The Sinking of HMAS Sydney

How Australia's Greatest Maritime Mystery Was Solved

By: David L Mearns

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Paperback | 14 November 2021

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Paperback
384 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23 x 15.5 x 2.5

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'We just found Sydney. We've got it. It's absolutely crystal clear. She's sitting upright in a small debris field. There's no doubt about it.'

For sixty-six years it was Australia's greatest maritime mystery: what happened to the 'pride of the fleet' HMAS Sydney - was she beaten in a fair fight with the German cruiser Kormoran, or was there treachery involved? Could the Kormoran survivors' account of the battle and its aftermath be believed? Why were there no survivors from Sydney? And where was the wreck?

One of the world's foremost shipwreck hunters, David L. Mearns first heard the story of the Sydney in 1996. It left an indelible impression on him. Hunting the Sydney ten years later tested all his skills as a detective, engineer, marine scientist and navigator. But find it he did, and with that momentous discovery came answers to the mystery; closure to relatives still grieving the 645 men dead; accountability to the RAN, which had all but given up hope of ever finding its most iconic ship; and a sad but gripping explanation of the staggering naval disaster, allowing Australians to finally make sense of the conflicting, conspiratorial and painful event.

About the Author

David Mearns is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club. The Sinking of HMAS Sydney: How Australia's Greatest Maritime Mystery Was Solved is his second book; his first, Hood and Bismarck, co-authored with Rob White, was nominated for the prestigious Desmond Wettern Maritime Media award. His book The Shipwreck Hunter was published in 2017. David and his company, Blue Water Recoveries Ltd, have located twenty-one major shipwrecks, including the hosptial ship Centaur and the Vasco da Gama fleet, and have been awarded three Guinness World Records, including one for the deepest shipwreck ever found at 5,762 metres.

David currently lives in Sussex with his wife, Sarah, and their three children.

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