8ͰTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING OF
Commemorative Keepsake
NĔěĊĒćĊė 1941
Department of Defence
NĔěĊĒćĊė 2021
Department of Veterans’ Affairs
8ͰTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING OF
Commemorative Keepsake AUTHOR: DR HOWARD GREY From the farms, country towns and cities of Australia they came. Ordinary men from all walks of life, some just boys, answering the call to serve Queen and Country, to join in battle to defeat Hitler’s rampaging Third Reich. Examined, chosen, measured and uniformed they were assigned to shipboard roles: ordinary, able and leading seamen, stokers, engine room attendants, shipwrights, cooks and stewards, tradesmen, telegraphists, gunners, medics and surgeons, chaplains, teachers, paymasters, writers and bandsmen, some rising to the ranks of officers, together keeping the ship and its crew ready for combat. F or those aboard HMAS Sydney For
II, wartime had been exciting, early successes in the Mediterranean celebrated with a triumphant homecoming, a crowd of 200,000 cheering their parade through Sydney streets. Now, November 19th, 1941, after uneventfully escorting the troopship Zealandia from Fremantle to Sunda Strait, they were west of Dirk Hartog Island, just one day from their home port. At 5.00 pm as the sun sank low in the sky a harmless-looking freighter flying a Dutch flag was sighted. Drawing closer, her identification was requested. Straat Malakka was the reply. Your destination? Batavia. At 5.30 she was just a thousand metres abea abeam.
And your secret coded signal? Within seconds the merchant ship transformed into a lethal warship flying the German Battle Ensign and opened fire with all her armaments. Those on Sydney II would barely have had time to see the flash of guns before the first salvo slammed into the bridge and forward turrets, blasts that rocked the ship to its keel. Panicked return fire passed harmlessly over the enemy, who again scored hits on the bridge and amidships. Fatally wounded but not yet done, Sydney’s diminished aft-gun barrage found its target, wiping out the raider’s radio room and setting their engine room ablaze.
A torpedo then struck Sydney II, ripping asunder and flooding the bow of the ship. As darkness fell, mutually disabled and on fire, the ships drifted apart. Then all was silent. Only those aboard knew what had happened. The radio silence from Sydney II was as ordered, of no immediate concern to Naval Command. Three days passed. With growing anxiety Sydney II was signalled to call home. There was no response. Six Hudson bombers were despatched to search the coast and sea. Naval and commercial shipping was directed to the area. On November 23rd the liner Aquitania came across a raft with 26 German survivors aboard. Over the next few days, the British tanker Trocas picked up another 25, the State Ship Centaur rescued 60, the Koolinda 31 and HMAS Yandra 72. Two German lifeboats came ashore at 17-Mile Well and Red Bluff, north of Carnarvon, with 103 survivors – and a dog and a rhesus monkey. But nothing was found to indicate the fate of Sydney II and its crew.
Rumours spread like wildfire that Sydney II had been sunk but it was a week before the Navy, reluctantly, advised the next of kin of missing loved ones. Another five days passed before Prime Minister Curtin, having hoped to keep details from the enemy, confirmed the loss of the pride of the fleet to the nation. Across cities and towns flags were flown at half-mast and memorial services were held, the outpourings of grief intensified by bewilderment that such a proud and lauded ship could be vanquished. All aboard Sydney II had perished, so who could tell what actually happened? Only the enemy survivors, but could they be believed? Interrogated they told their story, their ship in fact the German raider Kormoran, ingeniously disguised as a harmless merchant ship, assigned to patrol the Atlantic and then the Indian Ocean, sink freighters and sow alarm and confusion. Her tally tally in 1941 was already twelve ships, their next mission to lay mines on the approaches to Shark Bay. Sydney II’s retaliatory fire had killed 20 on Kormoran. Captain Detmers and his crew, fearful of a catastrophic
explosion if the engine-room fire reached the hundreds of mines aboard, had abandoned the ship then scuttled her with explosive charges, heralding a glide to the depths. One overloaded life raft capsized, drowning 58 men. As midnight approached, those huddled on other rafts and lifeboats watched Sydney II, still burning, drift into the distance, then suddenly disappear. How 645 men and their ship could disappear without trace defied logic, prompting wild speculation and suspicions of a Naval coverup. Surely Sydney II’s far superior speed and deadly-accurate long-range guns could not be overwhelmed by a slow old tub like Kormoran? Why would Captain Burnett approach to within point-blank range? Why hadn’t the reconnaissance aircraft been launched? Was there a Vichy French or Japanese submarine involved? Why were there survivors from Kormoran but not Sydney? Were they being held prisoner in Japan? Did the Germans gun down Sydney’s crew in their lifeboats rather than rescue them, such conjecture aided by the finding of a shrapnel-riddled Carley float, another containing a corpse drifting into Christmas Island three months later.
The account of the Kormoran survivors, detained as POWs in Victoria, held firm until January 1945. Captain Detmers with 19 others escaped the detention camp through a 120-metre tunnel they had excavated from the music room. Recaptured, an encoded diary found in his possession raised doubts, but when deciphered told the same story as that obtained by the interrogators in 1941. It was 1957 before the Naval war history was published. It offered little to allay suspicions that there had been an official cover-up of the events of November 1941.
Decades passed, but the 645 Australians who lost their lives were not forgotten. Many books both factual and conjectural – were published. A 1999 Parliamentary report shed no further light on what actually happened. HMAS Sydney II had made three visits to the port of Geraldton, the last just a month before her demise. On the first two visits the crewmembers had been feted and entertained ashore, developing strong community bonds. In 2001 a memorial was built atop Mount Scott to symbolically capture the story and the sacrifice: a towering stele recalls the prow of
Sydney II; a statued mother anxiously gazes seaward; a cupola of soaring silver gulls encloses an eternal flame and wreath-laying alter to honour those lost, their names etched in an embracing black granite wall. The Memorial henceforth has been the focal point of a commemorative service held at twilight each November 19th. A nagging unsolved mystery was the exact location of the battle and the resting place of Sydney II, the sunken tomb of so many. Again conjecture reigned, speculation based on vague recall of battle sounds and lights offshore, conflicting versions of the
events, and acceptance or denial of the position given by Kormoran’s Captain Detmers, 26○34’S, 111○E. In 2001 the “Finding Sydney Foundation” was formed. In 2005, deep-sea search and recovery expert David Mearns joined the team, planning a 3-D sonar and remotely controlled submersible investigation of the suspected location of the wrecks. On 12th March 2008, astounding all, the remains of Kormoran were found at 26°05’S 111° 04’ E and on 16th
March 2008 the remains of Sydney II at 26°14’S 111°13’E, both in approximately 2,500 metres of water some 200 kilometres west of Steep Point. A return visit in 2015 revealed more details. The icy darkness preserved the story, the images revealing the missilepocked turrets, the torpedoed bow, the mangled debris trail of a disintegrating ship, the old shoe of a crewman who served and died, the sunken lifeboats, the rusticles and anemones adding an eerie timeless presence.
All tallied with the German accounts of the engagement. A sunken ‘pool of remembrance’ added to the Sydney Memorial now evokes the ocean depths, the resting place of those who gave their lives, completing its purpose as a space for contemplation and reflection. November 19th, 2021 marks the 80th anniversary of Australia’s greatest wartime disaster, the loss of HMAS Sydney II and her entire crew of 645 men. LEST WE FORGET.
HMAS Sydney II Memorial The Memorial comprises many symbolic elements expressing the tragic loss of HMAS SYDNEY II. The Precinct design is based on a circular plan, symbolising totality, wholeness, infinity, eternity. It is approached by a path, forming a ceremonial entrance to the dedicated area. The Wall of Remembrance: Encompassing the south-west side is a semi-circular wall. This represents the ‘encircling arms of the Nation’ welcoming home its lost ones. The concave inside wall is faced with WA black granite and engraved with the names of the 645 men lost. The exterior face of the wall is sculpted with a low relief motif emblematical of the eternal sea. At the Entrance Portal, historic photographic images of HMAS SYDNEY II and its crew, bring to life the reality of the tragedy. The Sanctuary: This is the centrepiece and inspirational heart of the complex. It consists of seven pillars representing the Australian States and Territories from whence the lost men came and testifying to the National significance and intention of this Memorial. Pillars also traditionally symbolise the connection between heaven and earth, and denote wisdom, power, goodness, strength and the tree of life. The pillars are crowned by a ninemetre-high Dome composed of 645 stainless steel gulls, representing those lost and their spiritual ascent. This concept was inspired by an incident during the Memorial site dedication ceremony, 19th November 1998: while the Last Post rang out in the evening air, at sunset, the
last recorded moment in time when HMAS SYDNEY II was seen, a flock of silver gulls swooped over the assembled crowd. Traditionally gulls personify the souls of lost sailors and in this context symbolise the men of HMAS SYDNEY II as spirits flying free between water and sky. The canopy thus formed becomes an open filigree structure, creating a sense of disembodiment and peace, as a graceful distillation of the overall concept. The Podium: The circular Sanctuary Floor is constructed from WA granite and incorporates a Compass Rose design and depicts the directional bearing of the battle between Sydney and Kormoran. On its perimeter is inscribed: “IN MEMORY OF THE MEN LOST ON HMAS SYDNEY II NOVEMBER 19TH 1941 LEST WE FORGET”. At its centre, the coastline of Western Australia is shown, with the approximate position of the battle indicated. Centrally a ship’s propeller serves as a ceremonial wreath-laying altar. At night, two ship’s lanterns, Port and Starboard, containing the eternal flame light up the curve of the dome. The Stele: Based on the historical symbolism of standing stones as grave markers, this vertical element expresses the bow of HMAS SYDNEY II in a single dramatic gesture. With a large Australian flag flying from the mast atop the stele, it is a dominant skyline feature in the city, visible for many miles around. The Waiting Woman Sculpture: At the edge of the precinct stands a poignant
sculpture of a woman. Appearing almost real, she leans anxiously into the wind, frozen in time and bronze, her strained gaze fixed patiently forever on the far horizon. She is the all-encompassing ‘Waiting Woman’ grieving for her menfolk. Through her, the pain of loss is felt, and the decades of empty waiting to close this tragic chapter in Australian history conveyed. The Pool of Remembrance: Located in a recessed amphitheatre reached by steps symbolically descending down into the depths, the reflective pool creates a place for dignified contemplation and remembrance. Its floor of glass is etched with the location of HMAS SYDNEY II, the exact point marked by the wingtip of a silver gull soaring above the ocean. In 2009 The HMAS Sydney II Memorial was declared a ‘Military Memorial of National Significance’ under the Military Memorials of National Significance Act 2008.
The objectives set by the HMAS SYDNEY II Memorial Project at its instigation in 1998 were: • To create a special space of contemplation and reflection within a memorial setting. • To develop the area to its full potential with regard to its function as a sacred site. • To create elements and features which will embody all the necessary symbolism and commemorative aspects for this Memorial to fulfil its function as a Memorial to HMAS SYDNEY II . • To express particularly the concept of loss and emptiness in relation to this tragedy where no survivors were recovered or the whereabouts of the ship identified). • To create a space suitable for ceremonial occasions, commemorative events, flag raising, wreath laying, in order to facilitate both public and private remembrance.
• To create a design suited to the spectacular and unique site at Mount Scott, while allowing for the difficulties of the location with regard to its exposed nature and with particular regard for its ability to be viewed from the town and countryside around. • To allow this space to be utilised comfortably and with suitable access in relation to all age groups and physical abilities. • To function as an informative area with narrative elements which serve as educational instruments for the general public of all ethnic backgrounds, children and overseas visitors. • To incorporate symbolic as well as narrative features. • To include the names of all those who were lost.
The Memorial was designed by Joan Walsh-Smith and Charles Smith, sculptors. Their list of previous credits included the National Army Memorial in Canberra, the Burswood swans, the Joondalup WA Anzac Memorial and works in Hong Kong and Japan. Engineering was by John Colley, the build by Fondex Constructions.
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16 March the remains of HMAS SYDNEY II at 26° 14’ 37” S 111° 13’ 03” E
2008
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12 March 2008, the remains of HSK Kormoran were found at 26° 05’ 49.4” S 111° 04’ 27.5” E
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2008
RAN search team on Christmas Island locate the grave in which the body found in the Carley float was buried
2006
“Finding Sydney Foundation” formed
2001
“Finding Sydney Foundation” formed
2001
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Geraldton Memorial was dedicated on 18 November, the eve of the 60th anniversary of the sinking
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2001
Escort of Zealandia to Sunda Strait in early November
1941
Geraldton visit 18-20 October
1941
HMAS Sydney II was tasked with escorting troopships to South East Asia
1941
Active duty. Successful Mediterranean campaign
1940
Beginning of WWII
1939
First of three visits to Geraldton
1937
Commissioned and enters active service
1935
HMAS Sydney II TIMELINE
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80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING
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2021
Installation of the |Australian White Ensign
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2020
Finding Sydney Foundation search team return to wreck site
2015
The 5th element, the ‘Pool of Remembrance’ constructed
2011
Geraldton Memorial recognised as Military Memorial of National Significance’
2009
Inquiry into the loss of HMAS Sydney II Cole Inquiry report released
2009
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Artists Charles Smith and Joan Walsh-Smith commissioned to design a memorial
1999
H.M.A.S. Sydney II National Memorial proposed for Geraldton
1998
Publication of The Royal Australian Navy 1939–42. Volume 1. Official History of Australia in the War of 1939–45
1957
Encoded diary seized from Captain Detmers
1945
Carley float containing a body recovered off Christmas Island on 6 February
1942
Sydney II begins return voyage to Fremantle but fails to arrive as expected
1941
German Raider Kormoran moves into the Indian Ocean
1941
ORDER OF SERVICE
So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never, Like earth’s proud empires, pass away; Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever, Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.
WELCOME Master of Ceremonies - Mr Warren Nathan, MNZM
GUEST SPEAKER Dr Redelf Habben Recorded Address
WELCOME TO COUNTRY - Donna Ronan. VETERANS MARCH IN Piper Tom Powell and Parade Commander CO TS Morrow CMDR ANC Spike Jones to lead proceedings, Veterans to take their reserved seats. MOUNTING OF THE CATAFALQUE GUARD All stand HMAS Stalwart III Catafalque Party march in under Guard Commander, Petty Officer Adam Barker GUEST SPEAKER - All sit Hon Melissa Price MP, Minister for Defence Industry; Minister for Science & Technology HYMN Abide with Me Conducted and performed by Geraldton City Band and Sing Australia Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide; When others helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see, O Thou who changest not, abide with me. I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless; Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness; Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies; Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me. WARDEN’S ADDRESS Mr. Don Rolston HYMN The Day Thou Gavest, Lord is Ended - All sit Conducted and performed by Geraldton City Band and Sing Australia The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended, The darkness falls at Thy behest; To Thee our morning hymns ascended, Thy praise shall sanctify our rest. We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping, While earth rolls onward into light, Through all the world her watch is keeping, And rests not now by day or night. As o’er each continent and island The dawn leads on another day, The voice of prayer is never silent, Nor dies the strain of praise away. The sun that bids us rest is waking Our brethren ‘neath the western sky, And hour by hour fresh lips are making Thy wondrous doings heard on high.
MAIN ADDRESS Commodore Ivan Ingham AM, RAN
HYMN Eternal Father, Strong to Save - All sit Conducted and performed by Geraldton City Band and Sing Australia Eternal Father, strong to save, whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep its own appointed limits keep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea! O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard and hushed their raging at Thy word, Who walked’st on the foaming deep, and calm amidst its rage didst sleep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea! Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood Upon the chaos dark and rude, And bid its angry tumult cease, And give, for wild confusion, peace; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea! O Trinity of love and power! Our brethren shield in danger’s hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them wheresoe’er they go; Thus evermore shall rise to Thee Glad hymns of praise from land and sea. PRAYER OF REMEMBRANCE - All stand Rev Garry Hamersley THE NAVAL PRAYER – All stand Rev Garry Hamersley O Eternal Lord God, who alone spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging of the sea; who has compassed the waters with bounds until day and night come to an end: Be pleased to receive into the Almighty and most gracious protection the persons of us thy servants, and the Fleet in which we serve. Preserve us from the dangers of the sea, and from the violence of the enemy; that we may be a safeguard unto our most gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth, and her Dominions, and a security for such as pass on the seas upon their lawful occasions; that the inhabitants of our land may in peace and quietness serve thee God; and that we may return in safety to enjoy the blessings of the land, with the fruits of our labours, and with a thankful remembrance of thy mercies to praise and glorify thy holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. WREATH LAYING - All sit All Wreath Layers will be called up by Mr Warren Nathan, MNZM
THE NAVAL ODE - All stand CO TS Morrow Spike Jones
NAVAL REVEILLE - All stand Flag raised by TS Morrow Navy Cadets & 711 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets Bugler, Geraldton City Band
They have no grave but the cruel sea No flowers lay at their head A rusting hulk is their tombstone Afast on the ocean bed They shall grow not old As we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them Nor the years condemn At the going down of the sun and in the morning
NATIONAL ANTHEM - All stand Conducted and performed by Geraldton City Band and Sing Australia DISMOUNT CATAFALQUE PARTY - All stand HMAS Stalwart III Guard to March off CLOSE Master of Ceremonies - Mr Warren Nathan, MNZM to close Proceedings
We will remember them (repeated by all present) Lest we forget (repeated by all present) LAST POST - All stand and hats removed TS Morrow Navy Cadets & 711 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets to lower flags to half mast Buglers Craig Bassett & Lina Gudero of the Geraldton City Band Silence (one minute)
CEREMONIAL SUNSET Fire the evening gun TS Morrow Navy Cadets & 711 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets Salute As a final tribute, Geraldton Volunteer Marine Rescue will release flares and West Coast Fireworks will fire two blank cannon shots in the harbour as the sun goes down.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Department of Veterans Affairs Saluting their service commemorative Grants Program 65Thirty Events and Entertainment 711 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets Barry Stinson President Geraldton Captain Ben Poxon City of Greater Geraldton City RSL Sub Branch CO Spike Jones TS Morrow ANC Commodore Ivan Ingham AM Donna Ronan Dr Christiane Habben-Janzen Dr Howard Grey
Department of Defence
Dr Redelf Habben Geraldton Volunteer Marine Rescue Group Geraldton City Band Geraldton Coach Lines Geraldton Voluntary Tour Guides Guard Commander Petty Officer Adam Barker MC Warren Nathan MNZM Naval Association of Australia Piper Tom Powell
Returned and Services League of Australia Rev Garry Hamersley Royal Australian Navy Sing Australia Smith Sculptors St Francis Xavier Cathedral Tamati Smith TS Morrow Australian Navy Cadets Warden Don Rolston West Coast Fire Works
Department of Veterans’ Affairs
How to find out more about the
HMAS Sydney II HMAS Sydney II Memorial
The National Archives of Australia
The Memorial is open at all times. The Geraldton Voluntary Tour Guides conduct a daily tour at 10.30 am each day.
Fact Sheet 111: the sinking of HMAS Sydney November 1941. https://www.naa.gov.au/help-yourresearch/fact-sheets
A Commemorative Service is held each November 19th at twilight.
Research Guide: The Sinking of HMAS Sydney: A Guide to Commonwealth Government Records, by Richard Summerrell (1997, updated since), comprehensively lists and describes all relevant records. It contains an extensive reading list (p184-190). www.naa.gov.au/help-your-research/researchguides/sinking-hmas-sydney-guide-commonwealthgovernment-records
WA Museum Geraldton From Great Depths, a moving exhibit and 3D film of the wrecks of HMAS Sydney (II) and HSK Kormoran, 2,500 metres deep on the ocean floor.
The Finding Sydney Foundation Website This comprehensive site includes links to a Virtual Memorial, the report on the search for HMAS Sydney II, ROV Video Footage and Photographs of the wreckage. www.findingsydney.com/
The Naval Historical Society of Australia https://www.navyhistory.org.au/naval-heritage-sites/ hmas-sydney-ii-and-the-hsk-kormoran-shipwreck-sites/
The WA Museum Website Information and links to many aspects of the Sydney II story. museum.wa.gov.au/explore/sydney
Recent Publication From Great Depths, edited by Michael McCarthy, WA Museum and UWA Press 2016. This richly illustrated volume includes many personal accounts of life aboard Sydney II, and the search and discovery of the wreck.