Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 22:33-23:24

What Sydney's returning crew could explain

Sydney's wreck location is known; the imagined return would recover her crew's missing account of the battle.

Battle of the AtlanticHMAS SydneyKormoranShipwrecks
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Question

Which lost ship would you most want to see return to harbour?

Short answer

HMAS Sydney, so her crew could explain the encounter with Kormoran and test the theory that they had been trying to capture her.

Notes

Sydney is chosen for an imagined return to harbour because her crew could explain their side of the encounter with Kormoran. Her wreck is explicitly described as already found. The hypothesis offered is that Sydney recognised the situation and tried to capture a merchant ship, with the loss of her aircraft affecting that attempt. The proposed motive is the wartime need for merchant shipping. This remains a theory the returning crew could test.