Episode Description
Inaugurated in 2021, The Australian Naval Institute’s Commodore Sam Bateman Book Prize is awarded annually by the ANI to recognise excellence in books making a major contribution to the study and understanding of naval and maritime matters. In this episode of Saltwater Strategists, host Duncan MacRae welcomes Dr Tom Lewis, OAM to the podcast to discuss his winning entry to the 2024 Prize – ‘The Sinking of HMAS Sydney’.
‘The Sinking of HMAS Sydney’ is a book about much more than just the fateful encounter between the HMAS Sydney and armed raider Kormoran in November of 1941. Written for a broad audience, it introduces the reader to the diversity of people, professions and technologies, and complexities involved in sailing and fighting a World War 2-era cruiser before concluding with key research and analysis into HMAS Sydney’s demise, search efforts, and the subsequent answers provided by her discovery in March 2008.
In conversation, Duncan and Tom discuss the origins and motivations behind the book, explore the personal experiences described in the opening chapters, and consider the conclusive nature of the eventual discovery of one of the Royal Australian Navy’s most famous fighting ships.
‘The Sinking of HMAS Sydney’ is a book about much more than just the fateful encounter between the HMAS Sydney and armed raider Kormoran in November of 1941. Written for a broad audience, it introduces the reader to the diversity of people, professions and technologies, and complexities involved in sailing and fighting a World War 2-era cruiser before concluding with key research and analysis into HMAS Sydney’s demise, search efforts, and the subsequent answers provided by her discovery in March 2008.
In conversation, Duncan and Tom discuss the origins and motivations behind the book, explore the personal experiences described in the opening chapters, and consider the conclusive nature of the eventual discovery of one of the Royal Australian Navy’s most famous fighting ships.