Off the western coast of Australia, the Nazi warship Kormoran, disguised as a cargo ship, attracted the attention of the Australian warship Sydney, which approached to within about a kilometer to request identification. The German ship responded with all its firepower, and the Sydney returned fire, and the close combat continued for approximately 35 minutes, after which both ships began to sink. All 645 Australian crew members died in the sinking. It was the worst loss in the history of the Australian Navy. Of the 400 German sailors aboard, 320 survived. The wreck of the Sydney was not discovered until the summer of 2009, after having fueled speculation and conspiracy theories for 68 years.
