1922: Cruiser HMAS SYDNEY [I] in a stone age world below the New Guinea Highlands.

4068. In a classic scene, with out-rigger canoes crossing the bay beside her, the Town Class cruiser HMAS SYDNEY rests at anchor during a visit she made to New Guinea in 1922. The famous WWI cruiser had been there in September-October 1914 during the Australian squadron's seizure of the German Pacific colonies, before she went off to earn undying fame in her encounter with the EMDEN.

 

Thanks to Graeme Andrews for correcting our dating of this photo, which we had previously assumed to be in 1914. As Graeme pointed out, in 1914, and during the EMDEN engagement SYDNEY still had pole masts rather than the tripod foremast seen here [the one still preserved at Sydney's Bradley's Head] and a smaller bridge structure. Graeme writes: ' The larger mast was needed to carry the weight of the early version gunnery computer which was fitted high up - I believe it was known as a 'Dumeresque', after its inventor.'

 

Hence, as Graeme suggested, we see SYDNEY, helping to consolidate Australia's mandated possession of the former German colony.

 

EDIT FEB. 2013: We have replaced this photo now with a better quality and wider version from the John Berchmans Kiley Collection at the Australian National Maritime Museum. Kiley served on HMAS SYDNEY in 1926-27, and while its not clear that he actually took the photo the Museum suggests that it could have dated from her visit to New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands in 1927. The New Guinea voyage in 1922 and the New Caledonia-Solomons voyage in 1927 were SYDNEY'S only forays beyond Australian waters after WWI, so the photo is from one of those two occasions.

 

Photo: RAN Historical, Heritage Collection image NO. 01752; John Berchmans Kiley Collection, Australian National Maritime Museum, Object NO. ANMS0823 [253].

Done