The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this digital guide may include images, sounds, and names of now deceased persons.

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Black‑and‑white photograph of a large naval warship traveling across calm water, viewed from the side. The ship has two tall masts, multiple gun turrets, and a long, sleek hull. Crew members are visible standing along the decks. Smoke can be seen rising from another vessel far in the background on the left, while the foreground ship moves steadily forward under a clear sky.

HMAS Sydney (II)

Photo gallery

This photo gallery offers a small selection of images that reveal brief moments of life at sea. Each photograph offers a glimpse of the ship as she appeared in her time and the world she sailed through.

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Black‑and‑white aerial photograph of a naval cruiser moving through choppy open water. The ship has two prominent funnels, multiple gun turrets positioned along the deck, and a patterned camouflage paint scheme along the hull. The vessel cuts through the waves, leaving a faint wake as it travels across the sea.
Sydney (II) camouflage
Australian War Memorial (Public Domain)
Black‑and‑white photograph showing a group of sailors operating anti‑aircraft guns on the deck of a naval ship. The crew, dressed in light uniforms and helmets, stand around several mounted guns pointing outward over the sea. Some sailors are adjusting equipment while others look toward the water. The ship’s wake is visible behind them as the vessel moves forward.
HMAS Sydney 4-inch guns SLV H98.105
State Library of Victoria (Public Domain)
Black‑and‑white photograph showing sailors working on the barrels of large naval guns aboard a warship. Two sailors sit on top of the gun barrels while others stand beside or below them, cleaning and maintaining the equipment. The scene takes place on an open deck with parts of the ship’s superstructure and a distant shoreline visible in the background.
HMAS Sydney Crew With MkXXIII Guns 21 July 1940
Australian War Memorial (Public Domain)
Black‑and‑white broadside photograph of a large naval cruiser at anchor or moving slowly across calm water. The ship has two tall funnels, multiple gun turrets along the deck, and prominent masts rising above the superstructure. A flag flies at the stern, and the background is hazy, with faint outlines of shoreline or other vessels barely visible through the mist.
HMAS Sydney SLV H98.105_2529
State Library of Victoria (Public Domain)
Black‑and‑white photograph taken from the stern of a ship looking out over the wake trailing behind it. Two large transport ships are visible ahead on the open sea, one to the left and one in the centre of the frame, both moving forward. A rocky island rises from the water on the right‑hand side in the distance. The scene shows choppy water, life rafts secured on the deck in the foreground, and a cloudy sky overhead.
Troop transports Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth (photo taken from Sydney II)
Australian War Memorial (Public Domain)
A group of sailors gather around and atop a large, battle‑damaged structure on a ship, smiling and waving toward the camera. Some stand at the rim while others lean out through openings in the metal, creating a lively, celebratory scene. The damaged surface of the structure is visible behind them, marked by dents and holes, while the sailors’ raised arms and relaxed poses convey a sense of camaraderie and relief.
Sydney battle damage
Australian War Memorial (Public Domain)
Black‑and‑white aerial photograph of a naval cruiser moving through choppy open water. The ship has two prominent funnels, multiple gun turrets positioned along the deck, and a patterned camouflage paint scheme along the hull. The vessel cuts through the waves, leaving a faint wake as it travels across the sea.
Black‑and‑white photograph showing a group of sailors operating anti‑aircraft guns on the deck of a naval ship. The crew, dressed in light uniforms and helmets, stand around several mounted guns pointing outward over the sea. Some sailors are adjusting equipment while others look toward the water. The ship’s wake is visible behind them as the vessel moves forward.
Black‑and‑white photograph showing sailors working on the barrels of large naval guns aboard a warship. Two sailors sit on top of the gun barrels while others stand beside or below them, cleaning and maintaining the equipment. The scene takes place on an open deck with parts of the ship’s superstructure and a distant shoreline visible in the background.
Black‑and‑white broadside photograph of a large naval cruiser at anchor or moving slowly across calm water. The ship has two tall funnels, multiple gun turrets along the deck, and prominent masts rising above the superstructure. A flag flies at the stern, and the background is hazy, with faint outlines of shoreline or other vessels barely visible through the mist.
Black‑and‑white photograph taken from the stern of a ship looking out over the wake trailing behind it. Two large transport ships are visible ahead on the open sea, one to the left and one in the centre of the frame, both moving forward. A rocky island rises from the water on the right‑hand side in the distance. The scene shows choppy water, life rafts secured on the deck in the foreground, and a cloudy sky overhead.
A group of sailors gather around and atop a large, battle‑damaged structure on a ship, smiling and waving toward the camera. Some stand at the rim while others lean out through openings in the metal, creating a lively, celebratory scene. The damaged surface of the structure is visible behind them, marked by dents and holes, while the sailors’ raised arms and relaxed poses convey a sense of camaraderie and relief.
Black‑and‑white photograph of a large naval warship traveling across calm water, viewed from the side. The ship has two tall masts, multiple gun turrets, and a long, sleek hull. Crew members are visible standing along the decks. Smoke can be seen rising from another vessel far in the background on the left, while the foreground ship moves steadily forward under a clear sky.

HMAS Sydney in 1936
Allan C. Green (Public Domain)

The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this digital guide may include images, sounds, and names of now deceased persons.