One hundred nautical
miles off the coast of
Western Australia,
underneath the sapphire
surface, resting in the quiet
depths of the Indian Ocean,
lies the wreck of the HMAS
Sydney- the final resting
place of 645 young
Australian sailors whose lives
were snatched away on 19
November 1941.
2470 metres above, and
seventy years after Sydney
settled on the seabed,
Classic International Cruises’ Athena
paused to remember what was arguably
the greatest Australian naval tragedy.
Led by prominent naval historian Tim
Ryan, the memorial service was prefaced
by a discussion of Sydney’s history, as well
as her last stand, against the German
WWII raider, HSK Kormoran, which,
disguised as a Dutch merchant vessel,
opened fire on Sydney on 19 November
1941 and sank her, killing all onboard, as
she moved closer to discover why Kormoran
was not responding to her signals.
The service included the laying of a
wreath, and was part of Athena’s 39-
night voyage from Perth back to the UK.
