I guess I missed the news last month but a Team of Divers as found the wreckage of the HMAS Sydney and KMS Kamorean. I always liked this story because it was the only Capital Ship to simply disappear in WWII, final fate unknown. Although her demise was well known.

HMAS Sydney was one of Australia's most famous ships in WWII. Although only a light cruiser (6400t) her guns helped put and end to German Pocket Battleship Graf Spee outside of River Plate as well as Italian battle cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni

This is big news because HMAS Sydney disappeared with all of her 600 hands without a trace. For 60 years nobody knew what happened to her. She remained one of the great unsolved mysteries of WWII.

Short History:

Novemeber 5 1941, While on a Routine Patrol for German Commerce raiders she decided to stop the Dutch Straat Malakka for an inspection. Unfortunatly the ship was the innocent Dutch Cargo she pretended to be but the German Commerce Raider Kamorean which launched a surprise attack at close range with both gunfire and torpedos. What we do know is that HMAS Sydney was left a burning wreck before she dissppeared forever in a squall, but not before she had mortally wounded Kamorean which sank herself a few hours later.

As there were no survivors off Sydney, the only testimony are the few Kamorean survivors. The Kamorean was also located during this expedition, the wreacks lie 12nm from each other.

UPDATE: HMAS Sydneys final moments revealed.

Due to the lack of distress signal, survivors, or wreakage, it was originally thought that the uncontrolable fire might have reached her magazines causing HMAS Sydney blew up in an tremendous explosion such as the one that ripped apart the HMS Hood in 1940. That theory is disproven.

What they are know from examining the wreck is that her Bow, weakened by a torpedo hit from Kamorean broke off during the rough seas of that night as she tried to return to port. (She sank only 24 miles from land). The negative boyence, plus the fact that her engines were still running drove the ship like a cruise missile right to the bottom. She must of sank within seconds which would explain both the lack wreckage and unfortunatly, survivors.

Even if she hadnt sank quickly, its prossible their might not have been survivors, the examination of the wreck shows that she took a heck of a pounding before disengaging.

First Photographs are here of HMAS Sydney site are here.

http://www.findingsydney.com/gallery.asp

It was found last year and there has been a very interesting TV programme about it all