Friday, November 19, 2010

69th Anniversary of the Sinking of the HMAS Sydney II

Sixty-nine years ago, the HMAS Sydney sank after an engagement with the German raider Kormoran off the west coast of Australia with a loss of 645 Australians.

There is a memorial at Geraldton in Western Australia that was dedicated in 2001 and declared a military memorial of national significance in 2009.

Australia's government is funding $290,000 toward making a memorial Pool of Remembrance at the site. It will feature 645 sea gulls symbolizing the number of Australians who died on the ship. The 645th gull's wing will touch a granite map showing the ship's final location.

The HMAS Sydney II was the second ship of that name in the Australian Navy. It was located in 2008.

The rest of the money for the pool will be coming from the Rotary Club of Geraldton and it is hoped the project will be completed by this date in 2011, the 70th anniversary.

The Greatest Generation. --DaCoot

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