A DVD slideshow of photographs of the wrecks of HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran is being made available by the Finding Sydney Foundation to the families of the men lost in November 1941 and shipmates who served in the ship prior to her tragic wartime sinking.
Mr Ted Graham, Chairman of the Finding Sydney Foundation said the Foundation is proud to provide this DVD free and exclusively to HMAS Sydney II family members and shipmates as a gesture to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice the crew made to protect Australia and our way of life.
“Through this DVD slideshow, family members and shipmates have the opportunity to easily reflect on the final resting place of their loved ones or former crew members respectively,” Ted Graham said.
The Royal Australian Navy has kindly agreed to contact people registered with them as a Sydney II family member. Family members will receive a letter or e-mail asking to confirm they would like a DVD. The Foundation is seeking the assistance of ex-service organisations to reach as many HMAS Sydney II shipmates as possible.
The high resolution imagery taken by cameras on the Remotely Operated Vehicle controlled from the Foundations chartered search vessel, SV Geosounder, during April 2008 is being gifted to the Australian people. The Finding Sydney Foundation is presently in discussion with the principals of a major national collection to receive the extensive still and video imagery and manage it in perpetuity. It is anticipated this will be achieved by the next anniversary of the battle on 19 November 2009.
“The imagery is an important historical record of the discovery of the ships and of the final fate of HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran and form the only objective evidence of the result of the battle between the two ships,” Ted Graham said.
“It is important that this record also be made available to the public for any future research purposes but, as the total imagery is an extremely large digital dataset, access to it needs careful and expert management to protect its integrity and authenticity.”
Media Contact:
Commodore Bob Trotter OAM RAN (Ret’d)
Director, Finding Sydney Foundation
0418 487 158
photos@findingsydney.com
DVD Offer Acceptance Form
A PDF version of the DVD Offer Acceptance Form for Families and Shipmates can be downloaded here.
(free PDF reader available here)