HMAS Sydney was a Chatham class

Town class cruiser (1910)

The Town class was a group of twenty-one light cruisers built for the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy . These vessels were long-range cruisers, suitable for patrolling the vast expanse covered by the British Empire...

 light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

 (RAN). Laid down in 1911 and launched in 1912, the cruiser was commissioned into the RAN in 1913.

During the early stages of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, Sydney was involved in supporting the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force

Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force

The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force was a small volunteer force of approximately 2,000 men, raised in Australia shortly after the outbreak of the First World War to seize and destroy German wireless stations in German New Guinea in the south-west Pacific...

, and escorting the first ANZAC

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...

 convoy. On 9 November 1914, the cruiser defeated the German cruiser at the Battle of Cocos

Battle of Cocos

The Battle of Cocos took place on 9 November 1914 during the First World War off the Cocos Islands, in the north east Indian Ocean. The German light cruiser attacked the British cable station on Direction Island and was engaged several hours later by the Australian light cruiser...

. During 1915 and 1916, Sydney operated on the North America and West Indies Station, before joining the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron at Greenock, Scotland in November 1916. On 4 May 1917, the cruiser was involved in an inconclusive action

Action of 4 May 1917

The Action of 4 May 1917 was a naval and air engagement of World War I in the North Sea. The action took place between the German Zeppelin LZ92 and the Australian light cruiser, HMAS Sydney.-Action:...

 against the German zeppelin L43; neither attacker was damaged. During late 1917, Sydney became the first Australian warship to launch an aircraft, and the first warship to do so from a rotatable platform.

After the war's end, Sydney spent a year in reserve before being reactivated to serve as Flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 of the RAN. The cruiser was decommissioned in 1928 and broken up for scrap

Ship breaking

Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...

. Several sections of the ship, including her bow and foremast, have been preserved as monuments, and three of the ship's main guns saw later use in shore fortifications.

Design

Sydney was a Town class

Town class cruiser (1910)

The Town class was a group of twenty-one light cruisers built for the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy . These vessels were long-range cruisers, suitable for patrolling the vast expanse covered by the British Empire...

 light cruiser, of the Chatham subclass. She had a standard displacement of 5,400 tons. The cruiser was 456 foot long overall and 430 feet (131.1 m) long between perpendiculars, with a mean of 49 in 10 in (15.19 m), and a draught of 19 in 8 in (5.99 m).

Coal- and oil-fuelled Yarrow boilers were connected to Parsons geared turbines, which provided 25,000 shaft horsepower to the ship's four propellers. Although designed with a maximum speed of 25 knots (13.6 m/s), Sydney achieved a mean maximum of 25.7 knots (14 m/s) during trials. Her economical cruising speed was rated at 11 knots (6 m/s) in 1921, and 11.5 knots (6.3 m/s) in 1926.

The standard ship's company was 376 strong, but during wartime, this would increase to the maximum of 475; 31 officers and 454 sailors.

Armament

The cruiser's main armament was made up of of eight single BL 6-inch Mark XI guns

BL 6 inch Mk XI naval gun

The BL 6 inch Gun Mark XI was a British 50 calibres high-velocity naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on cruisers and secondary armament on pre-dreadnought battleships.-History:...

. Secondary and anti-aircraft armament consisted of a single 3-inch quick-firing high-angle anti-aircraft gun and ten 0.303-inch machine guns (eight Lewis gun

Lewis Gun

The Lewis Gun is a World War I–era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire. It was first used in combat in World War I, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War...

s and two Maxim gun

Maxim gun

The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. It has been called "the weapon most associated with [British] imperial conquest".-Functionality:...

s. Two 21-inch torpedo tubes were fitted, with a payload of seven torpedoes carried. Two hydraulic-release depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...

 chutes were carried for anti-submarine warfare. A single 12-pounder 8-cwt field gun

Field gun

A field gun is an artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march and when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances, as to opposed guns installed in a fort, or to siege cannon or mortars which...

 and four 3-pounder Hotchkiss

QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss

The QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss was a light 47-mm naval gun introduced in 1886 to defend against new small fast vessels such as torpedo boats, and later submarines...

 saluting guns rounded out the armament.

Construction

Sydney was laid down by the London and Glasgow Engineering Company at Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, on 11 February 1911. The ship was launched on 29 August 1912 by the wife of Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson

Reginald Henderson

Admiral Sir Reginald Guy Hannam Henderson KCB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy.-Naval career:...

. Sydney was completed on 26 June 1913, and commissioned into the RAN that day. The ship cost approximately 385,000 pounds to build.

Early career and initial war operations

Sydney arrived in Albany, Western Australia on 19 September 1913, after completing her maiden voyage. The cruiser operated of eastern Australia until March 1914, when she sailed to Singapore to meet the two new Australian submarines and . The three vessels reached Sydney in May, and the cruiser was reassigned to patrols along the eastern coast.

When World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 started, Sydney was north-bound to join Admiral George Patey

George Edwin Patey

Admiral Sir George Edwin Patey KCMG, KCVO was a senior officer in the Royal Navy.-Biography:Patey was born on 24 February 1859 at Montpellier, near Plymouth, United Kingdom. His father, also named George Edwin Patey, was a Royal Navy officer too...

 and the battlecruiser . The ships were quickly assigned to protect the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force

Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force

The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force was a small volunteer force of approximately 2,000 men, raised in Australia shortly after the outbreak of the First World War to seize and destroy German wireless stations in German New Guinea in the south-west Pacific...

, which was used to capture German colonial assets in the region; Sydney participated in operations against Rabaul and Anguar Island in September. In October, Sydney and sister ship left Patey's squadron for Sydney, where the joined the escort of the first convoy delivering Australian and New Zealand soldiers

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...

 to Egypt. The convoy sailed around the southern coast of Australia to Albany, then departed on 1 November for Colombo.

Battle of Cocos

On the morning of 9 November, the communications station at Direction Island, in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

The Territory of the Cocos Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia, located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Christmas Island and approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka....

 group, was captured by the German light cruiser . Before capture, the station was able to transmit an SOS, which was received by the troop convoy, and Sydney was ordered to investigate. Emdens wireless operators had overheard the distress call and the orders to Sydney, and prepared to meet the Australian warship.

Sydneys first indication of Emdens location was when the German ship began to fire at a range of 6 nautical miles (11.1 km). Fifteen shells hit Sydney, and despite serious damage, only four sailors were killed. The Australian warship was able to fire for effect

Fire for effect

Fire for effect is a military term.According to NATO doctrine:* 1. Fire which is delivered after the mean point of impact or burst is within the desired distance of the target or adjusting/ranging point.* 2...

 after two salvos, destroying Emdens three funnels, foremast, wireless and steering gear, and setting the engine room on fire. The German ship beached herself on North Keeling Island, and Sydney went after the supporting collier

Collier (ship type)

Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...

 Buresk, but the ship had already commenced scuttling

Scuttling

Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...

, and the Australian warship returned to Emden. The Germans were still flying their war ensign, but pulled it down after Sydney transmitted an instruction to surrender, then fired two salvos when no response was forthcoming.

134 German personnel were killed, with the rest of the ship's company were captured by Sydney (apart from a shore party, which commandeered the schooner Ayesha and escaped) and were delivered to British forces at Valetta, Malta. There were no other fatalities from the battle aboard Sydney. After leaving Malta, the Australian cruiser proceeded to join the North America and West Indies Station, arriving in Bermuda on 6 January 1915.

Atlantic Ocean

Sydney spent eighteen months uneventfully patrolling along the west coast of the Americas

Americas

The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...

. On 9 September 1916, the cruiser sailed for the United Kingdom, and after a brief refit in Greenick, joined the 5th Battle Squadron at Scapa Flow. On 15 November, Sydney was reassigned to the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron at Greenock.
On 4 May 1917, while patrolling in the Humber estuary, Sydney took part in a battle

Action of 4 May 1917

The Action of 4 May 1917 was a naval and air engagement of World War I in the North Sea. The action took place between the German Zeppelin LZ92 and the Australian light cruiser, HMAS Sydney.-Action:...

 with Zeppelin L43. The airship dropped 10 or 12 bombs towards Sydney which failed to hit the ship, and more over other ships of the patrol. The ships returned fire with anti-aircraft guns. The engagement ended when both sides exhausted their ammunition. The zeppelin was obliged to remain high to stay out of range of the gunfire, but this meant the bombs were dropped from too great a height to strike the dodging ships.

In August 1917, Sydney docked at Chatham for a three-month refit. During this, was fitted with a new tripod mast and a revolving aircraft launch platform; the first fitted to any warship. On 8 December, after acquiring a Sopwith Pup

Sopwith Pup

The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...

 aircraft from sister ship , Sydney became the first RAN vessel to launch an aircraft. On 17 December, the Pup was launched again, this time with the ramp rotated to face into the wind; the first launch of an aircraft from a ship-mounted rotating platform. The Pup was replaced by a Sopwith Camel

Sopwith Camel

The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...

 in early 1918. On 1 June 1918, the aircraft was launched for its only combat sortie, after two German aircraft were spotted while Sydney and the rest of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron were heading to Heligoland Bight

Heligoland Bight

The Heligoland Bight, also known as Helgoland Bight, is a bay which forms the southern part of the German Bight, itself a bay of the North Sea, located at the mouth of the Elbe river...

 for a raid. The Camel chased the two aircraft for 60 miles (96.6 km) and shot down one, but was then forced to break off when one gun jammed and the other ran out of ammunition. Unable to locate Sydney, the pilot ditched near the destroyer HMS Sharpshooter.

The Australian cruiser was present at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet on 21 November 1918. Sydney left England for home in April 1919. Initially, the cruiser only received one battle honour

Battle honour

A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....

, "Emden 1914", for her wartime service; this was one of only three single-ship action

Single-ship action

A single ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; called so because there is a single ship on each side...

 honours awarded during the 20th century. Following an overhaul of the RAN honours system in 2010, Sydney was retroactively awarded two more battle honours: "Rabaul 1914" and "North Sea 1917–18".

Post-war

Sydney was paid off into reserve on 13 April 1923. She was recommissioned on 29 September 1924 to serve as Flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 of the RAN.

Decommissioning and fate

Sydney paid off at Sydney on 8 May 1928 and arrived at Cockatoo Island

Cockatoo Island, New South Wales

Cockatoo Island is the largest island in Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located at the junction of the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers, Cockatoo Island is a former imperial prison, industrial school, reformatory and gaol. It was also the site of one of Australia's biggest...

, Sydney, on 10 January 1929 where she was broken up. After scrapping, the ship's foremast was retained, and in 1934, it was erected at Bradleys Head by the floating crane Titan

Floating crane Titan

Titan was a floating crane that operated in Sydney Harbour from 1919 until 1991. She was fabricated in Carlisle in the United Kingdom, then sent to Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney for assembly, before entering service with the Royal Australian Navy .After being declared surplus to requirements,...

. This initially served as a monument to the engagement against Emden, but was later rededicated as a monument for all Australian sailors killed at war. Part of the bow, including the stem head, jackstaff, and fairleads, was set into the seawall at Milsons Point

Milsons Point, New South Wales

Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney Council....

, under the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...

. One of the cruiser's derrick

Derrick

A derrick is a lifting device composed of one tower, or guyed mast such as a pole which is hinged freely at the bottom. It is controlled by lines powered by some means such as man-hauling or motors, so that the pole can move in all four directions. A line runs up it and over its top with a hook on...

s is on display in the Victory Memorial Gardens

Victory Memorial Gardens

Victory Memorial Gardens are located on the banks of the Wollundry Lagoon in the central business district of Wagga Wagga New South Wales, Australia. The of land were formerly the site of the Old Police Barracks and Police Paddock, where all of the police horses were kept. It became land for...

 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...

, and a compass stand is located at Port Macquarie, New South Wales

Port Macquarie, New South Wales

Port Macquarie is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The city is located on the coast, at the mouth of the Hastings River, and has an estimated population of 44,313....

. The main top-mast was erected at Environa, New South Wales

Environa, New South Wales

Environa was a failed real estate development on the border of the ACT and New South Wales .It has long been abandoned, however the original street designs can still be seen on local maps and online sources such as Google Maps.The land itself was originally a subdivision of the grazing...

, but rotted at the base and collapsed. It was later moved to Jervis Bay

Jervis Bay

Jervis Bay is a large bay bounded by the state of New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, and a detached enclave of the Australian Capital Territory. HMAS Creswell is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch in the Jervis Bay Territory.-History:...

.

During the 1930s, two of the 6-inch guns were transported to Western Australia, and in 1938 were installed at Buckley Point on Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island is located off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The island is long, and at its widest point with a total land area of . It is classified as an A Class Reserve and is managed by the...

. These were withdrawn from service and placed in storage in 1944, then were sold to a scrap merchant in 1963. However, the dealer never collected, and the guns remained on site until 1980, when army reservists retrieved and refurbished them, with one on display outside the Army Museum of Western Australia

Army Museum of Western Australia

The Army Museum of Western Australia is a museum located in an historic Artillery Barrack in Fremantle, Western Australia. The museum was established in 1977 and has three Victoria Crosses on display.-History:...

. Another of the ship's guns was used on Thursday Island from 1940 to 1987.

External links

• Australian War Memorial
  Australian War Memorial
  The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
  
   (AWM
  Australian War Memorial
  The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
  
  ): Unofficial "Sydney Emden Medal"