Missing WWII Vessel Found

When a ship or a submarine sinks, there are usually survivors to provide some information about the fate of their vessel and their shipmates. HMAS Sydney (Her Majesty's Australian Ship) was one of the few vessels to be sunk with all hands and with little information about her final resting place. She was also the largest vessel to be lost with all hands during World War II.

Sydney was sunk by the German commerce raider Kormoran on 19 November, 1941 after a fierce 30-minute battle that also damaged the German ship so badly she also sank. The survivors of the German vessel only knew that they saw the badly damaged Sydney sailing over the horizon toward the port of Perth, Australia.

However, she never arrived and her entire crew of 645 officers and men disappeared with her, leaving relatives to always wonder about the fate and final resting place of their loved ones.

The mystery has now been solved, after 66 years. Sydney was located in 8,100 feet of water not far from the site of her final battle.