HMAS Sydney
There were no survivors from HMAS Sydney's 645 officers and men.
The Germans used nine ‘Hilfskreuzers’ (auxiliary cruisers) – disguised merchant raiders during the war. These were merchant ships equipped with modern naval guns, torpedoes and sometimes even aircraft – all of which were concealed. Their strategy was to use their disguise to approach close to to Allied merchant shipping and sink them. Sometimes the crews were permitted to abandon ship – with orders to not to use the radio to report their position, under threat of the overwhelming firepower of the raiders.
This was a very successful strategy, sinking many more ships than the Kriegsmarine’s conventional surface ships when they sought to attack merchant shipping. The largest of these raiders was the Kormoran which had ranged far and wide sinking merchant ships. It was a chance encounter with the Kormoran that led to the loss of HMAS Sydney and the single worst loss of life in the history of the Royal Australian Navy.