Further to the discussions below, Sydney Search has raised the money and there's a ship available to conduct the search! Fingers and toes crossed!

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22782976-29277,00.html

AN official search for sunken World War II light cruiser HMAS Sydney will begin early next year, with a world famous shipwreck hunter at the helm.

Sydney was sunk off the West Australian coast 66 years ago today by the disguised German mercantile raider Kormoran, with the loss of all 645 crewmen.

In August, a group of West Australian amateur researchers said they had found the wreckage, but within a day their claim was discredited, with other experts declaring it most unlikely that it really was Sydney.

The HMAS Sydney Search Foundation today announced it would begin looking for the vessel in January or February with $4.2 million in federal funding, $500,000 from the WA Government and $250,000 from the New South Wales Government.

HMAS Sydney Search director Ted Graham said about 1500 sq nautical miles of water off WA's northern coast would be searched, reaching depths of 2500-4500m.

"The scale and complexity involved in such a search is significant, Mr Graham said.

"However, advances in technology, exhaustive archival research and the recent increase in government funding for the search, provide our best chance yet of success in finding HMAS Sydney II."

The search will be coordinated by shipwreck hunter David Mearns, who found two legendary WWII vessels, HMS Hood and the German battleship Bismarck.

The Kormoran was also sunk as a result of the battle with the Sydney and the 317 survivors from 397 aboard that ship were picked up over the next few days, giving the only witness accounts of what occurred.

Lets hope they are successful Andy.

It would be great if they could find her and hold a service on the site.

So many questions about the Sydneys loss need to be answered for the sake of those lost and there family's.


Keep us posted on any progress.


Mal.

Hey Andy, did you catch that alleged discovery of the Sydney a few months back?
3 old guys reckon they came across the wreck and posted photos to back their claim. It turned out it was some other wreck but the thing was that the government demanded the wreck location and promptly cordoned of the area. The whole thing was very suspect to me. It just seemed the government was too keen to prevent any further scrutiny of the wreck in case it was the Sydney. <_<

I did see it, Tony and I actually said to my wife when we were watching it on TV that it wasn't the Sydney. I don't know why but it didn't feel right, was in the wrong area and was far too shallow for a ship that size to remain hidden for so long. Stranger things have happened, mind you.

They got a survey ship there pretty quickly which was an indication that there was a slim chance it was the Sydney despite what was said about location, depth etc. I felt sorry for the guys who found it as they actually said on camera that they were 99% sure it was the Sydney.

The good thing of it all was that it brought Sydney back into the spotlight. At the time, the federal govt was just about to hand over the remaining funds that would make the above search (news article) possible but they withheld them for a couple of weeks while the identity of the "mis-find" was verified.

It will be a truly emotional and memorable day when she's found. For Australians, it may become a "Where were you when you heard they'd found the Sydney?". Well, it will be for me.

beer: