The first skeletons from "Batavia's Graveyard" were discovered in the early 1960s. They have been turning up ever since, raising questions over how to best protect and preserve them.
HMAS Sydney (II) Picture courtesy of the Finding Sydney Foundation
Sonar image of HMAS Sydney off Carnarvon
The crew of HMAS Sydney
Sonar image of HSK Kormoran
Computer sonar image of Kormoran's remains
HSK Kormoran
Searchers discover German raider believed to have sunk HMAS Sydney on November 19, 1941
About Me
- Amalfi
- I arrived in Fremantle from Sicily, Italy, in 1967, aged 11 months. In 1987, I completed a Bachelor's degree in journalism and joined The West Australian after stints at the Geraldton Guardian, Daily News and Western Mail newspapers. In 2005, I joined the rush to publish news online and joined the growing number of freelancers reporting online. I teach journalism full-time at Curtin University. My interest - and the subject of a 2008 honours degree at Murdoch University - covers the challenges and ethical dilemmas journalists face when researching and reporting on shipwrecks and their human cultural remains. This blogsite is devoted to one of those shipwreck stories - the loss of HMAS Sydney's 645 crew on November 19, 1941. Searchers have now discovered both the Sydney and Kormoran wrecks in 2.5km of water off Shark Bay. Sydney's discovery will help solve one of Australia's most enduring maritime mysteries and, more importantly, bring closure to relatives and friends who have waited nearly 67 years for news of their loved ones. Congratulations to the WA searchers.
