HMAS Sydney II Commemorative Dollar Coins of 2000
By CAA | Friday, 11 October 2024
The HMAS Sydney II commemorative coins acknowledge the distinguished service during World War II and serves as a memorial to all those who died on November 19, 1941.
The $1 2000 coins were chosen to acknowledge a piece of Australia's maritime history. The HMAS Sydney II was a modified Leander Class light cruiser involved in a number of duties throughout the Mediterranean and around Australia.
Presented in a 3-panel folder, the packaging is illustrated with the HMAS Sydney II moving through the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the C and S mint marks uncirculated coins.
The mint marks can be found on the left of the reverse, under the waves.
You could also mint your own coin using a specially prepared press at the visitors centre at the Canberra Mint for $2 (C mint mark) and at the Sydney Royal Easter Show using a mobile press (S mint mark).
Some S mint marked coins were included in a folder given to VIP's attending the launch of the coin on May 20, 2000. Mint figures suggest that 2,922 were struck for the launch and the special folder which reads The HMAS Sydney II coin launch May 2000. Only 200 to 500 of these were handed out during the event, the excess taken back to the mint for re-packaging or were destroyed.
The silver proof was sold in a blue box and was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of the cruiser and crew after being involved in a confrontation with German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, off the Western Australian coast.
The HMAS Sydney II was commissioned in 1935 and was armed with eight 6 feet guns and had a top speed of 32 knots. The boat first served Australia as an integral part of the British Fleet which gained control of the Mediterranean in 1940.
Departing the Mediterranean in January 1941, HMAS Sydney II returned to Australia to perform escort duties in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
At 4.00 pm on November 19, 1941, while returning to Fremantle from Indonesia, people on boat sighted an unidentified vessel. They closed within 2 km of the ship to establish identity. The ship was a German auxiliary cruiser, the Kormoran.
Expecting her cover to be blown, Kormoran opened fire. Under Captain Joseph Burnett's command, people on the HMAS Sydney II counter attacked and an intense battle followed. In 5 brief minutes, both ships were mortally wounded.
The majority of Kormoran's 393 crew were able to flee to safety with 78 seamen losing their lives. Just hours after the battle, the HMAS Sydney IIsank. All 645 crew members aboard died while serving their country, making this the heaviest loss of life suffered by the Royal Australian Navy in a single engagement.
Specifications (Aluminum-Bronze)
- Composition: 92% copper, 6% aluminum and 2% nickel
- Weight: 9 g
- Diameter: 25 mm
- Obverse: Ian Rank-Broadley
- Mintage: 86,900 (C), 51,924 (S)
Specifications (Silver)
- Composition: 99.9% silver
- Weight: 11.66 g
- Diameter: 25 mm
- Obverse: Ian Rank-Broadley
- Mintage: 21,150
One dollar 2000 - Not intended for circulation price guide and values »
