Exclusive to the Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery & Visitor Centre: The exhibit is permanent, free and screens every half hour during opening hours.
Astonishing deep-sea 3D imagery reveals the fate of the Australian warship HMAS Sydney (II) and the German raider Kormoran, tracing the events of their World War II battle off Shark Bay.
In 1941, on the Indian Ocean off the West Australian coast, an encounter between a Royal Australian Navy cruiser and a disguised German raider led to the worst naval disaster in Australia's history.
HMAS Sydney (II) and all 645 officers and men were lost. Across the nation, there was shock, grief and disbelief that Australia's most celebrated warship had vanished.
German survivors from HSK Kormoran, who had abandoned and blown up their own damaged ship, made it to shore. They gave their accounts of the battle and told of seeing the Sydney destroyed and ablaze, drifting away into the night.
Almost 67 years passed before the wrecks were finally found in 2008, west of Shark Bay at the great depth of 2,500 metres. In 2015, an expedition to the wreck sites used remotely-operated vehicles to gain extraordinary imagery of the two ships on the seabed.
Here, 21st century technology offers compelling illumination of this dark moment in World War II history. From the time the two ships sighted each other on the horizon through to the tragic aftermath of that encounter, Fire on the Water traces hot the battle unfolded on that fateful evening off Shark Bay.
In collaboration with the West Australian Museum, 'Fire on the Water' is part two of a historical maritime trail which begins with 'From Great Depths' at the Museum of Geraldton, commemorating this significant Australian Naval disaster.
For more information on HMAS Sydney (II) please visit the Western Australian Museum's website.