Thread: Any HMAS Sydney followers among us

I think the Wirraway & or Hudson would be the most likely suspects for local coastal patrol, the Buffalos would likely have been in Singapore by then waiting to get slaughtered along with similarly equipped Kiwi & British Squadrons. The Boomerang & imported single seat fighters were all a reaction to the Jap bombing of Darwin AFAIK but don't profess too much knowledge in this area.
I was very impressed by the programme shown on Sky recently about Hood & Bismark, first time I'd seen it. If anyone can find the Sydney, then they've gone to the right man in David Mearns. Heres hoping.
Steve.

We also had the Avro Anson (which I think was used for the actual search for the Sydney).

I am fascinated by the Sydney story, although I do not subscribe to any of the conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, from what I have read it was a combination of bad timing and inexperience which resulted in its loss.

Bad timing in that it was late in the day, the seas were picking up which prevented the Sydney from launching its Walrus seaplane which would have correctly identified the Kormoran without closing the range.

The RAN were also instructed to try and capture enemy merchant shipping (which they thought it was) and this may have added to the confusion.

The inexperience was simply the closing of the distance which negated all of the superior firepower of the Sydney.

The loss of all hands is the bit I cannot fathom. In other instances where ships have lost most of their crew it has resulted from massive sudden explosions, normally associated with magazine fires (like the HMS Hood and many other battlecruisers at Jutland). The Sydney had sunk Kormoran and was last seen disappearing over the horizon heavily on fire. There is no evidence of a massive, sudden explosion which would have prevented crew from getting off the ship.

Lets hope both the Kormoran and Sydney are found for the relatives of all families.

"Didn't we have Kittyhawks about that time?"

Kittyhawks didn't arrive in action until about the time of the battles at Milne Bay in Papua, in August 1942; nearly a year after Sydney was lost. A popular joke amongst the servicemen in the area was to call them Neverhawks, because of the innumerable promises of their imminent arrival, followed by another interminable delay.

Cheers Chazza

This comes shortly after Pearl and there may have been yank birds in Darwin at this time, the early days of Darwins air war was all P40s, the yanks were wiped out and they continued to fly until the first of the Spits arrived but these had cooling problems at the very start and unsure exactly when they began active sorties, the funny thing about Sydney is everything is all conjecture, knowone knows if anyone did we wouldnt have a mystery.

The source of many of the conspiracy theories is that because the Sydney was sunk SHORTLY BEFORE Pearl Harbour, (ie Sydney was presumed sunk on or about 19 Nov 41, and the Jap raid on Pearl Harbour was 7 Dec 41 (8 Dec local)), that a Jap Submarine may have been involved. But the very fact that the Pearl raid was imminent meant that the Japanese had no subs in the Indian Ocean. Every asset was in the western Pacific for simultaneous attacks on Hawaii, the Phillipines, Hong Kong and Malaya.
Th US had P40s defending Darwin in Feb 42, with 10 out of the 11 being shot down in the 1st raid, 19 Feb 42.

But the very fact that the Pearl raid was imminent meant that the Japanese had no subs in the Indian Ocean. Every asset was in the western Pacific for simultaneous attacks on Hawaii, the Phillipines, Hong Kong and Malaya.

Interesting. Is that from Official Japanese War Records or an opinion? (No offence intended, just would like to view the source. )

To me, it seems feasible that a Sub would have been located near our Western Seaboard & main shipping route, for all sorts of reasons. (It only needed to be one.)
ie. Intelligence gathering at sea & on land, putting people ashore & recovering them again, to be in position for when Japan entered the war, & possibly quite a few others.

Malaya? It's just up the road a bit.

The whole story is a fascinating one and I suppose the mystery of "why? and what?" is what drives the interest of so many Australians.

I find the facts just as asorbing as the speculation. For instance;
1. Unidentified submarines were sighted all around Australia from Sep 1939 until 7 Dec '41 (Pearl Harbour day) including as far south as Esperance and Hobart!
2. HMAS Sydney was looking for a German raider thought to be in the area when she sighted Kormoran. Komoran when challenged gave her name as the Dutch freighter Straat Malakka. Radio transmission with Australia soon established that the real Straat Malakka was not in Australian waters.
3. "Straat Malakka" fudged her replies to simple questions and reportedly aroused Sydney's suspicion that she wasn't who she said she was.
4. Naval HQ in Oz sent Sydney the secret call sign for Straat Malakka. When Kormoran was sent the message by Sydney she should have responded with her secret sign identifying her as the real Straat Malakka - she couldn't of course do that.
5. Knowing that the raider would be heavily gunned, Sydney closed to the inexplicably short range of 1500m thereby putting herself in danger as Kormoran's guns of 150mm were the same as Sydney's 6 inch.

Why the captain of Sydney didn't keep his distance and use his superior number of guns is unknown. Even a warning shot from a distance may have provoked Kormoran to respond.

The rest of the story is of course what the German survivors have told. Incidentally; many of the POW's were sent to a prisoner of war camp in Harvey, WA; now the site of Harvey Agricultural school and near the scene of some serious offroading by Landy Andy and Co. - which just goes to show that there is a link between Kormoran and Land Rovers. So there!

G'day Folks

There was also the theory that the Kormoran may have recently, or was about to resupply a German submarine, whereby the Sydney was possibly torperoed when she withdrew, possibly a magizine or boiler room hit.

cheers