New HMAS Sydney book

[Kevin Denlay]

Don’t know how many folks have picked up David Mearns new book ‘The Search for the Sydney’, but if you have an interest in the ship or the search then I suggest you go out and buy it immediately!

It’s even thicker than his previous ‘Hood’ book and if you thought the images on the Sydney web page were good, wait till you see what’s in the back of the book. Awesome stuff. Congratulations to David on a splendid publication that has done the long saga justice!

[kookaburra]

Thanks for the heads up on the Mearns book Kevin. Look forward to getting it. K.

[Kevin Denlay]

Available at bookstores (in Australia) for circa 55 AUD or at Target stores for circa 35 AUD. Go figure!

Even at $55 it is well worth the price. A gem! And quite some new info. Hats of to Mearns for his dogged pursuit of original documents!

[Maritime Michael Ian]

Hello All!

There is yet another book about HMAS Sydney published recently. I am a member of The Society for Nautical Research, which publishes the quarterly International Journal "Mariner's Mirror". The current August edition newsletter that came with it, a couple of days ago, gives a review of the book written by a Society member Captain Peter Hore RN. His book is entitled "Cipher and Search: Solving the last great naval mystery of the Second World War." For interest of members of this Forum I'll quote the article as follows:

In November 1941 the Australian light cruiser, HMAS Sydney, with a crew of 645, disappeared of the coast of Western Australia. Shipwrecked German sailors told an incredible tale of how their ship, Kormoran, a lightly armoured merchant raider, had sunk the pride of the Australian navy. Almost at once conspiracy theories sprang up to explain the tragic loss of the ship and so many lives.

Based on the author's decryption and interpretation of German coded accounts, interviews with German survivors and other research; this book pieces together the desperate fight to the death between the two ships, whose wrecks were finally located on the sea bed in March 2008. In the DVD, which goes behind the scenes of a ten-year investigation, the author relates how he travelled the world to carry out research in dusty archives and museums, as well as interviewing key eye-witnesses to the November 1941 battle in which the cruiser HMAS Syney II was lost, along with all 645 members of her ship's company.

Peter Hore reveals how the trail of clues took him from the UK to Germany,South America and Australia, enabling him to clarify vital aspects in the investigation, including breaking a code that had remained a mystery for more than six decades. Covering some aspects not found in this book, this 56 minute DVD, by 112 Productions on behalf of Seafarer Books, contains an absorbing main feature outlining Peter's odyssey to solve the mystery of HMAS Sydney's loss. The DVD also includes five short modules in which Peter Hore provides further insights into how he cleared the fog of myths surrounding Sydney's loss. It is a tale worthy of detective fiction, only in this case what we find out in "Sydney,Cipher and Search: The Inside Story" is true.

Captain Peter Hore is a former Head of Defence Studies for the Roya Navy and, among other appointments, Chairman of Research, Technical and Programmes Committee of The Society for Nautical Research.

The book costs £9.95 each to SNR members, postage and packing free or £14.95, which includes the book and a DVD from Seafarer Books, 102 Redwald Road, Rendlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 2TE
UNQUOTE

Might be a very interesting read!!

Ian

[Kevin Denlay]

Hi Ian,

Yes, I also have that one (although not the CD as I bought my book 2nd hand) and although I have only skipped through it for the moment (as am still finishing Mearns book), it seems to be certainly another worthwhile book to have, a good companion to the Mearns' one for sure.

However somewhat disappointing in that it is only available in soft cover (it seems) and the underwater photos of the wreck (some of which are the same ones as stunningly reproduced in Mearns book) are poorly reproduced here (no fault of the author of course, rather a printing/publishing issue). Still with that said, for anyone really interested in the Sydney saga and its climatic conclusion, it’s a must have in my opinion.

Kevin

[GilligansIsland]

This weeks news says HMAS Sydney got too close to the Kormoran & the first salvo fired would have killed 70% of the crew including captain & officers, yet the Kormoran was still able to be sunk?

James

[Kevin Denlay]

This weeks news says HMAS Sydney got too close to the Kormoran & the first salvo fired would have killed 70% of the crew including captain & officers, yet the Kormoran was still able to be sunk?
James

James,

Although the first salvos and intense smaller calibre fire from Kormoran were devastating, I seriously doubt that 70% of her crew were killed by the first salvo/s.

Anyway the Cole Report is finally out, so plenty of reading to do.

Also a few related newspaper articles on the findings.

Kevin


EDIT: Seems the first links I posted did not work. Try these.

http://www.defence.gov.au/sydneyii/finalreport/index.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/12/2653594.htm

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25921918-31477,00.html

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/broadside-on-hmas-sydney-finding/story-e6freuy9-1225760793528

[GilligansIsland]

that's what I was thinking Kevin, just love the media :rolleyes:

I'll read through the articles later this evening, ta

James

[CharlesRollinsWare]

Gents;

The 70% casualty deal is a press idiot not really reading or understanding what the evaluation team said! The evaluation actually said that the heavy "bombardment" of HMAS Sydney by Kormoran (the whole battle) would have left 70% of the Australian crew killed or disabled by either wounds, and/or the effects of the heavy smoke from the fires on those in the heavily damaged sections, especially those in the forward half of the ship. The remaining 30% would have been almost entirely below decks in the after half of the ship and many would have been effectivly trapped there by the shell damage above them.

Mark