Sydney and Kormoran: deception at close range

In the official account, Sydney closed on a vessel claiming to be a merchant ship while attempting to verify its identity by visual signals. When Kormoran could no longer maintain the deception, it raised the German ensign and opened fire at roughly a mile's range, quickly damaging Sydney's bridge and forward fighting capacity. Sydney's X turret struck Kormoran's machinery, but a torpedo hit beneath the forward turrets and continued gunfire crippled the cruiser. The exchange mortally damaged both ships, but Sydney disappeared with all hands while many of Kormoran's crew survived.