HMAS SYDNEY (I)

Date1915

Object number00009331

NamePostcard

MediumInk, cardboard

DimensionsOverall: 86 x 131 mm

ClassificationsPosters and postcards

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

Australia

DescriptionThis glossy printed postcard features a portrait of HMAS SYDNEY at sea. On the back is the inscription `Wishing you both health, wealth, & prosperity in the coming New Year Sarah & Jim 1915'.HistoryHMAS SYDNEY (I) was a light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy, commissioned in June 1913. During World War I it was initially engaged in operations in the Pacific and in November 1914 escorted the first troop convoy to the Middle East. On 9 November HMAS SYDNEY engaged with and defeated the German cruiser SMS EMDEN off the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. It was a great event celebrated across Australia. Throughout the rest of the war SYDNEY served in the Caribbean and also with the Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet in the North Sea. After the war the cruiser returned to Australian waters and undertook routine duties until paid off in 1928 and broken up in 1929.SignificanceThis postcard of HMAS SYDNEY is a pictorial record of a vessel that holds a significant place in Australian naval history.