Fed: Defence to release inquiry into loss of HMAS Sydney

AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2009
Fed: Defence to release inquiry into loss of HMAS Sydney

CANBERRA, Aug 11 AAP - The long-awaited report of the defence inquiry into the controversial
loss of the cruiser HMAS Sydney in 1941 will be released on Wednesday.

Defence Minister John Faulkner will unveil the report at the Australian War Memorial
in a function attended by defence chiefs and inquiry commissioner Terence Cole.

HMAS Sydney was lost with all 645 crewmen in a battle with the German mercantile raider
Kormoran off the West Australian coast on November 19, 1941.

Kormoran was also sunk but more than 300 of her crew survived, providing the only eye-witness
accounts of what happened.

They described Sydney sailing too close to the disguised raider, negating the advantage
of her more powerful guns.

Kormoran opened fire, inflicting catastrophic damage. Sydney was last sighted on fire
disappearing over the horizon.

A parliamentary inquiry conducted in 1998 and 1999 canvassed the circumstances of Sydney's
loss in significant detail and also recommended a search be conducted.

In March last year, the wreckage of both vessels was discovered some 112 nautical miles
off the WA coast in waters around 2.5 kilometres deep. Damage to Sydney appeared consistent
with the German survivor accounts of the action.

The defence commission of inquiry took detailed evidence from naval experts who examined
images of damage to the the sunken vessels and also heard from the small number of surviving
Kormoran crew members.

AAP mb/sb/ash

KEYWORD: SYDNEY

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