this one seems to have substance.
"This is seemingly a welcome breakthrough after all these years - over six decades - and if it proves up to detailed analysis [the families] will be absolutely delighted," he said.
"[There will be] closure for many families living in Sydney and Melbourne and right around Australia, who lost loved ones and members of their family on the HMAS Sydney when it sank."
The Foundation's Bob Trotter says the claim is exciting but needs to be verified.
"If they're right we'd be the first to say well done," he said.
Empress - August 12, 2007 05:54 PM (GMT)
Fingers crossed here Andy!!
The Ghost Who Walks - August 13, 2007 12:52 AM (GMT)
Hopefully it is the wreck so relatives of those who died can finally have some information on what actually happened. One expert, however, has put scorn on the idea that it is the HMAS Sydney:
Expert denies claims
Expert denies claims
Andy in West Oz - August 13, 2007 01:38 AM (GMT)
Basically, my thoughts as well, Ghost, based on what I've read and heard from Sydney Search. There's also a commercial diver and skipper who is saying he has seen the sonar reading of this wreck and it is nowhere near big enough.
Still, if it is Sydney, excellent. If it's not, then hopefully the A$2.9 million the govt was about to give Sydney Search, but withheld on Saturday pending the ID of this latest find, will be paid as that will give them enough to conduct their search.
beer:
Still, if it is Sydney, excellent. If it's not, then hopefully the A$2.9 million the govt was about to give Sydney Search, but withheld on Saturday pending the ID of this latest find, will be paid as that will give them enough to conduct their search.
beer:
pink little birdie - August 15, 2007 02:38 PM (GMT)
the Government is still giving the money to the Sydney search if the wreak turns out not to be the Sydney. It made the front page of Wednesday's Canberra times
pink little birdie - August 16, 2007 03:18 AM (GMT)
And our Navy is sending boats to confirm if it is the Sydney or not. They plan for this to take about 2 weeks with minimal cost.
Andy in West Oz - August 20, 2007 07:22 AM (GMT)
Not the Sydney this time around. Have to admit I didn't think so but that was just my opinion!
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22263805-421,00.html
RAN sweep finds "nothing of interest"
Vessel claimed to be Sydney a barge
Expert amazed at poor journalism standards
A ROYAL Australian Navy ship has found "nothing of interest" at a wreck site off the West Australian coast that newspapers last week claimed was the resting place of HMAS Sydney.
Navy sources confirmed that HMAS Leeuwin, a hydrographic survey ship with sophisticated scanning and sonar equipment, had completed its sweep through an area off Dirk Hartog Island, 800km north of Perth, and had reported its findings to Canberra last night.
Fairfax newspapers, the Seven Network and The West Australian claimed last week a group of local enthusiasts had discovered the wreck of the Sydney, which went down in November 1941 with all 645 crew.
But inquiries by The Weekend Australian raised questions about the group's claim that the Sydney rests in 130m of water 20 nautical miles off the island.
It is believed the Leeuwin may have detected a vessel about 30m long and four or five metres high.
Veterans Affairs Minister Bruce Billson is expected to make an announcement about the find - or lack of it - over the weekend.
Not Sydney, but may be a barge
The vessel may be an old barge that was sunk off the island in the 1940s, locals believe.
Last night, British-based marine salvage expert David Mearns - who is expected to lead a federal and state government-backed search for the Sydney early next year - said it was a lesson to all.
"To be blunt, they didn't know what they were doing," he said from Italy.
"They made a grave mistake both at sea and in how they dealt with it in the media.
"It serves as a lesson to everybody - including journalists - that these things should be done in a proper and professional way.
"I heard it ended up on the front page of a broadsheet (The Sydney Morning Herald) and I find it amazing they don't check their facts properly, or try to contact experts to get a balanced opinion or verify something as important as this.
"I'm sure the editors will have a lot of egg on their faces today."
Pondering the location of Sydney has been a popular pastime on the shipwreck-littered stretch of Gascoyne coast where the light cruiser and the German raider the Kormoran fought to the death in November 1941.
Marshall Hipper, former deputy shire president of Shark Bay, was told years earlier by the state museum that a bolt his sons Dion and Adrian fished from a wreck on the ocean floor in September 2001 came from a wooden vessel - not the Sydney.
'Never stopped believing'
But the 71-year-old never stopped believing the wreck was the long-lost war grave and he wanted others to believe him too, his widow Midge Hipper told The Weekend Australian yesterday.
A small group of enthusiasts led by Graham and Phil Shepherd from his home town of Denham believed him, and last Saturday - seven months after Hipper's death - newspapers burst into print with celebratory banner headlines, including a front-page declaration in The West Australian screeching: "FOUND".
In the following days, maritime experts expressed their disbelief, as well as disapproval at the certainty with which the group and the media organisations proclaimed their find.
Bruce Teede, 79, of Carnarvon, was one of the locals who scoffed, saying: "Codswallop."
The bombshell announcement forced the federal Government to investigate, and meanwhile postpone more than $2 million in funding for the non-profit HMAS Sydney Search, which was preparing to conduct a deep-sea scan of an area it and many others believe is the most likely resting place of the two legendary warships - about 150 nautical miles off Carnarvon.
Since 2002, and with the backing of independent experts, HMAS Sydney Search has used decoded German notes and other official sources to decide on the search area, which will it will scan early next year.
This week's events angered Mr Billson, whose attempts to have the Navy verify last weekend's claims were initially frustrated when the group refused to reveal the co-ordinates.
Leeuwin arrived yesterday at the site where the group was hovering over the wreck.
Sources said the men were having trouble getting their equipment powered and asked the Navy for help.
But there was a chance their gear could have corrupted the Navy's equipment, and the request was refused.
The Leeuwin is expected to be in the area for another few days while it examines at least two other wreck sites.
Sydney discovered 'every six months'
West Australian Museum director of maritime archeology Mike McCarthy told Hipper in 2002 the copper bolt his sons found at the site could not be from the Sydney.
Dr McCarthy said he heard from people who thought they had discovered the Sydney about every six months.
He said he understood the interest because its loss, and the government's inadequate response over many decades, had an effect on the national psyche.
"We lost boys and men from every city," he said.
The Shire of Shark Bay had known of the wreck for years and had found it to be far smaller than the Sydney - 30-36m compared with 170m.
This compares favourably with the shape and substance of what the Leeuwin has found.
The shire is embroiled in a legal squabble with the WA Museum over maritime archeological objects in the coastal fishing town of Denham's new interpretive centre, which the shire wants to keep as it positions itself as the place tourists visit to learn about the Sydney and other wrecks.
Mrs Hipper said her husband, who lived for 33 years in Denham, could never get the media traction for his find the Shepherds achieved.
Last year while in treatment for lung cancer at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Mr Hipper made calls to regional TV station Golden West Network claiming he had solved the 66-year-old mystery of the Sydney.
"They were promising to come round and interview him but he was slurring his words a little bit and they probably thought 'Silly old thing, doesn't know what he's talking about'," she said.
beer:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22263805-421,00.html
RAN sweep finds "nothing of interest"
Vessel claimed to be Sydney a barge
Expert amazed at poor journalism standards
A ROYAL Australian Navy ship has found "nothing of interest" at a wreck site off the West Australian coast that newspapers last week claimed was the resting place of HMAS Sydney.
Navy sources confirmed that HMAS Leeuwin, a hydrographic survey ship with sophisticated scanning and sonar equipment, had completed its sweep through an area off Dirk Hartog Island, 800km north of Perth, and had reported its findings to Canberra last night.
Fairfax newspapers, the Seven Network and The West Australian claimed last week a group of local enthusiasts had discovered the wreck of the Sydney, which went down in November 1941 with all 645 crew.
But inquiries by The Weekend Australian raised questions about the group's claim that the Sydney rests in 130m of water 20 nautical miles off the island.
It is believed the Leeuwin may have detected a vessel about 30m long and four or five metres high.
Veterans Affairs Minister Bruce Billson is expected to make an announcement about the find - or lack of it - over the weekend.
Not Sydney, but may be a barge
The vessel may be an old barge that was sunk off the island in the 1940s, locals believe.
Last night, British-based marine salvage expert David Mearns - who is expected to lead a federal and state government-backed search for the Sydney early next year - said it was a lesson to all.
"To be blunt, they didn't know what they were doing," he said from Italy.
"They made a grave mistake both at sea and in how they dealt with it in the media.
"It serves as a lesson to everybody - including journalists - that these things should be done in a proper and professional way.
"I heard it ended up on the front page of a broadsheet (The Sydney Morning Herald) and I find it amazing they don't check their facts properly, or try to contact experts to get a balanced opinion or verify something as important as this.
"I'm sure the editors will have a lot of egg on their faces today."
Pondering the location of Sydney has been a popular pastime on the shipwreck-littered stretch of Gascoyne coast where the light cruiser and the German raider the Kormoran fought to the death in November 1941.
Marshall Hipper, former deputy shire president of Shark Bay, was told years earlier by the state museum that a bolt his sons Dion and Adrian fished from a wreck on the ocean floor in September 2001 came from a wooden vessel - not the Sydney.
'Never stopped believing'
But the 71-year-old never stopped believing the wreck was the long-lost war grave and he wanted others to believe him too, his widow Midge Hipper told The Weekend Australian yesterday.
A small group of enthusiasts led by Graham and Phil Shepherd from his home town of Denham believed him, and last Saturday - seven months after Hipper's death - newspapers burst into print with celebratory banner headlines, including a front-page declaration in The West Australian screeching: "FOUND".
In the following days, maritime experts expressed their disbelief, as well as disapproval at the certainty with which the group and the media organisations proclaimed their find.
Bruce Teede, 79, of Carnarvon, was one of the locals who scoffed, saying: "Codswallop."
The bombshell announcement forced the federal Government to investigate, and meanwhile postpone more than $2 million in funding for the non-profit HMAS Sydney Search, which was preparing to conduct a deep-sea scan of an area it and many others believe is the most likely resting place of the two legendary warships - about 150 nautical miles off Carnarvon.
Since 2002, and with the backing of independent experts, HMAS Sydney Search has used decoded German notes and other official sources to decide on the search area, which will it will scan early next year.
This week's events angered Mr Billson, whose attempts to have the Navy verify last weekend's claims were initially frustrated when the group refused to reveal the co-ordinates.
Leeuwin arrived yesterday at the site where the group was hovering over the wreck.
Sources said the men were having trouble getting their equipment powered and asked the Navy for help.
But there was a chance their gear could have corrupted the Navy's equipment, and the request was refused.
The Leeuwin is expected to be in the area for another few days while it examines at least two other wreck sites.
Sydney discovered 'every six months'
West Australian Museum director of maritime archeology Mike McCarthy told Hipper in 2002 the copper bolt his sons found at the site could not be from the Sydney.
Dr McCarthy said he heard from people who thought they had discovered the Sydney about every six months.
He said he understood the interest because its loss, and the government's inadequate response over many decades, had an effect on the national psyche.
"We lost boys and men from every city," he said.
The Shire of Shark Bay had known of the wreck for years and had found it to be far smaller than the Sydney - 30-36m compared with 170m.
This compares favourably with the shape and substance of what the Leeuwin has found.
The shire is embroiled in a legal squabble with the WA Museum over maritime archeological objects in the coastal fishing town of Denham's new interpretive centre, which the shire wants to keep as it positions itself as the place tourists visit to learn about the Sydney and other wrecks.
Mrs Hipper said her husband, who lived for 33 years in Denham, could never get the media traction for his find the Shepherds achieved.
Last year while in treatment for lung cancer at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Mr Hipper made calls to regional TV station Golden West Network claiming he had solved the 66-year-old mystery of the Sydney.
"They were promising to come round and interview him but he was slurring his words a little bit and they probably thought 'Silly old thing, doesn't know what he's talking about'," she said.
beer:
Andy in West Oz - February 27, 2008 01:52 AM (GMT)
A new search for the wreck of HMAS Sydney will begin later this week.
Our best hope todate of finding the Sydney and Kormoran is about to start.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/25/2171549.htm
The Sydney was sunk off the West Australian coast in 1941, after an exchange of fire with the German raider Kormoran.
All 645 crew on board were killed.
The Kormoran also sank with about 50 of the 390 aboard losing their lives.
The Finding Sydney Foundation says the search ship S-V Geosounder will arrive in Geraldton tomorrow to begin a five million dollar search - funded by the Federal, West Australian and New South Wales governments.
The Foundation's Patrick Flynn says the S-V Geosounder will begin by looking for the Kormoran, which should help pinpoint the location of the Sydney.
"We're using revised met-ocean analyses that are being completed, and that'll be the date and point for where we start for the Kormoran. The Kormoran is the first vessel we wish to locate and that's the beacon we'll then move towards Sydney from," he said.
Our best hope todate of finding the Sydney and Kormoran is about to start.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/25/2171549.htm
The Sydney was sunk off the West Australian coast in 1941, after an exchange of fire with the German raider Kormoran.
All 645 crew on board were killed.
The Kormoran also sank with about 50 of the 390 aboard losing their lives.
The Finding Sydney Foundation says the search ship S-V Geosounder will arrive in Geraldton tomorrow to begin a five million dollar search - funded by the Federal, West Australian and New South Wales governments.
The Foundation's Patrick Flynn says the S-V Geosounder will begin by looking for the Kormoran, which should help pinpoint the location of the Sydney.
"We're using revised met-ocean analyses that are being completed, and that'll be the date and point for where we start for the Kormoran. The Kormoran is the first vessel we wish to locate and that's the beacon we'll then move towards Sydney from," he said.
Andy in West Oz - February 27, 2008 02:05 AM (GMT)
Recent news from Sydney Search:
http://www.findingsydney.com/news10.asp
The Finding Sydney Foundation (The Foundation) announced today it had awarded the Deep Tow Side Scan Sonar Search and Vessel and Survey Positioning Contracts for the upcoming search for HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran.
Both ships were lost following a battle off the Western Australian coral coast in November 1941. HMAS Sydney II and her complement of 645 men did not survive. HSK Kormoran was damaged and scuttled, with 317 of her nearly 400 crew surviving the engagement.
The Foundation Chairman, Mr. Ted Graham, is delighted to announce that the award of the Side Scan Sonar Search Contract to Williamson and Associates Inc, of Seattle US, and the Vessel and Survey Positioning Contract to DOF Subsea Australia Pty Ltd with their vessel the SV Geosounder.
“Williamson is one of the leading contractors in the world to conduct this type of search activity” Mr Graham said “We have been working with them for some time now to ensure everything is set to go”.
Securing a vessel was challenging as schedules had to be matched with the weather window of opportunity to conduct the search and the mobilisation of the side scan sonar equipment from Seattle.
“The SV Geosounder schedule matched the equipment schedule to give the best scenario of search days on the water and our audit of the vessel was very positive” Mr Graham said.
The Foundation has also contracted Electric Pictures Pty. Ltd, a leading independent TV production company from Western Australia, to produce a film of the Finding Sydney Project. A film crew will be onboard the SV Geosounder for the duration of the offshore search activities. Electric Pictures Managing Director, Mr Andrew Ogilvie advised, “We are extremely pleased to be given this opportunity to document a very important part of Australian history and The Foundation’s efforts to locate the HMAS Sydney II”.
The Foundation’s Offshore Search Director, Mr David Mearns, will shortly be arriving in Perth to prepare for the search. The SV Geosounder is due in Geraldton later in the month and will mobilise to the search area before the end of February.
Mr Graham congratulated his fellow Directors, the Project Manager Mr. Patrick Flynn, the Royal Australian Navy, Mr. David Mearns, and Contractors Williamson & Associates, DOF Subsea and Electric Pictures, for working through the issues to allow this most important search to get underway.
He also thanked the Australian Government and the Western Australian and New South Wales Governments, relatives of Sydney II’s crew, and countless businesses, whose support and funding contributions have enabled the search to go ahead.
beer:
http://www.findingsydney.com/news10.asp
The Finding Sydney Foundation (The Foundation) announced today it had awarded the Deep Tow Side Scan Sonar Search and Vessel and Survey Positioning Contracts for the upcoming search for HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran.
Both ships were lost following a battle off the Western Australian coral coast in November 1941. HMAS Sydney II and her complement of 645 men did not survive. HSK Kormoran was damaged and scuttled, with 317 of her nearly 400 crew surviving the engagement.
The Foundation Chairman, Mr. Ted Graham, is delighted to announce that the award of the Side Scan Sonar Search Contract to Williamson and Associates Inc, of Seattle US, and the Vessel and Survey Positioning Contract to DOF Subsea Australia Pty Ltd with their vessel the SV Geosounder.
“Williamson is one of the leading contractors in the world to conduct this type of search activity” Mr Graham said “We have been working with them for some time now to ensure everything is set to go”.
Securing a vessel was challenging as schedules had to be matched with the weather window of opportunity to conduct the search and the mobilisation of the side scan sonar equipment from Seattle.
“The SV Geosounder schedule matched the equipment schedule to give the best scenario of search days on the water and our audit of the vessel was very positive” Mr Graham said.
The Foundation has also contracted Electric Pictures Pty. Ltd, a leading independent TV production company from Western Australia, to produce a film of the Finding Sydney Project. A film crew will be onboard the SV Geosounder for the duration of the offshore search activities. Electric Pictures Managing Director, Mr Andrew Ogilvie advised, “We are extremely pleased to be given this opportunity to document a very important part of Australian history and The Foundation’s efforts to locate the HMAS Sydney II”.
The Foundation’s Offshore Search Director, Mr David Mearns, will shortly be arriving in Perth to prepare for the search. The SV Geosounder is due in Geraldton later in the month and will mobilise to the search area before the end of February.
Mr Graham congratulated his fellow Directors, the Project Manager Mr. Patrick Flynn, the Royal Australian Navy, Mr. David Mearns, and Contractors Williamson & Associates, DOF Subsea and Electric Pictures, for working through the issues to allow this most important search to get underway.
He also thanked the Australian Government and the Western Australian and New South Wales Governments, relatives of Sydney II’s crew, and countless businesses, whose support and funding contributions have enabled the search to go ahead.
beer:
Andy in West Oz - February 27, 2008 07:01 AM (GMT)
I see mowing the grass in their future! Good luck to 'em!
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23285112-1702,00.html
THE quest to find the resting place of HMAS Sydney, sunk off the West Australian coast by the German raider Kormoran in 1941, will begin tomorrow.
An international crew of 30 people will depart the port of Geraldton tomorrow afternoon to search an 1,800 square nautical mile area, due west of Dirk Hartog Island off the Midwest coast.
Australia's greatest maritime mystery claimed the lives of the cruiser's 645 crew, whose memory has been immortalised with an impressive memorial overlooking Geraldton harbour.
Leading shipwreck hunter David Mearns is one of the 30 crew who will board SV Geosounder to search for the wreck.
The Finding Sydney Foundation has raised $5 million to mount the operation, which will allow the search to go on until the end of April.
Finding Sydney project manager Patrick Flynn said the search area had been defined by close examination of historical records.
"That led to the northern area,'' Mr Flynn said.
"As well as what we've been doing over the last month, a fairly meteorological review of the actual weather patterns that occurred on that day, and you use a thing called hindcasting (testing a theoretical model).''peRoyal Australian Navy historian Lieutenant John Perryman said there was a high degree of confidence the search area would result in success.
"That has bought us to where we are at the moment, which is on doorstop of an historic voyage of discovery and hopefully commemoration,'' Lieutenant Perryman said.
But there were split feelings among researchers about the wreck's whereabouts, Lieutenant Perryman said.
"I'm aware that there are detractors out there who have made remarks about looking in the wrong spot, this being a waste of taxpayers money, but there's nothing that I can say that will alter their deeply and long held views,'' he said.
"I think we're probably going to come up trumps.''
The search will focus on identifying the resting place of the Kormoran before turning its sights to the Sydney.
"It's certainly our intention if we find either or both wrecks we will be commemorating those crews and having a short service on behalf of the relatives of both the German and Australian crews,'' Lieutenant Perryman said.
The loss of the Sydney often overshadowed the sacrifice the sailors made for Australia, he said.
"They removed a deadly and very, very lethal threat from Australia's wartime sea lines of communication,'' he said.
"Had Kormoran continued to roam the Indian Ocean, she could have caused untold damage to the troop ships.
I think that sometimes the loss of the entire crew overshadows the fact, their sacrifice wasn't in vain.
To the last there was evidence that these people remained at their post, they fought to the end and then they fought to save their ship right up until the last.''
Of the 390 crew from the German ship, 341 were rescued.
beer:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23285112-1702,00.html
THE quest to find the resting place of HMAS Sydney, sunk off the West Australian coast by the German raider Kormoran in 1941, will begin tomorrow.
An international crew of 30 people will depart the port of Geraldton tomorrow afternoon to search an 1,800 square nautical mile area, due west of Dirk Hartog Island off the Midwest coast.
Australia's greatest maritime mystery claimed the lives of the cruiser's 645 crew, whose memory has been immortalised with an impressive memorial overlooking Geraldton harbour.
Leading shipwreck hunter David Mearns is one of the 30 crew who will board SV Geosounder to search for the wreck.
The Finding Sydney Foundation has raised $5 million to mount the operation, which will allow the search to go on until the end of April.
Finding Sydney project manager Patrick Flynn said the search area had been defined by close examination of historical records.
"That led to the northern area,'' Mr Flynn said.
"As well as what we've been doing over the last month, a fairly meteorological review of the actual weather patterns that occurred on that day, and you use a thing called hindcasting (testing a theoretical model).''peRoyal Australian Navy historian Lieutenant John Perryman said there was a high degree of confidence the search area would result in success.
"That has bought us to where we are at the moment, which is on doorstop of an historic voyage of discovery and hopefully commemoration,'' Lieutenant Perryman said.
But there were split feelings among researchers about the wreck's whereabouts, Lieutenant Perryman said.
"I'm aware that there are detractors out there who have made remarks about looking in the wrong spot, this being a waste of taxpayers money, but there's nothing that I can say that will alter their deeply and long held views,'' he said.
"I think we're probably going to come up trumps.''
The search will focus on identifying the resting place of the Kormoran before turning its sights to the Sydney.
"It's certainly our intention if we find either or both wrecks we will be commemorating those crews and having a short service on behalf of the relatives of both the German and Australian crews,'' Lieutenant Perryman said.
The loss of the Sydney often overshadowed the sacrifice the sailors made for Australia, he said.
"They removed a deadly and very, very lethal threat from Australia's wartime sea lines of communication,'' he said.
"Had Kormoran continued to roam the Indian Ocean, she could have caused untold damage to the troop ships.
I think that sometimes the loss of the entire crew overshadows the fact, their sacrifice wasn't in vain.
To the last there was evidence that these people remained at their post, they fought to the end and then they fought to save their ship right up until the last.''
Of the 390 crew from the German ship, 341 were rescued.
beer: