Underwater robot to film HMAS Sydney

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Colin Jones	Monday 24 March 2008 12:12:23 pm THE search vessel that found HMAS Sydney off the Western Australian coast now expects to leave tonight for the wreck site to provide visual proof that it is the wreck of the sunken World War II cruiser. Patrick Flynn, project officer for The Finding Sydney Foundation, said the SV Geosounder was being prepared for launch at 7.30pm (WDT) in accordance with Geraldton Port Authority booking procedures. "If everything's ready we'll go then," he said. Otherwise the Geosounder would leave on the return voyage tomorrow. The vessel had been expected to head out this morning, but the crew was still checking equipment. "We're still working through the electronic testing for the Remote Operated Vehicle - that's the robot we send down with the camera," Mr Flynn said. "As you can appreciate she's a highly complicated piece of electronics." The Geosounder returned to Geraldton in Western Australia after finding the wreck of the Sydney on March 16, using high-resolution sonar. Its new mission is to use remote controlled video technology, specially imported from Norway, to confirm the identity of the ship beyond any doubt. The Sydney was found with a slight starboard list, at a depth of 2470 metres under the Indian Ocean, about 185km off the WA coast. Just four days earlier, the Geosounder had found the wreck of the German raider HSK Kormoran, which mortally damaged the Sydney in a fierce gun battle on November 19, 1941. All 645 crew on HMAS Sydney went down with their ship. The Geosounder has been given approval by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts to approach the wrecks of the Sydney and the Kormoran. They were listed under the Historic Shipwrecks Act following their discovery. Inspection of the wreckage may explain how a mighty warship, the pride of Australia's navy, could have been sunk with no survivors by an armed merchant ship. HMAS Sydney, a 6800 tonne light cruiser with an illustrious battle record, encountered a German mercantile raider masquerading as a Dutch freighter. Both vessels sank after the battle. But while there were 317 German survivors from the 397 crew aboard the Kormoran, Sydney's entire crew perished. German survivors gave the only eyewitness accounts, suggesting Sydney sailed too close, with Kormoran's first shots causing catastrophic damage to Sydney's bridge, radios and gun control system.

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Colin Jones

Monday 24 March 2008 12:12:23 pm

THE search vessel that found HMAS Sydney off the Western Australian coast now expects to leave tonight for the wreck site to provide visual proof that it is the wreck of the sunken World War II cruiser.

Patrick Flynn, project officer for The Finding Sydney Foundation, said the SV Geosounder was being prepared for launch at 7.30pm (WDT) in accordance with Geraldton Port Authority booking procedures.

"If everything's ready we'll go then," he said.

Otherwise the Geosounder would leave on the return voyage tomorrow.

The vessel had been expected to head out this morning, but the crew was still checking equipment.

"We're still working through the electronic testing for the Remote Operated Vehicle - that's the robot we send down with the camera," Mr Flynn said.

"As you can appreciate she's a highly complicated piece of electronics."

The Geosounder returned to Geraldton in Western Australia after finding the wreck of the Sydney on March 16, using high-resolution sonar.

Its new mission is to use remote controlled video technology, specially imported from Norway, to confirm the identity of the ship beyond any doubt.

The Sydney was found with a slight starboard list, at a depth of 2470 metres under the Indian Ocean, about 185km off the WA coast.

Just four days earlier, the Geosounder had found the wreck of the German raider HSK Kormoran, which mortally damaged the Sydney in a fierce gun battle on November 19, 1941.

All 645 crew on HMAS Sydney went down with their ship.

The Geosounder has been given approval by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts to approach the wrecks of the Sydney and the Kormoran.

They were listed under the Historic Shipwrecks Act following their discovery.

Inspection of the wreckage may explain how a mighty warship, the pride of Australia's navy, could have been sunk with no survivors by an armed merchant ship.

HMAS Sydney, a 6800 tonne light cruiser with an illustrious battle record, encountered a German mercantile raider masquerading as a Dutch freighter.

Both vessels sank after the battle.

But while there were 317 German survivors from the 397 crew aboard the Kormoran, Sydney's entire crew perished.

German survivors gave the only eyewitness accounts, suggesting Sydney sailed too close, with Kormoran's first shots causing catastrophic damage to Sydney's bridge, radios and gun control system.