Published on Thursday, 31 July 2025 at 10:52:45 AM
The HMAS Sydney ll Memorial, located at Mount Scott, incorporates various symbolic elements by artists Joan Walsh-Smith and Charles Smith in order to pay tribute to the 645 men who died when the ship was sunk in World War Two. The large dome consists of 645 seagulls to represent the lost sailors. The dome is supported on seven pillars which represent the seven states of Australia and the Seven Seas. The Podium beneath the dome is made of stone from all seven states of Australia, just as the crew originated from all around the nation. The encircling black granite memorial wall bears the inscription: “In Memory of the Men Lost on HMAS Sydney ll, 19th November 1941. Lest We Forget”.
On the 19th of November 1941, HMAS Sydney ll was engaged in a mutually devastating battle with the German cruiser Kormoran. It is theorised that the Kormoran disguised itself as a civilian merchant ship in order to get close to the Sydney before opening fire. Whatever the case, most of the Kormorans crew were saved, while the Sydney lost all hands.
Ben Marsh
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