HMAS Sydney (I)
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| Type | Chatham Class Light Cruiser |
|---|---|
| Laid down | February 1911 |
| Launched | 29 August 1912 by Lady Henderson, wife of Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson |
| Builder | London and Glasgow Engineering Co, Govan, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Commissioned | 26 June 1913 |
| Displacement | 5,400 tons |
| Length | 456 feet 10 inches |
| Beam | 49 feet 10 inches |
| Draught | 15 feet 9 inches |
| Armament |
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| Speed | 26 knots13.376 m/s 48.152 km/h 0.0134 km/s 2,632.984 ft/min 43.883 ft/s |
| Complement | 376 |
HMAS Sydney (I) commissioned at Portsmouth on 26 June 1913 under the command of Captain John C.T. Glossop RN. She departed Portsmouth on 25 July 1913 and arrived on the Australia Station at Albany on 19 September 1913.
Following a period spent in eastern Australian ports, she proceeded for Singapore in March 1914 to act as escort to the two Royal Australian Navy submarines, AE1 and AE2. Returning to Sydney in May 1914, Sydney (I) spent the remaining months of the pre war period in Australian waters.
The days preceding the outbreak of war in August 1914 found Sydney (I) in Queensland waters. On 3 August 1914 she was joined at Townsville by the destroyers HMA Ships Warrego (I) and Yarra (I) before proceeding north to form a unit of Admiral Patey's Pacific Squadron.
Following the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, Sydney (I) operated in New Guinea and Pacific waters and in the brief campaign against the German Pacific possessions carried out a series of punitive patrols. Highlights during this period included the capture of Rabaul (9 to 11 September 1914) and destruction of the Angaur Island Wireless Station on 26 September 1914.
In October 1914, Sydney (I) and her sister ship HMAS Melbourne (I) detached from the Flagship HMAS AUSTRALIA, and returned to Australia to form a unit of the escort of the first Anzac convoy consisting of 38 transports escorted by Sydney (I), Melbourne (I), HMS MINOTAUR and the Japanese cruiser IBUKI. The entire convoy sailed from Albany on 1 November 1914. It was timed to pass some 50 miles east of the Cocos Islands on the morning of 9 November 1914.
At about 0620 on 9 November, wireless telegraphy operators in several transports and in the warships heard signals in an unknown code followed by a query from the Cocos Island Wireless Telegraphy Station, 'What is that code'. It was in fact the German cruiser EMDEN ordering her collier BURESK to join her at Point Refuge. Shortly afterwards Cocos signalled 'Strange warship approaching.'
Sydney (I), the nearest warship to the Cocos group, was ordered to proceed at full speed. By 0700 she was 'away doing twenty knots' and at 0915 simultaneously sighted the island and the EMDEN some seven or eight miles distant.
EMDEN opened fire at a range of some 10,500 yards using the then very high elevation of thirty degrees. Her first salvo was 'ranged along an extended line but every shot fell within two hundred yards of Sydney (I).' The next salvo was on target and for the next ten minutes the Australian cruiser came under heavy fire. Fifteen hits were recorded but fortunately 'only five burst.' Four ratings were killed and several wounded.
Sydney (I)'s first salvo went 'far over the EMDEN'. The second fell short and the third scored two hits. Meanwhile, EMDEN's captain (Captain Von Muller), aware that his only chance lay in putting Sydney (I) out of action quickly, maintained a high rate of fire said to be a salvo every six seconds. It was to no avail. Sydney (I) took advantage of her superior speed and fire power and raked the German cruiser. Her shells wrecked the enemy's steering gear, shot away both range finders and smashed the voice pipes providing communications between the conning tower and the guns. Shortly afterwards the forward funnel toppled overboard and then the foremast carrying away the primary fire control station and wrecking the fire-bridge. Despite the damage and the inevitable end, Muller continued the engagement. Half his crew were disabled until 'only the artillery officer and a few unskilled chaps were still firing.' Finally, with his engine room on fire and the third funnel gone, he gave the order 'to the island with every ounce you can get out of the engines.' Shortly after 1100, EMDEN was seen to be fast on the North Keeling Island Reef. She lost 134 men killed in action or died of wounds.
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Animation of Sydney - Emden engagement created by ADFA computer science students.
On 15 November 1914 Sydney (I) arrived in Colombo and from there was ordered to proceed to Malta where she arrived on 3 December. From Malta she was ordered to Bermuda to join the North America and West Indies Stations for patrol duty. For the following eighteen months Sydney (I) was engaged in watching neutral ports in the Americas, mainly in the West Indies with Jamaica as the base and off Long Island with Halifax as a base and Squadron Headquarters at Bermuda.
On 9 September 1916 Sydney (I) finally left Bermuda, arrived at Devonport on 19 September and from there proceeded to Greenock for refit. On 31 October 1916 she was temporarily attached to the 5th Battle Squadron at Scapa Flow. On 15 November she sailed for Rosyth and on arrival joined the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron consisting of the four sister ships, HMS SOUTHAMPTON, HMS DUBLIN, HMAS Melbourne (I) and HMAS Sydney (I), attached to the 2nd Battle Squadron of which HMAS Australia (I) was the flagship. For the remainder of the war her service was confined to routine North Sea patrols.
On 4 May 1917, while on patrol from the Humber estuary to the mouth of the Firth, Sydney (I) fought a running engagement with the German Zeppelin L43 until Sydney (I) had expended all the anti-aircraft ammunition and the L43 all her bombs - 'the combatants parted on good terms.'
In August 1917 Sydney (I) commenced a three month refit at Chatham, during which she acquired the tripod mast now sited at Bradley's Head, Sydney (I). Of more significance however, she was fitted with the first revolving aircraft launching platform to be installed in a warship.
On arrival at Scapa Flow in December 1917, her commanding officer, CAPT Dumaresq, borrowed a Sopwith Pup then being operated from a fixed platform on the cruiser DUBLIN. On 8 December 1917 the aircraft was launched successfully from Sydney (I)'s platform in the fixed position. It was the first aircraft to take off from an Australian warship. Nine days later the Pup flew off the platform turned into the wind; the first time any aircraft had been launched from such a platform in the revolved position. Early in 1918 Sydney (I) took on board a Sopwith Camel, the standard fighter plane superseding the Sopwith Pup.
On 1 June 1918 as British forces entered enemy controlled waters, two German seaplanes were sighted by Sydney (I) at 0933 diving towards HMAS Melbourne (I). Both dropped bombs but no hits were scored. Lieutenant A C Sharwood RAF, as he had been since 1 April, was strapped into the cockpit of his Sopwith 2-F1 Ship's Camel, N 6783, and turned into the mean wind 20 degrees off the centerline of the ship. The launching party comprised his engine fitter Birch; rigger Radcliffe and joiner/mechanic Graffy under the orders of Sydney (I)'s First Lieutenant, LCDR Garcia RAN. He was launched at 0955 and Melbourne (I)'s Camel, N 6756, was launched at 1000 flown by Flight Lieutenant L B Gibson. Gibson climbed into cloud and failed to locate the enemy, playing no further part in the action and returning to circle the force. This led the captains of COURAGEOUS and GLORIOUS to think that the enemy had been driven off and they did not launch their aircraft.
Sharwood, meanwhile, had climbed to 10,000 feet and pursued the German aircraft for 60 miles before he was able to engage, diving onto one of the aircraft and firing bursts into it. Official accounts mention only the two seaplanes but Sharwood's Log Book says "Flight from Sydney (I) after three Hun Sea planes (two 2 seaters and one 1 seater)". Evidently it was the single-seater which he had hit. He saw it shudder and dive into the sea. Whilst he followed it down he was 'bounced' by another German aircraft, which he engaged but his guns jammed. He broke off and tried to return to Sydney (I), now over 70 miles away. By luck he saw the Harwich Force destroyer HMS SHARPSHOOTER below him and ditched alongside it to be rescued by sea-boat. The cruiser HMS CANTERBURY recovered the aircraft.
Sharwood's claim of one enemy seaplane forced down was not recognized by the Admiralty because there was no independent corroboration and his gallantry was never rewarded but the interception confirmed Dumaresq's faith in aircraft.
Sydney (I) was present at the surrender of the German Grand Fleet on 21 November 1918. She sailed from Portsmouth on 9 April 1919 for the return passage to Australia.
Except for visits to New Guinea in 1922 and New Caledonia and the Solomons in 1927, Sydney (I) spent the remainder of her seagoing career in home waters, serving as Flagship of the Australian Squadron from September 1924 to October 1927. She paid off at Sydney on 8 May 1928 and on 10 January 1929 was delivered to Cockatoo Island for breaking up.
Further Reading
- H.M.A.S. Sydney 1913 - 1929: The Story of a Light Cruiser by C.E. Daw and L.J. Lind - published by the Naval Historical Society of Australia, Garden Island 1973
