Rowan - thanks for your updates. I've noticed that in an earlier posting some journalist has pointed out 'design flaws' in HMAS Sydney. The ship's boats are clustered together in every warship of the time, but they are not 'lifeboats'. They might be called upon to serve that purpose, but they are not provided with individual davits, but are served by a crane. The 'lifeboat' function is provided by Carley floats which are distributed around the ship and provided with a quick release mechanism. They are however easily damaged by an overwhelming fire such as that from Kormoran.

It's going to be easy but the enquiry can only blame the captain for failing to approach Kormoran with caution. After all this was the service the Sydney was engaged on, hunting down disguised enemy merchant cruisers. We should also applaud the captain of the Kormoran of carrying out his mission with skill and bravery.

Stories like the supposed role of a Japanese submarine often crop up. I think we should treat these conspiracy theories with care, as they are just theories unless anyone can provide any real evidence.