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 HMAS SYDNEY - LOST AT SEA 19TH NOVEMBER 1941
4 April 2008 Photos and video released of the HMAS Sydney sitting upright on the ocean floor. The ship is basically intact except for serious damge to the superstructure and turrets, and the bow of the ship has been blown off, possibly by a torpedo. No life-boats are evident. The pictures raise more questions than answers......certainly the Sydney came under accurate and extensive fire but the ship did not explode catastrophically or sink quickly. The reports by German survivors suggest the ship drifted South on fire and it was visible on the horizon for some time. How is it that no Australians made it safely to liferafts and no large pieces of wreckage were found or floating bodies? How come no Australians made it to shore? The pictures do not answer the questions. There seems to be no way the Kormoran could have disposed of the Australian sailors, they had enough on their hands trying to maintain their own seriously damaged vesel. What motive would there be to do so anyway when they were also in need of rescue. This is a tragic mystery that will never be answered. 16 March 2008 the wreckage of the HMAS Sydney and HKS Kormoran are finally found in the Indian Ocean at a depth of over 2 kms. The site closely matches that given by Captain Detmers of the Kormoran and other crewmen.
HMAS Sydney was a modified Leander-class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy. Sydney was laid down by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited at Wallsend-on-Tyne, England on 8 July 1933 as HMS Phaeton, purchased by the Australian Government in 1934 and renamed in memory of the earlier Sydney. She was launched on 22 September 1934 by Mrs S. M. Bruce, wife of the Australian High Commissioner to Britain and commissioned at Portsmouth on 24 September 1935. The ship had great success in the first years of World War II, but controversy and mystery surrounds the loss of Sydney and her crew in November 1941. Her sinking with all hands represents the greatest ever loss of life in an Australian warship; Sydney was also the largest vessel of any country to be lost with no survivors during the war. Searches for Sydney have been unsuccessful until recently. The nature of her sinking without survivors has the cause of great controversy and mourning. A moving monument to the Sydney can be found at Geraldton, a Kormoran lifboat is at Carnarvon and a memorial has been established at Red Bluff north of Carnarvon. A Carley float which is now on display in the Australian War Memorial was picked up 9 days after the battle. A bullet riddled liferaft drifted ashore at Christmas Island with the body of a sailor on 6 February 1942, just before the Japanese occupation. This float is also believed to be from the HMAS Sydney. --0-- On 5 November 1941 at Albany, Western Australia, Sydney began escorting the troopship Zealandia, which was bound for Sunda Strait, in the Dutch East Indies. Sydney and Zealandia arrived at Fremantle on 9 November. They were delayed by a labour dispute on board Zealandia, but left Fremantle on 11 November. They reached Sumatra on 17 November. Sydney began the return voyage to Fremantle, and was scheduled to arrive in the afternoon or evening of 20 November. Axis submarines and surface raiders had already been active in the Indian Ocean and Pacific, and it was expected that any Australian naval vessel on such a voyage might have to investigate reported sightings or suspicious vessels. The 645-strong crew on board HMAS Sydney in 1941 At about 4pm on 19 November, west of Shark Bay, Western Australia, HMAS Sydney sighted a merchant ship about 20 kilometres away and challenged her. The other ship identified herself as the Dutch ship Straat Malakka. She was, in fact, the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran. According to survivors from Kormoran, Sydney closed to within 1,000 metres, and was surprised and overwhelmed when the crew of Kormoran opened fire with concealed guns and torpedoes. Kormoran survivors described how the bridge of the Sydney was struck early in the attack. Heavy machines guns cut down the crew who were lounging at the rails and standing around the deck. The Sydney was not at action stations and not on alert. An unforgiveable mistake during wartime. The Sydney's guns took time to deploy and enormous damge was effected before ragged fire from the Sydney took effect on the Kormoran. The Sydney was described as on fire and drifting as it slipped away and was never seen again. Kormoran was also badly damaged in the ensuing battle and had to be abandoned. The ship was scuttled to prevent its capture. Survivors of the Kormoran were picked up at sea or were collected at Red Bluff where they had come ashore. Taken to Carnarvon they were shipped to Fremantle and were taken to a prisoner of war camp in Victoria. Captain Detmers kept a coded diary in a Bible which has since been decoded. Survivors accounts vary but nothing has been discovered which conflicts with the german account of the sinking of the HMAS Sydney. Various theories of Japanese involvement and a massacre of the Sydney's crewmen have never been substantiated.
Monument at Geraldton Western Australia
It was announced on 16 March 2008 that the wreckage of the German vessel which sank HMAS Sydney, the auxilliary cruiser HSK Kormoran, had been found 5 days previously, and on 17 March, the announcement of the wreck of HMAS Sydney had been found was made by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
War memorial at Carnarvon which include wall of memory to the men of HMAS Sydney ---0--- The HMAS Sydney Memorial Cairn is located 76 kilometres north of Carnarvon. The memorial stands high above the rugged coast at Quobba, where two lifeboats of Kormoran survivors came ashore. ---o--- The Battle On 19 November, at a point off the coast between Carnarvon and Geraldton, the Sydney sighted what appeared to be a merchant ship about 20 km (12 mi) away and challenged it. The other ship was Kormoran, which identified itself as the Dutch ship Straat Malakka. According to accounts by crew members of Kormoran, Sydney chased and overhauled the raider, while exchanging signals and attempting to verify its identity. Detmers maintained the charade as long as possible, to take full advantage of surprise and knowing that he had a better chance in a battle at close range, where the effects of the better guns, fire control and armour protection on Sydney would be diminished. Burnett demanded a password from Kormoran, by which time Sydney had approached within about 1,000 metres of Kormoran. Under these circumstances Detmers had no choice other than to open fire, and his crew went into action at 5:30pm. According to the crew of Kormoran the Australian warship did not appear to be fully prepared for battle, and its main guns were not trained on Kormoran. They reported that Sydney was hit 50 times by the raider's 150 mm (5.9 in) heavy guns — a simultaneous barrage of 20 mm anti-aircraft gunfire would have caused severe casualties on its bridge and open decks. The Supermarine Seagull seaplane on board Sydney was hit, and its fuel caused a fire midships. The Germans reported that the gun turrets on Sydney opened fire almost simultaneously, with a salvo that passed over Kormoran. Sydney then suffered hits from two salvos on her bridge and midships section. It appears that the forward turrets ("A" and "B") were put out of action leaving only the after turrets ("X" and "Y") operational. The crew of Kormoran reported that Sydney's "X" turret opened fast and accurate fire, hitting Kormoran in the funnel and engine room, which caught fire. "Y" turret is said to have fired only two or three salvos, all of which went over. Sydney was also hit by at least one torpedo. Sydney then headed directly at Kormoran, and completed a 180-degree turn in order to use her starboard torpedoes. During the turn, "B" turret exploded; the top was blown off and fell overboard. Four torpedoes were fired, but were near misses behind Kormoran. At the same time, the engines on Kormoran broke down. The Sydney left the scene southwards, still under fire by the rear guns of the Kormoran, until 6:25 pm, when Kormoran had to be abandoned. The Germans reported seeing Sydney on fire at the horizon until 10 pm that night, and saw flames emerging from time to time two hours further. Some time after the Australian ship disappeared from view, the Germans heard several loud explosions, and believed these to be fire reaching magazines on Sydney. Neither HMAS Sydney nor any of its 645 officers and men were seen again. However, Sydney had inflicted enough damage to ensure that Kormoran could not be saved. With the engine room destroyed, 20 dead and the fire rapidly approaching the mine storage deck, Detmers had little choice but to abandon ship. Explosive charges were placed and the surviving crew took to the boats, with Detmers the last to leave. A further 40 men, mostly wounded, lost their lives when a lifeboat capsized in the rough seas. Shortly after midnight the charges went off, followed 25 minutes later by the mines. The entire stern and midships section was engulfed in a gigantic sheet of flame that shot 300 metres into the night sky as Kormoran went down by the stern. Detmers, about 320 of his crew and three Chinese prisoners of war, were rescued from their lifeboats and liferafts by five ships; Aquitania, Trocas, Koolinda, Centaur and Yandra and a further two lifeboats came ashore near 17 Mile Well and Red Bluff north of Carnarvon. Nearly all spent the remainder of the war in an Australian prisoner of war camp, from which they were not released until January 1947. --o-- HMAS OFFICERS AND CREW - Lost in action
HMAS SYDNEY - THE OFFICERS Captain Joseph Burnett RAN Commander Edmund Wybergh Thrushton DSC RN Commander Lionel Sydney Dalton DSO RAN Commander Thomas Francis Maynard RAN Surgeon Commander John Reid Hasker RAN Chaplain the Rev. George Stubbs RAN Schoolmaster Percy Francis Skewes RAN Lieutenant Commander Clive Alexandra Craig Montgomery RN Lieutenant Commander Michael Morgan Singer DSC RN Lieutenant Commander Alexander Mackay Wilkinson RAN Lieutenant Commander Jack Cawston Bacon RN Lieutenant Commander Richard Daniel Handcock RAN Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Francis Harrison Genge RAN Lieutenant Thomas Garton Brown RAN Lieutenant John Alan Cole RANR(S) Lieutenant Thomas Edgar Davis RAN Lieutenant Andrew lan Keith RANR(S) Lieutenant Eric Elton Mayo RAN Lieutenant lan Thomas Roy Treloar RAN Lieutenant William Thomson Anderson RANR(S) Lieutenant Allan Wallace Wilson RANR(S) Lieutenant Robert Ernest Ridout RANR Surgeon Lieutenant Mervyn Clive Townsend RAN Sub-Lieutenant Albert Edwin Byrne RANR Sub-Lieutenant Alexander Vinrace Eagar RANR Sub-Lieutenant Edwin Ross Eddy RAN Sub-Lieutenant Bruce Alfred Elder RANR Flying Officer Raymond Barker Barrey RAAF Sub-Lieutenant Allen james King RANVR Sub-Lieutenant Frederick Harold Schoch RANVR Sub-Lieutenant James Irvine Clifton RANR Sub-Lieutenant Charles McGregor Mitchell RANR Acting Sub-Lieutenant Donald Wolsey McCabe RAN Gunner Frank Leslie Macdonald RN Gunner James Edward Peterson RAN Acting Gunner John Kerr Houston RAN Warrant William George Batchelor RAN Warrant Alexander Baillie Biggs RAN Warrant Frederick William Reville RAN Warrant John Albert Ernest Fuller RAN Warrant Robert Wesley Nicholson RAN Warrant William Albert Owen RAN HMAS SYDNEY - THE CREW A Abernethy, Roderic Bell - Petty Officer Telegraphist Absolem, John Francis - Acting Leading Seaman Stoker Addison, Roy Hilton - Acting Leading Seaman Agar, Lavington Henry - Chief Mechanician Allison, John Albert Curtis - Able Seaman Anderson, Cecil John - Ordinary Seaman Anderson, Ronald Harry - Able Seaman Andrews, Arthur John - Able Seaman Archbell, Allen Walter - Acting Leading Seaman Armstrong, Harold James - Ordinary Seaman Aumann, Cyril - Acting Leading Stoker Avery, George William - Able Seaman Aylott, William Lewis - Acting Petty Officer Ayton, Leslie George - Ordnance Artificer B Bain, William John - Able Seaman Baker, Victor Leslie - Ordinary Seaman Baker, William Alfred - Stoker Balding, Harold Ross - Able Seaman Barclay, Victor Nathaniel - Supply Assistant Barham, Eric Ralph - Sick Berth Petty Officer Barker, Benjamin joseph Herbert - Able Seaman Bartlett, Maxwell Edwin - Able Seaman Bath, Walter James - Ordinary Seaman Batten, Keith Carrington -Stoker Baverstock, Ernest George - Able Seaman Beattie, Alexander - Leading Stoker Beattie, Eric Peter - Stoker Beckett, Richard James - Stoker Belcher, Edgar Raymond - Wireman Bennie, Graham Russell - Able Seaman Berwick, George Ross - Wireman Bettany, John Henry - Able Seaman Betterman, Donald Richard - Able Seaman Bettinson, Walter Edward - Leading Seaman Bevan, Hanbury Victor - Able Seaman Beverton, John Troy - Stoker Bibby, Ivo Ignatius - Engine Room Artificer First Class Biram, Bernard Frank - Petty Officer Cook (0) Birch, James William - Acting Leading Stoker Blackwood, James - Stoker Blake, John Shaldis - Acting Leading Stoker Blom, Leslie Michael - Stoker Bodman, Anthony Arthur - Able Seaman Bone, Gordon Frederick - Able Seaman Bonham, Henry George - Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Bonner, Reginald - Mechanician First Class Bool, James - Ordinary Seaman Booth, Ernest Albert - Able Seaman Bowden, Laurence - Stoker Second Class Bowes, Keith Andrew joseph - Stoker Box, Robert Aubrey - Stoker Second Class Boyd, David William - Acting Leading Sick Berth Attendant Bradley, Ross - Ordinary Seaman Brennan, Ernest Norman - Able Seaman Brind, Max - Able Seaman Brodie, Raymond Roy - Acting Leading Seaman Brooks, Donald Leslie - Ordinary Seaman Buchanan, Allen Ridley Morton - Stoker Petty Officer Buck, Clifton Charles - Able Seaman Buckingham, Clarence Frederick Parett - Able Seaman Buckley, Daniel Stanley - Ordinary Seaman Budden, Keith Eric - Acting Yeoman of Signals Bundy, Frederick Philip Keith - Petty Officer Bunting, James - Able Seaman Burgess, William Robert - Signalman Burgoyne, Maxwell Aubrey - Leading Steward Burke, Kenneth Thomas - Telegraphist Burke, Leslie - Leading Cook (S) Burke, William - Chief Engine Room Artificer Burns, John Roardon - Acting Stoker Petty Officer Burnsyde, William Edmund - Stoker Burrowes, Douglas james - Able Seaman Burt, Alwyn Stewart - Wireman Butler, Kenneth Norman Hilton - Supply Assistant Butler, Stanley Wilfred - Able Seaman C Cabban, Victor Roy - Stoker Second Class Cannon, Lionel James - Telegraphist Carey, Henry Robert Joseph - Able Seaman Carey, Thomas Leslie - Chief Petty Officer Cook Carr, John William Aaron - Able Seaman Carthy, George Thomas - Able Seaman Cartwright, Alexander Mitchell - Able Seaman Catley, Raymond Rex - Able Seaman Caudle, Douglas William - Ordinary Seaman Challenger, Charles William - Chief Stoker Chapman, Neville Owen - Ordinary Seaman Chapman, William Roy - Stoker Charlton, Claude Leyshon - Cook Christie, Albert Thomas Norton - Stoker Christison, John Maxwell - Ordinary Seaman Clark, Daniel Murchie - Acting Leading Stoker Clark, Thomas Welsby - Able Seaman Clarke, Arthur - Leading Aircraftman Clarke, Harry - Acting Leading Stoker Clayton, Alfred Stockdale - Stoker Clement, William - Ordinary Seaman Clive, Alfred Walter - Stoker Colbey, Robert Sabey - Ordinary Seaman Cole, John Vincent - Ordinary Seaman Cole, Sydney Arthur William - Able Seaman Coleman, George Edward - Wireman Colhoun, Robert Alan - Stoker Second Class Collie, Cyril Brian - Stoker Second Class Collier, Richard Thomas - Acting Leading Seaman Collins, Charles Ernest - Able Seaman Collins, William Henry - Able Seaman Conquit, William Clarence - Able Seaman Cookesley, Clifford William - Stoker Coonan, Bevis Royal - Acting Leading Seaman Cooper, Alfred Langley - Leading Stoker Cooper, Arthur Donald Wilfred - Stoker Second Class Cooper, Bertie - Able Seaman Cooper, Reginald - Stoker Cooper, Rex Albert - Able Seaman Coppin, George William - Assistant Steward Cork, William James Morris - Ordinary Seaman Cormick, Thomas George - Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Courtis, Roy John - Stoker Cox, Harold William - Acting Leading Stoker Cox, John Lionel - Signalman Cragg, George Louis - Stoker Craike, Brian Wesley - Able Seaman Cranwell, Henry Alfred Geoffrey - Stoker Craske, Benjamin Jack - Ordinary Seaman Crawford, Thomas Alfred - Acting Able Seaman Crocker, Leslie joseph - Petty Officer Cook Crowle, Jack Alfred Francis - Stoker Second Class Cummings, james - Able Seaman Cunnington, Alan Leonard Fyffe - Ordnance Artificer Fourth Class Curtis, Clifford Leslie James - Wireman Curtis, Richard - Petty Officer Curwood, Walter Leslie - Wireman D Daniel, Kevin Henry - Ordnance Artificer Fourth Class Darby, Stanley Maurice - Able Seaman Daunt, Arthur Robert - Stoker Davey, John Stanley - Petty Officer Cook Davies, Sidney John - Electrical Artificer Davis, Stanley Roy - Leading Seaman Deacon, William Frank - Able Seaman Deane, Wallace Bertram - Ordinary Seaman Dee, Thomas - Leading Steward DeForest, McAdam Carruthers - Stoker DeGracie, John Philip - Ordinary Seaman Dempster, Herbert James - Stoker Devereux, Eric Gordon - Able Seaman Dhu, Lionel Edward - Able Seaman Diews, Bernard Albert - Able Seaman Dimmock, Donald Charles - Able Seaman Dix, Gordon Kenneth - Acting Leading Stoker Dixon, Thomas Charles - Leading Stoker Dobson, Herbert Hartfield - Able Seaman Dodds, Richard - Leading Aircraftman Doxey, Alexander Harold - Able Seaman Doyle, Edward Francis - Able Seaman Drake, Albert Reginald - Able Seaman Drake, John Richardson - Stoker Duncan, Emanuel Robert Thomas - Supply Assistant Dundon, Stephen - Able Seaman Dunin, Thomas - Steward E Edenborough, Alan Grosvenor - Ordinary Seaman Edgoose, John Franklin - Ordinary Seaman Edwards, Ernest John - Able Seaman Edwards, Frederick - Acting Stoker Petty Officer Evans, Francis Richard - Petty Officer Ewens, Robert Underdown - Able Seaman F Fahey, William Richard - Able Seaman Farrand, Leonard Charles - Ordinary Seaman Faulkner, Arthur John - Able Seaman Ferguson, David Wallace - Able Seaman Ferguson, Kenneth Charles - Ordinary Seaman Fibbens, William Sidney - Telegraphist Findlay, Gordon Lindsay - Acting Ordnance Artificer Fourth Class Finlayson, Harry - Mechanician First Class Fisher, John William - Leading Cook (S) Fitzgerald, Augustine Francis - Blacksmith Fourth Class Fitzgerald, Lloyd Gerald - Acting Supply Petty Officer Fleming, Wilfred Stafford - Able Seaman Foote, Reginald Eric - Cook (S) Forbes, Robert Gordon Staunton - Ordinary Seaman Forsyth, Glenbervie Edwin - Electrical Artificer Fourth Class Forth, Herbert - Able Seaman Foster, Norman Douglas - Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Foster, Roy - Leading Aircraftman Foulkes, Robert Eugene - Telegraphist Franklin, Edward William - Leading Seaman Fraser, Noel James - Ordinary Seaman Freer, Walter Edward Albert - Able Seaman Friar, Jack Allan - Engine Room Artificer Third Class Frisch, Ernest Dudley - Able Seaman Frith, William Railton Oliver - Petty Officer, RN Fry, Robert Aubrey - Stoker Fryer, Kenneth James - Ordinary Telegraphist G Gamble, Frank Harold - Petty Officer Telegraphist Gamble, Ronald Frederick - Acting Petty Officer Telegraphist Gardiner, Heathcote Diggery - Ordinary Seaman Garnett, William Henry - Acting Leading Stoker Garrett, Basil Farmer - Able Seaman Gale, Raymond - Leading Supply Assistant Gentles, Harry Spencer - Chief Stoker Gilsenan, Dudley John - Steward Glackin, Thomas Nevin - Stoker Glasby, Harold - Able Seaman Goodwin, Neil Francis - Able Seaman Goodwin, Wilfred James - Able Seaman Gothard, Edwin - Acting Petty Officer Telegraphist Graco, Henry Mathias - Able Seaman Graham, George Albert - Ordinary Seaman Greaves, Sidney - Able Seaman Green, Arthur Eric - Acting Stoker Petty Officer Green, John Rex - Ordinary Seaman Green, Theo Lawrence - Cook (0) Greenwood, James Herbert - Ordinary Seaman Gregson, Michael Oswald - Ordinary Seaman Grinter, Norman Francis - Acting Leading Stoker Gronberg, Ernest Edward - Stoker Gwynne, David Andrew - Able Seaman H Haag, Francis Vincent - Stoker Hagan, Allan - Steward Hammond, Lawson - Able Seaman Hare, Richard William - Able Seaman Harricks, Sydney William - Able Seaman Hass, Mervan Loui Wallace - Able Seaman Harrington, Albert Frederick - Acting Leading Seaman Harris, Ronald Charles - Able Seaman Harrison, Leslie Alexander - Petty Officer Steward Hartmann, Frederick Holland Reg - Petty Officer Haslam, Aubrey Cecil - Acting Leading Seaman Hattersley, jack Osberg - Able Seaman Hawker, George Clarence - Steward Hawkes, Sydney William - Able Seaman Haynes, Frank James - Stoker Haywood, George James - Ordinary Seaman Second Class Heaton, Edmund - Acting Electrical Artificer Fourth Class Henderson, William Laurence Douglas - Stoker Henrickson, John Olaf - Stoker Herington, Henry Foster - Stoker Second Class Heritage, Roy George - Able Seaman Herrod, Herbert Frederick - Acting Leading Stoker Hewett, Edmund Herbert - Able Seaman Hickey, Robert Arthur - Able Seaman Hill, Douglas Hugh - Stoker Hill, Peter - Able Seaman Hill, Robert Henry - Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Hobbs, George james - Able Seaman Hogan, Michael Henry - Ordinary Telegraphist Holder, Edward Harrison - Telegraphist Holm, Clarence Kenneth Asby - Able Seaman Homer, Arthur Wilfred - Chief Stoker Honor, Charles Leslie - Telegraphist Hooper, Edgar Norman - Ordinary Seaman Hopcraft, Robert Beauchamp - Shipwright Third Class Hore, Keith Beresford - Able Seaman Horrigan, Cornelius - Able Seaman Howard, Keith - Aireraftman First Class Howard, Leonard John - Able Seaman Hudson, james Lloyd - Signalman Hutchinson, Richard - Able Seaman Hutchinson, Roy Harold - Able Seaman Hutchison, James Robertson - Stoker Second Class I Ingham, John Wakelin - Acting Leading Stoker J James, Martin Curtis - Able Seaman Jarvis, William John - Stoker Second Class Jeffs, Francis William - Ordinary Seaman Jennings, David Mathias - Able Seaman Jesnoewski, Leslie Albert - Ordinary Seaman Johnson, Percy Albert - Stoker Second Class Johnston, Donald Erskine - Able Seaman Johnston, George - Writer Johnston, Edgar William - Able Seaman Johnstone, Trevor James Armistice - Able Seaman Jones, David James - Acting Stoker Petty Officer Jones, Donald Edgar - Able Seaman Jones, Ivan David - Acting Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Jones, John Banks - Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Jones, Philip Trevor - Chief Petty Officer Jones, Wilfred George - Chief Shipwright Jordan, Ernest John - Able Seaman Jordan, Horace David - Able Seaman Joyce, William Robert John - Able Seaman K Keane, Walter John DSM - Chief Ordnance Artificer Kearnon, Rex Allan - Ordinary Seaman Keenan, Francis Bernard - Stoker Kelly, james Vincent - Able Seaman Kelly, Neville Andrew - Stoker Second Class Kennedy, Robert John - Stoker Second Class Kenney, Arthur Henry Lawrence - Chief Petty Officer Kent, Lloyd Shackleton - Signalman Kettle, Edward james - Able Seaman Kettyle, James Thomas - Leading Stoker Keys, Rodger Francis - Able Seaman Kirkham, Eric James - Able Seaman Kitchin, Clayton Peter - Stoker Kleinig, Arthur Albert - Telegraphist Knapman, Wesley Bowden - Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Knapp, Douglas John - Stoker Second Class Knight, Neil Kenneth - Steward Kreig, Archibald Douglas - Assistant Steward L Laffer, Peter Morton - Ordinary Seaman Lang, John - Able Seaman Lang, William Hugh - Stoker Second Class Lawler, Neil Charles - Ordinary Seaman Lawson, James Neil - Supply Assistant Laxton, Stewart Thomas - Sick Berth Attendant Second Class Laycock, Royce Stanley - Stoker Lewis, Ambrose Henry - Stoker Petty Officer Lewis, Desmond Henry - Bandsman Lewis, Leslie Raymond - Acting Leading Seaman Lillywhite, Harry Edgar - Shipwright First Class Lockard, Terence Godfrey - Acting Signalman Love, Snowden Edward - Stoker Lowenstein, William - Stoker Lowry, Frederick William - Able Seaman Lynch, Stephen Maxwell - Able Seaman Lyne, Raymond Vivian - Ordinary Seaman M Mackinnon, Murdo - Petty Officer Males, Trevor - Shipwright Fourth Class Mann, Keith Arthur - Ordinary Seaman Manninp,, Maurice - Leading Cook (S) Marley, Sidney - Sergeant Marson, Albert Richard - Mechanician Second Class Martin, Alan Douglas - Ordinary Seaman Martin, james Hearle - Able Seaman Martin, Leslie Frank - Steward Martin, Leslie James Frederick - Ordinary Seaman Matheson, Edward Austin John - Ordinary Seaman Mathews, John William - Able Seaman Maxwell, lan Maxwell - Ordinary Seaman Medlen, Lindsay James - Sick Berth Attendant Melandri, Perty Ernest Vincent - Bandsman Menzies, William - Able Seaman Miller, George James - Cook (S) Miller, james Douglas Haig - Able Seaman Miller, Kenneth Roscoe - Ordinary Seaman Miller, Martin Patrick - Steward Miller, Robert Alfred - Stoker Milverton, Peter Frederick - Able Seaman Minns, Leslie Charles - Sick Berth Attendant Mitchell, Francis joseph - Supply Assistant Mogler, Richard Charles - Stoker Mordaunt, Francis Xavier - Petty Officer Writer Morisey, Ronald - Able Seaman Morphett, Merton James - Cook (S) Morris, Edgar Percy - Petty Officer Morris, Raymond Keith - Able Seaman Moule, Albert - Stoker Mudford, Leslie Francis - Able Seaman Mulhall, John Dillon - Bandsman Murdoch, Raymond Charles - Able Seaman Murray, Malcom - Able Seaman Mutch, Hector MacDonald - Able Seaman Myers, Henry William - Stoker McAulay, Angus Campbell - Bandsman McAuslan, Arthur Robert - Chief Engine Room Artificer McBain, joseph Henry - Chief Engine Room Artificer McCabe, Ernest Victor - Able Seaman McCallem, Duncan - Canteen Assistant McClaren, Alfred Allan - Petty Officer McConnell, Robert Nicol - Stoker McCulloch, Sydney - Able Seaman McCullough, Samuel James - Wireman McDonald, John Denis - Able Seaman McDougall, Wallace - Able Seaman McGregor, Donald Alexander - Cook (S) McGowan, Thomas Henry - Able Seaman McHaffle, Edward Hunter - Painter First Class McKay, Allan Murdoch - Leading Supply Assistant McKechnie, Glen Morton - Ordinary Seaman McKenzie, Donald james - Able Seaman McKeown, Malachi James - Able Seaman McLean, William Ernest - Stoker Petty Officer McLeod, Herbert Charles - Acting Leading Stoker McLeod-Smith, Albert Fraser - Petty Officer N Nesbitt, jackson - Able Seaman Newman, Charles Albert - Able Seaman Nicholls, Malcom Godfrey - Able Seaman Nichols, Francis Roy - Ordinary Seaman Second Class Nichol, Thomas Enright - Wireman Noble, Charles Taylor Reg - Petty Officer Noell, Alfred John - Stoker Norbery, Stephen William - Able Seaman Norman, Charles George james - Able Seaman Norman, Frederick William - Leading Seaman Norton, John Thomas Henry - Leading Stoker Norton, Montague Alfred Huxley - Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Norton, William Frederick Cecil - Able Seaman Nugent, Cyril james - Stoker Nyal, Leslie John - Stoker Second Class O Oakford, Phillip james - Ordinary Seaman O'Brien, Edward Bedford - Shipwright First Class Ogilvie, Laurence - Able Seaman Oliver, Alan Henry - Ordinary Seaman Opas, Maurice - Canteen Manager Owens, Edward Harold - Able Seaman P Paling, Dennis Ross - Able Seaman Parkes, Douglas Leon - Able Seaman Parr, George Frederick - Chief Electrical Artificer Partington, Leslie Warburton - Bandsman Pascoe, Percival Holman - Stoker Pastoors, William Cecil - Stoker Second Class Patrick, Charles William - Ordinary Seaman Second Class Paul, Stanley Robert - Stoker Payne, John Robert - Sick Berth Attendant Peak, John McGhie - Stoker Pearce, Eric Victor - Acting Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Pelham, Frederick Charles - Bandsman Perger, Frederick James - Able Seaman Perryman, Richard Severn - Able Seaman Peters, Maxwell Wesley - Telegraphist Peterson, Peter William - Stoker Phillips, Frederick Ernest - Able Seaman Pike, John William - Able Seaman Pitt, William Harold - Able Seaman Platt, Robert - Stoker Second Class Pople, Alfred - Band Corporal Potter, Alfred William - Ordinary Seaman Potter, Clyde Ashby - Acting Supply Petty Officer Powell, Lyal Llewellyn - Able Seaman Prike, joseph John - Able Seaman Primmer, John Foster Roy - Able Seaman Pritchard, Herbert Lloyd - Ordnance Artificer Fourth Class Psaila, Samuel - Canteen Assistant Pulham, Edward George Montague - Acting Leading Stoker Purdon, Eric Thomas - Leading Seaman Purkiss, Cecil Edward - Wireman Putman, Albert Edward - Ordinary Seaman Q Quilty, John Edward - Acting Leading Seaman Quinn, George Frederick - Petty Officer Cook (S) R Ramsay, Ernest Wilson - Able Seaman Ranford, John Irvine - Ordinary Telegraphist Ray, Harold George - Able Seaman Redfearne, Charles Hugh - Stoker Redmond, Eric Neville - Ordinary Signalman Reed, George Percival - Writer Rees, Robert John - Ordinary Seaman Reeves, Ellis Leslie - Able Seaman Reeves, Raymond Henry - Ordinary Seaman Reid, Graham Roy - Signalman Reilly, James Brian - Acting Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Remfry, Ernest John - Able Seaman Ricardo, John Layton - Chief Petty Officer Butcher Rice, Desmond Maxwell - Stoker Third Class Richards, Harold Nelson - Acting Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Richter, Arthur John - Acting Supply Petty Officer Riley, Edwin Martin - Ordinary Seaman Rippen, Adolph Heinrich Gerhard - Telegraphist Riters, Edward - Able Seaman Roberts, Lyndon Irvine - Stoker Roberts, Ronald Charles - Assistant Cook (0) Robertson, Michael John - Leading Seaman Robertson, Thomas Noel - Acting Stoker Petty Officer Robertson, William James - Leading Cook Rogers, Charles Allan - Able Seaman Rogers, Ralph Carey - Signalman Rolfe, Edmund Sturgeon - Able Seaman Rolley, Ernest David - Steward Rosevear, Geoffrey - Able Seaman Rosevear, Lance - Able Seaman Ross, Donald - Petty Officer Steward Ross, James Thompson - Supply Petty Officer Rothbaum, Lionel - Assistant Steward Rowe, Allan Lawrence - Able Seaman Rowe, James Ronald - Telegraphist Rowe, Lindsay Thomas - Stoker Second Class Rowlands, Harold Edward - Supply Chief Petty Officer Rudwall, Peter Sutherland - Ordinary Seaman S Salmon, John - Able Seaman Sampson, Louis Nicholas - Supply Chief Petty Officer Sands, William Archibald Martin - Chief Petty Officer Savage, Leonard Roydon - Stoker Sawbridge, George William - Bandsman Schache, Walter Herbert - Chief Petty Officer Cook Schmidt, Alan Hartley - Ordinary Seaman Schulz, Raymond Arthur - Stoker Scott, George Gillick - Acting Petty Officer Shadlow, Eric Henry - Stoker Second Class Shepherd, Alfred Horwood - Acting Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Shepherd, David John - Chief Petty Officer Telegraphist Shiers, Arthur Ernest - Able Seaman Shipstone, Henry Buccleuch - Petty Officer Short, Harry Kenneth - Able Seaman Sievey, Richard Thomas - Ordinary Seaman Silk, Stanley George - Chief Petty Officer Simpson, Beniamin - Petty Officer Telegraphist Simpson, Charles Henry - Able Seaman Simpson, Reginald Austin - Ordinary Telegraphist Slater, Alec George Hamilton - Assistant Cook Smith, Allen Leslie - Chief Electrical Artificer Smith, Alfred james - Stoker Second Class Smith, Cornelius Francis - Able Seaman Smith, Douglas William Charles - Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Smith, Ernest Edward Frederick - Able Seaman Smith, George William - Stoker Second Class Smith, Ronald George Singleton - Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Smith, Roy Clarence - Supply Assistant Smith, Roy Somerville - Stoker Smith, William Ftederick Albert - Able Seaman Smith, William Harrison Randall - Engine Room Artificer Third Class Smith, William Reginald Devine - Acting Petty Officer Soutar, William Nicoll - Supply Assistant Spiller, Harold James - Able Seaman Staff, Robert Frank - Steward Stammers, Robert - Cook Standish, George Frederick - Able Seaman Stear, Ernest Victor Lloyd - Bandmaster Steed, Philip William - Ordinary Seaman Steele, Roy McLellan Morgan - Able Seaman Stenton, Stanley Peter William - Stoker Stephens, George - Acting Yeoman of Signals Stephenson, Walter Thomas William - Stoker Sterling, Leslie - Able Seaman Stevens, Horace John - Bandsman Stevenson, Robert - Stoker Third Class Stride, Cecil Meadus - Stoker Second Class Striethorst, Raymond Conrad - Able Seaman Stripe, Alexander Edward - Able Seaman Strugnell, John William - Petty Officer Stuart, james Richard Keith - Stoker Stuart, William Fancourt - Writer Stubbs, Kimberley - Stoker Second Class Sturla, james Robert - Chief Stoker Sutton, Denis O'Reilly - Able Seaman Sutton, Kingsley - Acting Stoker Petty Officer T Tabor, Frederick Arthur - Acting Leading Seaman Tassel, Harry Woodrow - Petty Officer Tatters, George Nelson - Able Seaman Taylor, John - Telegraphist Taylor, John Ernest - Able Seaman Taylor, John McLean - Able Seaman Taylor, Keith - Ordinary Seaman Taylor, Kenneth George - Able Seaman Taylor, Rupert Allenby - Leading Stoker Tennant, Ronald George - Engine Room Artificer Third Class Thompson, Harry Edward - Wireman Thompson, William Raymond - Stoker Thomson, Archibald jarnes - Stoker Trenbath, jack Stephen - Stoker Third Class Trenwith, Harry George - Stoker Petty Officer Triggs, Robert - Master-at-Arms Tuffin, Edwin Daniel - Able Seaman Turk, Herbert - Able Seaman Turner, George Alfred - Ordinary Seaman Second Class Turner, Harold - Signalman Turner, Kenneth james - Ordinary Seaman Turner, William Ross - Able Seaman Tyldsley, james - Chief Yeoman of Signals Tyler, Charles Desmond - Bandsman U Unwin, John Edward - Able Seaman Uren, Thomas William james - Leading Steward V Vassett, Alexander William - Electrical Artificer First Class Vogt, Ronald Matthew - Able Seaman W Wait, Howard Thomas Charles - Acting Supply Petty Officer Waldron, Thomas Arthur - Stoker Second Class Walker, Arthur Joseph - Cook Walker, Edward John - Yeoman of Signals Walker, Kenneth james - Able Seaman Walker, William Albert Gordon - Leading Signalman Wallace, William Raymond - Stoker Walsh, Gordon Stuart - Supply Assistant Walsh, Michael Henry Joseph - Able Seaman Ward, Frederick Ernest Charles - Able Seaman Ward, James Joseph Richard - Leading Stoker Ware, Leonard Frank - Joiner Third Class Warren, Vincent - Bandsman Waye, Leonard William - Acting Leading Stoker Webb, Arthur Charles - Able Seaman Webb, Oliver Ernest Raymond - Acting Petty Officer Weller, Royce Henry - Acting Shipwright Fourth Class White, Hans James Leo - Signalman White, Robert George - Able Seaman Whitfield, Leonard William - Chief Petty Officer Writer Whithear, Alan George - Stoker Williams, Alfred David - Able Seaman Williams, David Leslie - Acting Petty Officer Williams, John Bruce - Stoker Second Class Williams, John Harris - Stoker Second Class Williamson, Maurice Douglas - Leading Stoker Williamson, Sydney Thomas Lawrence - Acting Petty Officer Willis, George Boyd - Able Seaman Willis, Percy John Christian - Plumber First Class Willis, Lloyd Martin - Cook (0) Willis, Ronald Verdun - Steward Wilson, Clifford - Telegraphist Wilson, Jack Stanley - Able Seaman Wilson, Roderick Richard - Sick Berth Attendant Wilson, Roy Weddon Dawes - Ordinary Seaman Windham, Russell Bertram - Ordinary Telegraphist Witton, Bertram Linsay - Acting Leading Telegraphist Wixted, Ronald james - Stoker Second Class Wood, Arthur Thomas - Able Seaman Woodcroft, William George - Leading Steward Woodhams, Reginald Bernard Craig - Stoker Second Class Woods, William Raymond - Acting Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Woodsford, Alfred Charles - Acting Leading Seaman Woolmore, Laurence Thomas - Ordnance Artificer Second Class Worsley, William Cornelius - Acting Electrical Artificer Fourth Class Wright, Charles Alan - Able Seaman Wright, Charles Patrick - Signalman Wright, Harold Douglas - Assistant Steward Wyatt, Eric William - Telegraphist Y Yeoman, Walter Clifford - Stoker York, Leonard Denis - Able Seaman Young, John Robinson - Able Seaman Z Zammitt, Salvatore - Canteen Manager
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HSK Kormoran
Kormoran, a freighter which had been converted into a covert, long-range raiding ship, was under the command of Fregattenkapitän (Commander) Theodor Detmers. The German vessel was posing as the Dutch freighter Straat Malakka. Although Kormoran lacked the armour protection and speed of a proper warship, it had substantial concealed armament, including six 150 mm (5.9 in) guns and torpedo tubes. It had been in service for just over a year and had sunk ten merchant ships in the South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific.
Kormoran lifeboat at Carnarvon
Kormoran survivors picked up by the Centaur --o-- GERMAN OFFICERS AND MEN THAT DIED Heinz Aron Alex Barthel Josef Bednareck Werner Berges Alfred Bez August Bilges Willi Bolt Paul Brachvogel August Breer Franz Breitenstein Erich Bruchig Ludwig Bussjager Reinhard Czech Bruno Demandt Hein Dein Willi Dobileit Johann Duismann Eduard Eberhard Hermann Ebert Heinz Feldmann Willi Fischer Gerhard Gause Egbert van Gaza Ernst Georg Theo Glander Fritz Grabow Gerhard Haarnagel Erich Haase Hans Haase Johann Hahn Willi Havekost Franz Heinze elmut Heinzemann Fritz Hemmerich Otto Herstel Eugen Heumann Albert Hille Wilhelm Hinkel Fritz Holzel Fritz Hoffmann K.arl Hudasch K.urt Hufer Josef Hurter Heinrich Knupper Willi Kreutzer Robert Kummel Hermann Lange Erich Langenbach Franz Leger Otto Lenz Rudolf Losche Dietrich Lohmann Fritz Martin Paul Meyer Heinz Muller Freidrich Nagel Oskar Pakosch Franz Pastuschka Hubert Pregler Herbert Prystuppa Kurt Quednau Alfred Rennig Herbert Rickert Alfons Ross Hans Salinsky Georg Salzgeber Ernst Schonberg Horst Schuster Karl Seiler Hermann Stehr Alfons Storney Fritz Tiemann Leonhard Trentler Josef Tschznter Bernhard van der Tweer Rudolf Ulbricht Kurt Wachter Robert Wulf Karl Zeitler
Died during Kormoran's cruise Erich Dembnicki Kurt Hofmann
Died as prisoner of war Erich Meyer |
