NOVEMBER 19th / NOVEMBER 20th 1941
As day gave way to night on November 19th 1941, the Indian Ocean off of the coast of Carnarvon in Western Australia appeared to be twice as big, and twice as lonely as it did just a few hours before. I was quiet, only the lapping of the water could be heard, the warm breeze turned rather cool as darkness fell and the night sky displayed a million stars scattered throughout the heavens.

The difference between this night, and the previous night was that 340 men were bobbing about in the vastness of this huge ocean in just five lifeboats and a couple of rafts.

"We existed on scraps of bacon and biscuits. We were terrified at the thought of being cast ashore on a desert and dying miserably of starvation. Some of the men were half crazy with the pain of swollen and blistered limbs. We had to watch them all the time to prevent them from jumping out of the crowded boat. There were fifty-seven men in our boat. It was impossible to lie down, we had to take our turns at standing and sitting."

During the hours of darkness, it was cool, if not cold as sprays of water were blown onto ones body and with the cold and wet conditions in complete darkness, you feel a certain lonliness as you have never felt before.
As night turned to day, the dark starry night giving way to an empty blue sky with the sun relentlessly giving off a heat that was even more unbearable than the cold of the night before.

The 340 men that for the past twelve hours had experienced the lonliness and solitude of the large empty ocean were the survivors of the HSK KORMORAN, a German surface raider that had been involved in the engagement with HMAS SYDNEY during the afternoon of the previous day. The survivors were contained in two steel lifeboats, one that had been damaged as the crew desparately tried to launch it from the sinking KORMORAN and held fifty-seven men and Lieutenant Commander Henry Meyer was placed in charge, the other contained sixty two men, one of them being the ships captain Commander Theodore Detmers. Another was a cutter that was equipped with sails and contained forty-six men and was commanded by the KORMORAN'S Chief Petty Officer Paul Kohn.

Seventy-two men were aboard a workboat that had previously been attached to another German ship and was a pedal propulsion powered boat but this had been removed for routine maintainance and the propellor shaft hole in the floor had been plugged up with a bung, but on this occasion was found to be leaking and any able members of the crew spent the night constantly baling out water that had leaked into the boat. This workboat was under the command of Sub-Lieutenant Wilhelm Bunjes who was later relieved of these duties by Lieutenant Joachim von Gooeln. The smallest of the lifeboats was to contain thirty-one men and in charge of this boat was Petty Officer Hans Kuhl. Two rafts were also out there in the empty ocean somewhere, each would have carried about fifteen or twenty men, but they were at the mercy of the current and those that were in the bigger lifeboats were managing to keep together and had a little more control than the more flimsy rafts.

One of the lifeboats, the one that had been Commanded by the ships captain, Commander Detmer, had a couple of floats attached to the rear to accomodate more men. During the night, a number of sailors had fallen into the water and disappeared into the darkness and were never seen again. The boat commanded by Meyer was constantly being filled with water but this boat was equipped with air tanks which assisted in keeping the lifeboat afloat. Also on board were Lieutenant von Malapert, a Baron who kept an account of the progress in a diary. The smallest boat that was commanded by Petty Officer Kuhl overturned and although no personel were lost, all provisions had sunk to the depths of the Indian Ocean. Limited food was supplied by one of the other boats.
The boats were slowly making their way towards the West Australian coast just over a hundred miles away.

NOVEMBER 21st 1941
At 0940 hours, (West Australian Time) a routine signal was sent from the District Naval Office by Captain Charles Farquhar-Smith to the Navy Office in Melbourne stating that the light cruiser HMAS SYDNEY that had been on escort duty escorting the ZEALANDIA to the Sunda Strait and was due back in Fremantle on November 20th but as yet had not returned. The Naval Office in Melbourne replied that HMAS SYDNEY was ordered to maintain radio silence and that being as her duty was also that of patrol, it is possible that a merchant ship may have been intercepted. The Naval Office also stated that they had received a report that said that the ZEALANDIA had arrived in Singapore twenty-four hours late and that they were under the understanding that the Sydney would not arrive back in Fremantle until the 21st. Farquhar-Smith was informed that "...we should not be concerned at this stage."

NOVEMBER 23rd 1941
The majestic Cunard liner AQUITANIA that had been converted into a miliary troopship was en-route to Sydney on the east coast of Australia. At 0600 hours about one hundred miles off Carnarvon on the West Australian coast spotted a small raft that was drifting and bobbing about in the water. The AQUITANIA altered course and picked up the stricken men who were thought to be Allies and were victims of a German naval vessel engagement. The captain of the AQUITANIA thought that there was a possiblity that the raider may still be in the area and that he gave the order for complete radio silence. This meant that the AQUITANIA could not inform the Australian mainland that they had picked up a raft containing the sailors and continued on its course into the Great Austalian Bight and on towards Sydney.

HMAS SYDNEY had still not returned back to Fremantle and there had been no radio message or distress call, so it was still assumed that the cruiser was still out there....somewhere.

As the AQUITANIA steered due south, one of the steel lifeboats commanded by Commander Detmers sighted the Cunard liner and assured himself that the ship was an Allied ship and hoping that he could still be rescued by a neutral ship, he refused his men to fire any flares. The AQUITANIA did not sight the lifeboat.

By 1800 hours, the Navy Office was showing some concern. Nothing had been seen or heard from HMAS SYDNEY since she departed from the ZEALANDIA six days before. The Navy Office sent a signal ordering HMAS SYDNEY to report her present position, course and speed. The signal was sent twice as the SYDNEY did not respond. The Naval Office directed the communications stations in both Fremantle and in Darwin to send out signals continuously. The Office had admitted that they had been under the impression that the SYDNEY was about twenty-four hours behind schedule because Singapore had informed them that the ZEALANDIA arrived there a day late. It was later discovered that the delay of the ZEALANDIA occurred between the Sunda Strait and Singapore, and that HMAS SYDNEY had in fact rendezvoused with HMS DURBAN on correct time, so in fact, HMAS SYDNEY was actually on schedule and should have arrived in Fremantle on the 19th November.
Notification of concern was sent to the Commander-in-Chief of the British Eastern Fleet Admiral Sir Geoffery Layton and to Vice Admiral C.E.Helfrich who was the Commander of the Dutch Naval Forces in Batavia.

NOVEMBER 24th 1941
The Dutch light cruiser TROMP was in the west Java Sea and Helfrich ordered her to search an area where HMAS SYDNEY was last seen with the ZEALANDIA and the DURBAN. Six aircraft of 14 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force that were based at Pearce in Western Australia were ordered to make a search of an area 50 to 150 miles out to sea. By 1300 hours they returned to Pearce Airfield reporting that nothing had been found or sighted.

At 1500 hours the Shell tanker MV TROCAS which was on a passage from Sumatra to Fremantle, following a very similar route to which HMAS SYDNEY would have taken, spotted something in the water ahead of them. Their position was 24 deg 6 min south, 111 deg 40 min E about 120 nautical miles off the coast of Carnarvon. At first it was thought to have been debris, but on further examination it was found to be an inflatable boat that contained some twenty-five occupants.

After taking them on board, it was discovered that they were German sailors. The TROCAS sent a radio message to the communications station at Carnarvon reporting the discovery. The same message was also intercepted in Singapore and at 1616 hours the message was relayed to the Naval Office. This was the first news that the Navy Office had received since it was declared that the Sydney was missing. It must be remembered that the AQUITANIA that had picked up survivors had decided to maintain radio silence, so Melbourne was unaware that the AQUITANIA had German survivors on board.

After hearing of German survivors being picked up by MV TROCAS, The Navy Office immeadiately sent a message to both Townsville and Port Moresby for the release of RAAF Catalina flying boats on a search and rescue mission in the Indian Ocean off the coast at Carnarvon. Up until now, Fremantle and Darwin were still sending signals to the SYDNEY, but they were now requested to abort this as no reply had been received.

At 1920 hours, the Navy Office sent a message to the TROCAS requesting further information about the men that had been picked up. The TROCAS replied, stating that twenty-five men had been picked up, all men were German sailors and they said that they were from a German ship named HSK KORMORAN and that they had been sunk by an Allied raider and that they had been floating in the sea for four days..

On receiving this information, the Naval Office now feared the worst for the SYDNEY. Their information indicated that HSK KORMORAN was not a merchant ship, but an armed merchant cruiser. If the Germans stated that they had been attacked by a raider, they took this to mean that they had been attacked by a warship, and a quick plot of warships in the area, especially four days prior, would have made the date November 20th. At this position, and allowing for currents on this day, they only likely warship in the area would have been HMAS SYDNEY en route from Sumatra to Fremantle.

Durning a discussion at the Naval Board, members accepted the fact that HMAS SYDNEY had been involved in armed combat with the German raider HSK KORMORAN, the general consensus was that both ships were sunk because of damage sustained, although the board wanted to "keep their options open". It was decided that an open mind be kept as at present, all that was known was that the German ship sank because of statements admitted by the German survivors. No proof yet had given them any indication that HMAS SYDNEY had sank as well. There was always the possiblilty that the radio/wireless had been damaged and was unrepairable and that was why they had not received word. There was also the possiblity that the Sydney's steering gear may have been damaged and that she actually headed further away from the Australian mainland.

The Naval Office decided that if HMAS SYDNEY had received damage and sank, then somewhere out there, there would be survivors. Therefore a wider search must be made concentrating on the area south and west of a position 100 miles out from Carnarvon. The Naval Office despatched a number of ships known as Group 53, which comprised of HMAS WYRALLAH, HMAS YANDRA and HMAS OLIVE CAM and this 'group' sailed from sailed Fremantle. Orders were given for HMAS WYRALLAH and HMAS YANDRA to intercept the MV TROCAS then make a search of the area for further survivors. HMAS OLIVE CAM had orders to make a search for survivors only. There were a number of ships of the Merchant Navy in the area at the time, and the ships CENTUAR, HERMION, HERSTEIN, PAN EUROPE, SAIDJA and SUNETTA were instructed to deviate from their normal course, and re-route their course so that they would pass through the positions between 24 degrees South and 111 degrees East, and that they were to search and pick up any survivors.

NOVEMBER 25th 1941
At 0600 hours, seven Lockheed Hudson reconaissance aircraft from RAAF 14 Squadron and six Wirraway fighter aircraft from RAAF 25 Squadron made preparations to take off. They were to head out to a position ninety nautical miles west of Carnarvon in a fan shaped search pattern, and that this search should extend to a position three hundred miles due west of Rottnest Island.

In the search, a Hudson located a lifeboat at a position 52 minutes South, 111 degrees 09 minutes East which was between fifty and sixty miles south of where the MV TROCAS had picked up survivors. It is believed that the Naval Office instructed the ship HERSTEIN to this position where she picked up survivors. Four other lifeboats were also sighted by another Hudson. Both Hudsons circled the area, but they were unable to make any positive identification as to whether the occupants were German or from HMAS SYDNEY. The Navy was notified of the positions given by the search aircraft and made arrangements for available ships to head to this position. One of these was known to be HMAS YANDRA.

Another lifeboat, drifting north of Carnarvon, which had been spotted by the search aircraft, sighted land and eventually reached the shoreline close to an old stockroute near to Quobba Station. The position was reported to base. Also spotted, was another lifeboat which was heading toward the shore colose to Red Bluff.
The local police were notified, as was the owner of Quobba Station. Later in the day, along with military police and an RAAF land party, the occupants of both lifeboats were apprehended without any resistance.

The boat that landed near Quobba Station was the boat that was commanded by Chief Petty Officer Paul Kohn and the boat contained forty-six men. The other lifeboat was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Henry Meyer and his boat contained fifty-seven men.

NOVEMBER 26th 1941
The Cunard liner AQUITANIA had now reached the waters of the Great Australian Bight, safe waters, but often treacherous. The captain decided that there was now no danger of an interception by a German craft and sent a message reporting that she had recovered a raft and a number of German sailors, to Naval Operations in Melbourne and in Adelaide. This message was repeated twice, but on both occasions the AQUITANIA received no reply. The AQUITANIA decided not to transmit any further.

During the evening, off the coast of Carnarvon, the coastal passenger ship KOOLINDA picked up one of the lifeboats out in open sea that contained thirty-one German sailors. The KOOLINDA took these into Carnarvon. Commander Detmers, who earlier had decided that he did not want to be taken by the Allies, could bear the cold open waters of the ocean no longer. His boat contained a number of sailors who were in such agony that urgent medical assistance was necessary. At 2230 hours, he saw the light of a ship not too far away and fired a red signal flare. The sighting was made by the former passenger ship CENTUAR who took the lifeboat in tow and headed for Carnarvon. Detmers boat was taking water badly, and was in danger of sinking. The CENTUAR'S captain decided to let down two of her own lifeboats and transfer the Germans into them.

On November 26th came the first definite news of what had happened. That was when a naval guard with Paymaster Lieutenant A C Baume, RANR in charge boarded MV Trocas. From interrogation of the prisoners it was discovered that on the 19th of November, Kormoran had engaged a cruiser of the Perth class with a name which they thought began with ‘ST’. The prisoners agreed that their ship had fired three torpedoes, one of which hit the cruiser about amidships and put her controls out of action. They said that the cruiser had fired one salvo which set fire to the German ship, which was Diesel driven. It was impossible to put the fire out, they said, and there was a terrific explosion after they had abandoned ship, and they estimated that about 100 men, including the majority of the officers, were still on board. The last they had seen of the Sydney was at dusk, when she was burning just for’rard of amidships.

National Archives of Australia: B6121, 165P – ‘The search for HMAS Sydney survivors'

NOVEMBER 27th 1941 Meanwhile in Canberra Australia's capital, the Advisory War Council met to discuss the situation. They had received reports from the Naval Office who had been kept informed of the sightings and apprehension of other German personel. The Board was asked if any survivors of HMAS SYDNEY had been found. But they were told that all boats captured contained only German sailors. The War Council at this stage must have agreed that there was now little chance of finding any survivors of HMAS SYDNEY:

"It is now seven days since HMAS Sydney was due in Fremantle we have had no radio contact and there has been no visual sightings. It is indeed unfortunate that we also have found no survivors from this ship and we must now assume that there is little chance of the ship still being afloat. We must advise, that the next-of-kin of the crew of the Sydney be informed, the notification being to the effect that their relatives are missing, due to enemy action. No public statement is to be made at the present, and steps are to be taken to ensure complete censorship of all references to the Sydney in press and in broadcasts. If and when it is established that the Sydney has been sunk, the initial announcement regarding its loss is to be in a form which does not convey any useful information to the enemy."

Statement put forward by the Advisory War Council November 27th 1941

George Macandie, the Secretary to the Naval Board prepared a draft prime ministerial statement that mentioned that HMAS SYDNEY had probably been in combat action with an enemy warship and that it is difficult to determine as to any actual events that took place as no information had been received from the Sydney. This document concluded:

.......It is known that this vessel suffered some damage in the action, but since there as yet been no direct communication from this vessel, the Naval Board are not aware of the extent of such damage. All possible action is being taken to secure further information. It had been decided that Council and quite rightly so that the next of kin of all personel on board the Sydney be notified. The usual telegrams that stated "With deep regret I have to inform you........."

George Macandie, Secretary to the Naval Board (portion of advisory document)

There was no mention as to the fate of the cruiser, and being as there was no confirmation of the sinking of the SYDNEY, relatives were just informed that their [relationship] was missing as a result of enemy action. The Public Censorship Office after considering the events, advised that after the next-of-kin were informed, public silence on the matter was of considerable importance.

Late in the day, the MV TROCAS sailed into Fremantle (some sources state Carnarvon) and Naval Intelligence was there to meet her as the ship disembarked the German sailors. Other ships to enter Fremantle were HMAS YANDRA, and the CENTUAR, both had many German sailors on board.

Meanwhile, the AQUITANIA which was now out of the Great Australian Bight and was still steaming towards her destination of Port Jackson in Sydney. Late in the day on the 27th as she was passing the entrance to Port Phillip Bay the captain decided that he would send another signal. Just past the Bay is a piece of land extends out into the sea, this is known as Wilsons Promontory. At the southernmost point was a signal station, and the captain decided to send a visual signal that was successfully picked up by the land station that said that the AQUITANIA had picked up a number of German sailors off the coast close to Carnarvon. This message was quickly relayed to the Naval Office.

NOVEMBER 28th 1941
At 0800 hours, HMAS WYRALLAH picked up an empty lifebelt in the vicinity of 24 degrees 22’ south, 110 degrees 49’ east, and what was surprising about this was that it was a lifebelt that was used by the Royal Australian Navy. At 0900 the WYRALLAH sighted two German carley floats in a position 24 degrees 10’ south, 110 degrees 54’ east that had been lashed together. Moving in to pick them up it was observed that the floats were unoccupied except for one body of a German sailor. The clothes were removed from the German and he was given a burial at sea.

The most obvious sighting was made by HMAS HEROS. A carley float was sighted and the Heros went in to make a recovery, but as they drew closer they identified it as an RAN carley float, but it was empty. Observations indicated that the float had been fired at as it had been damaged by what looked like gunfire. Also observed by personel on the Heros, although this has not been confirmed or mentioned in any naval or government documents that close to the carley float, a huge patch of linseed oil lay on the surface of the water and that more seemed to be bubbling up from below the surface. It was every indication that a ship lay below them. HMAS HEROS registered her exact position, as well as the oil, some distance away was a slipper and a pipe, personal possessions that had possibly floated to the surface from a sunken ship. The position here was 24 deg 07 min S, 110 deg 58 min E and they were 160 nautical miles due west of Carnarvon.

With the next-of-kin now informed, many of the relations of the sailors of the Sydney and their friend were demanding further information from the Navy Office. Many rumors started to circulate, but close family were of the belief that the Navy knew more than they were telling. They found it hard to believe that no survivors had never been found, they knew that even when a ship is scuttled or abandoned, there are always some survivors.
But even though a complete silence had been placed on the missing HMAS SYDNEY, news had reached the United States and an American radio station there broke the first news of the fate of HMAS SYDNEY by broadcasting the news that the Australian light cruiser had been sunk in the Timor Sea and that all 616 officers and men had been lost at sea.

Like all news broadcasts, although the there are certain truths, broadcasts and statements often contained inaccuracies. In making mention of the disaster, the correspondent announced the place of the action wrong as well as the number of men lost. But it was not the inaccuracies that the Australian Govenment were concerned about, it was the use of such material that the German propoganda machine would use for their own advantage. The news must now be announced by the Australian Government regarding the loss of the Sydney, if the news is first broadcast by Germany, it would be a major embarassment for Australia.

Most of the German survivors had by now been picked up. Cross referencing of accounts revealed that not all of their stories of the action corresponded with each other. From these German accounts, they told the Australian authorities that HSK KORMORAN was steering on a northerly course at 1600hrs when the ships lookout sighted a ship approaching in a southerly direction on the starboard bow. The alarm was raised when they discovered it to be an Allied warship and saw that the warship turn on a westward course, the distance was between ten and twelve miles. The captain of HSK KORMORAN also altered her course to westward, which brought the warship on the starboard side and slightly behind. The cruiser they said closed rapidly and asked the KORMORAN identification using her daylight lamp.

Sub Lieutenant Willhelm Bunjies who was rescued by HMAS YANDRA gave this account of the exchange of identification:

She starts signalling with helio lamps. We do not answer but maintain our speed and course 250 degrees. Steadily nearer comes our doom and we distinctly recognise the vessel as an Australian cruiser of the Sydney class. Fight is out of the question, but maybe we can deceive her somehow. Our ship with a wooden gun covered with brass and mounted on the stern, strikingly resembles the Dutch steamer, Straat Malakka. At 1635 hrs. Engine No. 4 starts working again, but it is too late now. The cruiser keeps on asking us for our name. She is so close that it is impossible to overlook her helio signals. We answer Straat Malakka and hoist the Dutch ensign astern. All [sailors] disappear from deck, but behind the camouflage flag shutters everyone stands in feverish excitement and holds his breath. We can distinguish every single man on board; the bridge is full of officers. She is now travelling parallel to us on our starboard side at the same speed as ours. She wants to know more and asks for our destination and cargo. We are flag-signalling the answers. The tension is reaching boiling-point; what will she do now? We observe that the engine of her plane which has been running is stopped, and the aircraft replaced under cover. Her eight 6-inch guns, however, still point threateningly at us.

Sub Lieutenant Willhelm Bunjies - HSK Kormoran [1]

It was, in describing the above that Bunjies also stated that the HSK KORMORAN was 150 nautical miles from the Australian coast, HMAS SYDNEY was 14,000 yards distant and was travelling between 28 and 30 knots. The distance closes to 1.5 nautical miles when he states that he 'can distinguish every single man on board' and that the time is 1700hrs.

Many of the statements had minor variations, for instance Heinz Paul said that he thought the cruiser was 3,500 - 5,000 yards away becuse he could see people on the upper decks, another statement stated that HMAS SYDNEY commemced signalling at 18 miles, and that the action took place at 6,000 or 8,000 yards. From MV TROCAS the captain was able to interogate many of the German survivors and part of his report states:

...the Sydney altered course to the westward, closed rapidly, challenging with daylight lamp. Raider made no reply but opened fire when cruiser was within comparatively short range. Estimated range varies from about 1 to 5 or 6 miles. One survivor stated that he could see men on deck of cruiser. First shot from raider hit cruiser's bridge and started fire. Cruiser altered course to port. Survivors stated that it appeared that he intended to ram. Passed close around stern of raider and proceeded on parallel course, gradually drawing ahead on port side of the raider. Cruiser was now heavily on fire in bridge and midships section. Raider also badly damaged and on fire in engineroom area. Hit in engineroom, put electrical controls out of action. Literally all electrical equipment, including fire-fighting inoperative. Action commenced at about 1730 and lasted for about one hour. Raider abandoned ship at about 1900, her reason that fire could not be put out, and it was certain that fire would reach ammunition stowage. Survivors stated that captain and officers were on board when they abandoned ship at about 1900. At this time, cruiser was seen still heavily on fire and shortly afterwards disappeared. No violent explosion was seen or heard. They believe she [was] torpedoed.

Commander Dechaineux - MV Trocas [2]

It does appear from all statements that HSK KORMORAN was the first to open fire after HMAS SYDNEY had come in as close as 1.500 yards. This first salvo hitting the cruiser's bridge. It is also interesting to note that Commander Dechaineux' report is not in the National Archives and a subsequent search for this report cannot be found. Tom Frame, in his notes and references states that "A report which systematically reviewed the evidence of the Kormoron survivors was also prepared by Frank Burgess Eldridge, a master at the RAN College, in early 1942.

NOVEMBER 29th 1941
The Australian Government made contact with the Naval Board stating that they must make an official announcement on the loss and fate of HMAS SYDNEY, and asked them to draw up a detailed transcript that could be broadcast to the Australian people. Like most statements, and because there was a real lack of evidence to suggest what really may have happened to the Sydney, the wording had to delicately placed.

Meanwhile, the AQUITANIA sailed into Port Jackson and disembarked the German sailors handing them over to Naval Intelligence for interogation. About the same time, KOOLINDA sailed into Freemantle and again officers of Naval intelligence was there to meet them. All sailors were to be interogated before they would all be sent to differents parts of the country and accomodated for the duration of the war.

More aircraft searches were made late in the day by the RAAF, but it was now becoming a lost cause. The Ocean was now unbelievingly empty. All the German lifeboats and rafts had been accounted for, but there was always hope, hope that there maybe somewhere out there a hint of just what did happen. But there was nothing.

NOVEMBER 30th 1941
The Naval Board sent a message to the govenment that was to be used for the purpose of transmission in the form of an announcement by both the Australian Governor General and the Prime Minister. During the morning, announcers on the radios around the country announced, "...... we shall now cross to Canberra where an announcement is to be made by His Excellency the Governor General".

..........and the Naval Board regret, that after intensive air and surface search of the area, no evidence of HMAS Sydney has been sighted except two RAN lifebelts and one carley float badly damaged by gunfire. It is concluded that Sydney sank after the action and further search has now been abandoned.

HMAS SYDNEY was the pride of the Australian Navy, she had an impecable record she had received many mentions in her recent accomplishments in the Mediteranian. The nation could not believe what they had heard, many believed that this was not possible. Australians were of the understanding that the SYDNEY was invincible. But at 1800 hours that evening, the Australian Prime Minister John Curtin made the confirmation to the peoples of Australia.

HMAS Sydney has been in action with a heavily armed enemy merchant raider, which she sank by gunfire. The intimation was received from survivors from the enemy vessel who were picked up some time after the action. No subsequent communication has been received from HMAS Sydney, and the Government regrets that she must be presumed lost.

The news through Australia into a state of shock, but none moreso than the City of Sydney of which the great cruiser had been named after. Sydney went into mourning, conversations of her fate was the talk on every street corner, every home spoke of the disaster and the Lord Mayor of Sydney Alderman Stanley Crick said that the city had suffered the greatest heartach in its history.

But the Government was under pressure from the general public to disclose more information regarding the loss. But the Navy Office stated that other than what had already been stated, very little could be added. They continued to say that 'we (The Naval Office) had very little to go on and that a lot greatly depends on the results of the interogation of the German officers and men and that we may be able to piece together the true fate of the SYDNEY.' But rumors started to spread, and many newspapers were asking questions as to 'was it true that the wreck of the Sydney had been washed ashore on the West Australian coast, and was it true that another vessel was working in conjunction with the Kormoran.

The newspapers and the media of the day, and in many cases the general public, did not make it any easier for the government. This was not going to be an easy task, there was very little to go on at the moment, it is very easy to speculate, but the loss of the Sydney brought grief and it was now the task of the Navy Office to do all that was possible to find the truth about what actually did happen 100 miles out to sea off the coast of Carnarvon on November 19th 1941.

There was no radio message, there was no distress call, there was no visual sighting of the sinking of the Sydney and there were no survivors that would live to tell the world what actually took place, with the exception of the German survivors that had been picked up by a number of Allied vessels. Casualty List of HMAS Sydney and HSK Kormoran

[1] HMAS SYDNEY - Loss and Controversy, Tom Frame p91-92
[2] HMAS SYDNEY - Loss and Controversy, Tom Frame p94