Discover how cutting-edge visualisation technology is revealing the deepwater wreck sites of HMAS Sydney (II) and HSK Kormoran, 85 years after their loss during World War II.

As part of the 85th anniversary commemorative program to mark the loss of HMAS Sydney (II) and HSK Kormoran during World War II, join Dr Ross Anderson, WA Museum, and Associate Professor Andrew Woods, Curtin University HIVE, for a public talk about their work to document and share these deepwater wreck sites through cutting edge visualisation technologies.

Eighty five years ago, on 19 November 1941, a naval battle off Western Australia's coast between Australia's light cruiser HMAS Sydney (II), and the disguised German raider HSK Kormoran led to the loss of both ships, and HMAS Sydney's entire crew of 645 men.

Both wrecks were discovered off Shark Bay in 2008 in around 2500m depth by the Finding Sydney Foundation and David Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries. In 2015 the WA Museum and Curtin University, with support from DOF Subsea and other partners revisited the shipwrecks to conduct high-resolution digital photography and scientific surveys, in the process learning more about the battle, the ships and their crews and the wrecks’ deep-sea environment.

Hear about the latest work to interpret and present these remarkable deep-sea images and experience some of the new 3D modelling of the two wreck sites in a short Virtual Reality experience.

About your presenters

Dr Ross Anderson is a maritime historian, archaeologist and Curator with the WA Museum's Department of Maritime Heritage. He was part of the project team that visited the HMAS Sydney (II) and HSK Kormoran (1941) shipwreck sites in 2015, to document new findings from the expedition.

Associate Professor Andrew Woods is Manager of the HIVE visualisation facility at Curtin University. He was the technical lead on the 2015 survey project of the two shipwreck sites and continues to work on the development of new ways to experience the HMAS Sydney (II) and HSK Kormoran story.

Image: Sydney – Kormoran Expedition 2015 – ROV at stern of HMAS Sydney (II), Image courtesy of WA Museum and Curtin University. © WA Museum.