SMS Kormoran found...

[ChezDaJez]

Interesting read. Australia has been searching for HMAS Sydney and stumbled across her attacker.

Here's the link: German warship found

Chez

[patrickl]

Thanks for the link. Cool[8D]

[DuckofTindalos]

Hate to pick nits, but it can't be SMS...

[cantona2]

Love the new sig Terminus [8D]

[Local Yokel]

I was sceptical at first, given previous false alarms about Kormoran being found. However, this looks like the real deal.

Here's a link to Finding Sydney Foundation's report on this development, with more detail/sonar images.

[John Lansford]

Love stupid media articles about warships.  Sydney was a "battle cruiser"?  Must have been the smallest one ever built then.  And the last line was funny too; they don't know if there would be plans to raise her if she is found.  Well duh, Sydney's been underwater for over 65 years, I'd think she'd be in no condition to raise even in big pieces...

[LargeSlowTarget]

Interesting News, thanks for posting. The HSKs are fascinating naval history.[/align] [/align]Re the media article: "The 9,500-ton Kormoran had been disguised as a Dutch merchant ship when it opened fire on the Sydney." Well, it was disguised, but the German Auxiliary Cruisers always dropped camouflage and hoisted the naval ensign before opening fire. A detail often omitted in media articles and other propaganda...    [/align]
[/align][/align]

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: LargeSlowTarget

Interesting News, thanks for posting. The HSKs are fascinating naval history.[/align] [/align]Re the media article: "The 9,500-ton Kormoran had been disguised as a Dutch merchant ship when it opened fire on the Sydney." Well, it was disguised, but the German Auxiliary Cruisers always dropped camouflage and hoisted the naval ensign before opening fire. A detail often omitted in media articles and other propaganda...    [/align]
[/align][/align]

They have to really. If I'm not mistaken, the crew could all be executed as spies if they didn't raise their proper battle colors before attack, correct?

[LargeSlowTarget]

Not as spies, but as pirates.

[bradfordkay]

Here's the link to the article in the Sydney Morning Herald on the find.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/kor ... 95054.html


I'm now going to read the link that Local Yokel provided...

[Local Yokel]

What I found particularly intriguing was a piece of debris observed at what the search team assess to be the scene of the engagement between Sydney and Kormoran:

"While most of the wreckage found at the battle site is smaller, this piece is very large and indicates the severe damage suffered by Sydney. The larger piece in this high-resolution sonar image measures 33 metres by 19 metres with a height of 13.3 metres off the seabed as evidenced by its very long acoustic shadow. The smaller wreckage at the bottom of the screen with its own acoustic shadow measures 11 metres by 11 metres and 5 metres high by comparison."

That's about 100 feet by 60 feet by 40 feet in English units[X(]. That is a huge chunk of ship. I believe Sydney was described by German survivor as having been struck by one of Kormoran's torpedoes - could that have been the cause of a piece of debris that large having become detached?

[String]

ORIGINAL: Local Yokel

What I found particularly intriguing was a piece of debris observed at what the search team assess to be the scene of the engagement between Sydney and Kormoran:

"While most of the wreckage found at the battle site is smaller, this piece is very large and indicates the severe damage suffered by Sydney. The larger piece in this high-resolution sonar image measures 33 metres by 19 metres with a height of 13.3 metres off the seabed as evidenced by its very long acoustic shadow. The smaller wreckage at the bottom of the screen with its own acoustic shadow measures 11 metres by 11 metres and 5 metres high by comparison."

That's about 100 feet by 60 feet by 40 feet in English units[X(]. That is a huge chunk of ship. I believe Sydney was described by German survivor as having been struck by one of Kormoran's torpedoes - could that have been the cause of a piece of debris that large having become detached?

OR perhaps it's a japanese submarine?!? dundunduunnn

[Kull]

Didn't take them long. Discovery of HMAS Sydney was just announced today:
 
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/hmas-sydney-found/2008/03/17/1205602231326.html

[John 3rd]

This is pretty cool.

I think that the press shouldn't be allowed to write articles regarding military stuff such as the 'battlecruiser' Sydney!  Let the professional search people write the articles and the press can then print it! 

Reading this stuff makes me think of Robert Ballard.  Does anyone know what he is up to right now?  After finding the Yorktown I haven't heard much...

[LargeSlowTarget]

Yes, that was a fast follow-up.[/align] [/align]Out of curiosity - which WW2 warship shipwrecks remain to be found?[/align]

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: LargeSlowTarget

Yes, that was a fast follow-up.[/align] [/align]Out of curiosity - which WW2 warship shipwrecks remain to be found?[/align]

Most of them... only a relatively few high-profile cases have been found, and those in shallow water, iirc... for instance, i think only a fragment of one IJN CV sunk outside a port/harbor has been found (iirc).

Certainly hundreds and hundreds of U-boats and other subs haven't been found (several dozen in shallower water have been)...

[LargeSlowTarget]

Of course. I should have added "capital ships". I tried to google for a list of ships. There is a Wikipedia entry but it is incomplete (no Yorktown for example), and the other list I have seen are either broader or narrower in time range / ship type etc., or must be purchased...   [/align]

[Hortlund]

The story of the Kormoran is really an amazing story.
 
http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/kormoran.html

[WhoCares]

ORIGINAL: LargeSlowTarget

Of course. I should have added "capital ships". I tried to google for a list of ships. There is a Wikipedia entry but it is incomplete (no Yorktown for example), and the other list I have seen are either broader or narrower in time range / ship type etc., or must be purchased...   [/align]

Ask and thou shall receive: Shipwreck Central

[bradfordkay]

"Well duh, Sydney's been underwater for over 65 years, I'd think she'd be in no condition to raise even in big pieces..."

Not that I'm advocating the raising of HMAS Sydney, but the USS Monitor was underwater for substantially longer than that and they are doing a creditable job of salvaging her...