Both ships were lost when the Australian light cruiser Sydney and the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran did battle off the coast of Western Australia on November 19, 1941. The Kormoran attempted to pass herself off as a Dutch ship but the ruse was exposed when the Kormoran was unable to show the secret sign the real Dutch ship would have known.
All hands were lost on the Sydney. Of the nearly 400 on the Kormoran, 80 died (two were Chinese prisoners). A few artifacts from the Sydney have been recovered in recent years.
All hands were lost on the Sydney. Of the nearly 400 on the Kormoran, 80 died (two were Chinese prisoners). A few artifacts from the Sydney have been recovered in recent years.