Thread: Conspiracy theories still around

Can't see what the British had to do with it to be honest.

Australia, Britain 'in HMAS Sydney cover-up' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The son of the navigator of HMAS Sydney, which sank off the Western Australian coast 67 years ago, has told a public inquiry that the Australian and British governments have continued to cover up what really happened to the ship.

Michael Montgomery, who has written a book about the sinking, has told the inquiry he believes HMAS Sydney was re-directed to intercept and destroy the German ship Kormoran.

The Sydney was sunk during a battle with the Kormoran in November 1941.

The commissioner of the inquiry, Terence Cole QC, says evidence of a naval message indicating there was no knowledge of HMAS Sydney's whereabouts casts serious doubt on Mr Montgomery's theory.

The hearing is continuing.

The reason for so many conspiracy theories re. the Kormoran Sydney battle is there are simply too many bits of it that don't make sense.

Also on board Kormoran were four Chinese laundrymen, who had been captured from a British ship and been given the option of employment or internment. They sensibly chose employment and went to work in the Kormoran's laundry, three of them survived the battle. Only one of these was ever interviewed or debriefed following rescue, this was Shu Ah Fah, who was interviewed soon after rescue by Leut. Taplin of the HMAS YANDRA. According to Leut. Taplin, Shu Ah Fah stated the torpedo which hit HMAS Sydney forward hit "at about the same time" as the Sydney was hit by the first salvo of shells.

Let's do some maths here, HSK Kormoran and HMAS Sydney were about 1 mile apart, a torpedo would take 50 seconds to a minute to cover this distance. A naval shell would take about four seconds. We know that Detmers opened fire within seven seconds of striking his Dutch flag and hoisting his battle ensign.

If that torpedo struck "at about the same time" as the first of Kormoran's shells slammed into Sydney's bridge, then that torpedo was in the water, and probably more than half way to Sydney, before Kormoran struck her Dutch flag and raised her battle ensign.