Fed: Sydney search images reveal Kororan's secret weapon

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2008
Fed: Sydney search images reveal Kororan's secret weapon

By Max Blenkin, Defence Correspondent

CANBERRA, April 9 AAP - New underwater images of the sunken German raider Kormoran
reveal for the first time the hidden torpedo tube which most likely spelled the end of
HMAS Sydney.

The images, taken 2,500 metres beneath the Indian Ocean this week, show the oval-shaped
port placed beneath the waterline of the Kormoran, which was disguised as a merchant ship.

From this was fired a torpedo which struck Sydney's bow, eventually sending her to
the bottom of the sea along with all of its 645 crew.

The images of the Kormoran follow photos taken in recent days of the nearby wreck of
the Sydney, providing new clues to the fate of the ships after their ferocious clash off
Western Australia in World War II.

Historian Dr Tom Frame says it is likely Kormoran fired the torpedo at Sydney in the
opening stages of the battle on the afternoon of November 19, 1941.

"Plainly the damage to Sydney suggests that the torpedo was deployed, that it did create
a major rupture to the ship's hull port side forward and this had a lot to do with Sydney
being disabled and unable to manoeuvre," he said.

"It probably explains too, in part, why it looked to Kormoran as though Sydney was
attempting to ram her.

"Essentially, Sydney was not under command because it had suffered devastating damage."

In its 1999 report, a parliamentary committee which examined the Sydney loss concluded
this torpedo was vital.

"The committee believes a strong case can be made that the Kormoran's underwater torpedo
capability played a major role in the defeat of Sydney," it said.

The images obtained by a remotely-operated vehicle reveal much of Kormoran was completely
obliterated by the explosion of some 300 sea mines stored in the aft holds and probably
destined to be laid off Australian ports.

In the battle, a few Sydney shells struck Kormoran, starting an uncontrollable fire
in the engine room. With the blaze approaching the mines, Kormoran's captain Theodor Detmers
ordered the ship scuttled and told the crew to abandon ship.

It blew up with a shattering explosion that destroyed the vessel's rear half.

Search director David Mearns said it was amazing that Detmers - who left Kormoran last
- and those in the final lifeboat with him somehow miraculously avoided being hit by debris
raining down for hundreds of metres around their vessel.

He said the state of the Kormoran's wreckage was again consistent with German accounts
of the battle.

What remained added some useful information to the puzzle.

The underwater torpedo tubes, one on each side, were clearly visible, as were the curious
downward pointing rust formations, known as rusticles.

Still intact were two 5.9 inch guns in the forward holds. Also visible were the port
and starboard above-waterline torpedo tubes, their concealment flap still in the raised
position.

Mr Mearns said his team had been able to verify methods used by the Germans to conceal
their guns in a way that allowed them to escape detection by other ships, but also be
brought speedily into action.

"There has been considerable doubt about the German claims that they could de-camouflage
in a matter of seconds so it was especially important that we try to document exactly
how the concealment flaps and covers were engineered," he said in a report on the HMAS
Sydney search website.

"In terms of the engineering what we found was ingeniously simple and obviously designed
for fast and efficient operation."

AAP mb/rl/imc/sp

KEYWORD: SYDNEY KORMORAN (PIX AVAILABLE)

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