‘Lost with all hands’: HMAS Sydney II, 19 November 1941.
75 years ago, on 19 November 1941, HMAS Sydney II, a light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy, was lost following a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran off the Western Australian coast. The loss of the Sydney with its 645 crew remains Australia’s worst naval disaster. The Kormoran was also sunk, but 317 of its crew of 397 were rescued.
Sydney II had an impressive record of war service. Celebrated for her successful battles in the Mediterranean, where she famously sank the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni, the Sydney II and her crew of predominantly young men received a hero’s welcome on return to Australia in February 1941.
A large crowd of onlookers watch and applaud officers and men of HMAS Sydney II during a ceremonial welcome home march through Martin Place, February 1941. P07425.002
She was then tasked with escorting troopships to South East Asia, following an Indian Ocean route along the coast of Western Australia. It was on the return of one of these voyages that she encountered the HSK Kormoran, on 19 November 1941. Disguised as a Dutch merchant vessel, the Komoran used the advantage of surprise and brought all its armament to bear on Sydney II.
One of the souls lost with Sydney II’s sinking was Petty Officer Stoker Arthur John Richter. Richter crafted this this trench art cruet set while he was serving on Sydney II between April 1941 and the ship's last shore visit in Western Australia, possibly for his wife, Muriel. A cruet set is comprised of a small stand, usually made of metal, ceramic, or glass, which holds containers for condiments. Typically these include salt and pepper shakers (such as this set), or small bottles of vinegar and olive oil. One lantern-shaped container is made of green glass, representing starboard. The other ‘lantern’ once had an internal red coating, representing port, but nearly all of it is now worn off.
For almost seven decades, the final resting place of the Sydney and her crew remained unknown. In mid-March 2008 the Australian Government announced that the wreckages of both HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran had been found, approximately 112 nautical miles off Steep Point, Western Australia. A model of Sydney II can be seen in the Second World War galleries at the Memorial.
