WWII Shipwreck HMAS Sydney Found.

She went down with all hands in 1941 in battle against a German Merchant Raider. Just exactly where she went down has been a mystery until now.

CANBERRA (AFP) — The wreck of a lost Australian cruiser sunk in a World War II naval battle more than 66 years ago has been found off the coast of Western Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced Monday.

The discovery of the apparently intact hull of the HMAS Sydney, sunk in a bloody battle with the German raider Kormoran in which all 645 men on the Sydney lost their lives, puts an end to an enduring seven-decade war mystery.

Nick Walden, whose uncle Albert Hollington was an acting leading seaman on the Sydney, said he hoped the discovery would shed light on why there were no survivors from the Australian ship.

"We can't still work out why nobody got off the Sydney, why none of the sailors were able to get into life boats," he said.

"It's the mystery still, we need to find that out."


Note: Merchant Raider is the term used to describe German warships with naval crews, disguised to resemble merchant ships. The equivalent term for Allied ships is Q-Ship.