Hunt for the wreck of WW II cruiser HMAS Sydney II
Finding Sydney Foundation search begins to locate the missing Royal Australian Navy cruiser HMAS Sydney II. HMAS Sydney II was lost in November 1941 in the Indian Ocean off Western Australia with its entire crew of 645, following a fierce engagement with the German raider Kormoran.
The SV Geosounder, with renowned shipwreck investigator Mr David Mearns, is due to depart today from the port of Geraldton, Western Australia, to begin the search.
The team will use deep-water sonar imaging equipment to sweep the seabed for any indicators of a wreck site such as debris fields, other seabed anomalies or the wreck itself.
The search area will encompass more than 1800 square nautical miles of ocean in depths ranging from 2,300m to 4,200m approximately 120 nautical miles offshore from Australia’s most Westerly point, Steep Point.
The search team will first attempt to locate the German ship Kormoran, as more is known about her estimated location.
If Kormoran is found, her position will be used to plot Sydney’s last observed movements based on testimony from Kormoran’s crew. It is hoped that this will lead to the discovery of Sydney’s final resting place.
$4.2 million in Federal Government funding, as well as state government funding and private contributions from individuals, has enabled the Finding Sydney Foundation to conduct this search.
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