The battle resulted in the total loss of HMAS Sydney with all 645 crew, the largest loss of life in Royal Australian Navy history.
Key Facts
- Date
- 19 November 1941
- HMAS Sydney crew lost
- 645 personnel
- Kormoran survivors
- 318 of 399 personnel
- Distance from Dirk Hartog Island
- 106 nautical miles
- Battle duration
- 30 minutes
- Wrecks located
- 2008
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On 19 November 1941, HMAS Sydney, an Australian light cruiser under Captain Joseph Burnett, encountered the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran under Fregattenkapitän Theodor Detmers some 106 nautical miles off Dirk Hartog Island, Western Australia. Sydney reportedly closed to close range, negating its advantages in armour and gun range.
The two vessels engaged in a single-ship action lasting approximately half an hour. Both ships were destroyed in the exchange of fire. Kormoran, a modified merchant vessel, inflicted fatal damage on the purpose-built warship Sydney, while itself being lost in the engagement.
All 645 crew of HMAS Sydney perished, making it the largest Allied warship lost with all hands in World War II and the greatest loss of life in Royal Australian Navy history. The 318 Kormoran survivors were held as prisoners of war, and the disaster dealt a major blow to Australian wartime morale. Controversy over the circumstances persisted until the wrecks were found in 2008.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Captain Joseph Burnett.
Side B
1 belligerent
Fregattenkapitän Theodor Detmers.