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| RAN Leander-class light cruiser (Modified) 7,198 Tons (standard) 8,940 (full load) 562' 6" x 15' 3" x 17' 3" 8 x 6" guns 4 x 4" guns 12 x 50 cal MG 14 x .303 Lewis MG 2 x .303 Vickers MG 8 x 21" torpedo tubes 1 Supermarine Walrus |
Ship History Built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited at Wallsend-on-Tyne, England. Laid down July 8, 1933 as Leander-class light cruiser (Modified) to be named HMS Phaeton (I48). During 1934, purchased by the Australian government. Launched September 22, 1934 at Portsmouth as HMAS Sydney (D48) in honor of Sydney, the second ship with the name in the RAN sponsored by Mrs. S. M. Bruce, wife of the Australian High Commissioner to Britain, Commissioned September 24, 1935 in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at Portsmouth. Afterwards, completed sea trials. On October 29, 1935 under the command of Captain J.U.P. Fitzgerald, RN joins the Royal Navy (RN) Mediterranean Fleet at Gibraltar to support the 2nd Cruiser Squadron in enforcing economic sanctions against Italy during the Abyssinia Crisis (Ual Ual Incident). In January 1936, the underwent maintenance at Alexandria and visited Cyprus for crew members to be treated for infectious diseases including rubella and mumps. In March 1936 assigned to 1st Cruiser Squadron and enforced sanctions and underwent training exercises. On July 14, 1936 departs for Australia arriving at Fremantle late in the month then via Melbourne to Sydney. With war looming, ordered to Fremantle arriving August 22, 1939. At the start of World War II assigned to convoy escort and patrol duty off Australia. On November 16, 1939 placed under the command of Captain John Collins and joins the search for Admiral Graf Spee in the Indian Ocean until removed in the middle of December 1939. Next to Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney for maintenance completed by late January 1940. Afterwards, escorts ANZAC Convoy US 1 bound for Suez with Leander and Ramillies but departs when they convoy leaves the east coast of Australia and returns to Sydney then to Fremantle on February 6, 1940. On April 19, 1940 escorts ANZAC Convoy US 2 off Albany to the Cocos Islands until relieved by by French cruiser Suffren then departs for Fremantle but is diverted to Colombo arriving May 8, 1940 to meet ANZAC Convoy US 3 and escorts across the Indian Ocean but four days later is detached and ordered to the Mediterranean but then diverted via Colombo then to Aden. PARTIAL HISTORY Sinking History On November 19, 1941 at 4:00pm while returning from Java bound for Fremantle spotted German merchant raider SMS Kormoran about 200 miles west of Carnarvon in Western Australia. For 90 minutes the Kormoran tried to pass itself off as a Dutch vessel but when the deception failed, opened fire on HMAS Sydney with guns and torpedoes. The action lasted 30 minutes with both ships being crippled and set ablaze and both sank. The HMAS Sydney's entire crew of 645 were lost, the greatest ever loss of life on an Australian warship. Sydney was also the largest vessel of any country to be lost with no survivors during the war. Search After the sinking, Allied ships searched for survivors of the Sydney but none were found. Search vessels included Pan Europe, Hermion, MS Herstein, Nordnes and Ohio. Shipwreck Searches were carried out for the shipwreck by the RAN between 1974 and 1997. Discovered March 17, 2008 at 26°14′31″S 111°12′48″E at 2,468 metres (8,097') below sea level, 11.4 nautical miles south-east of the wreck of the Kormoran. The bow of the cruiser had broken off as the ship sank, and was located at the opposite end of a debris field stretching less than 500 metres. Both wrecks were placed under the protection of the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. Both wrecks were placed on the Australian National Heritage List on March 14, 2011. Contribute
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