From the Sydney Morning Herald.

Family members of crew killed during an attack on HMAS Sydney
watched in silence as computer generated images showed for the first
time the extent of damage sustained in the attack.

The HMAS Sydney sank on November 19, 1941, after accurate and
sustained fire, including torpedo attack, by the German raider the
HSK Kormoran.

All of Sydney's 645 crew members died.

An inquiry into the loss of the warship has heard that at least 70
per cent of her crew members were killed or unable to escape after
heavy shell and gunfire to both port and starboard sides, and a
torpedo ripping through her port bow.

Counsel assisting the inquiry, Commander Jack Rush, said the
simulated reconstruction showed the Sydney sustained more than 87
hits from 15-centimetre shells, which resulted in almost 4000
kilograms of munition hitting the vessel. Smaller shells were also
fired.

He said the initial attack, about 100 miles off the coast of Western
Australia, would have led to fires, choking smoke and toxic gases
engulfing the upper decks and extensive flooding in the forward
compartment.

"HMAS Sydney was severely damaged," Commander Rush said.

"She had a large number of casualties, several major fires and many
small fires burned out of control, smoke filled the lower decks and
obscured the upper deck, her bow was flooding and much of the ship
was without electrical power.

"Eventually, HMAS Sydney is likely to have rolled to an angle beyond
which she could have been recovered. She would then have quickly
lost buoyancy, and sank rapidly."

It was unknown whether any of the crew members had escaped the ship.

But if any had entered the water, it was unlikely they would have
had any chance of survival due to damage to life rafts and as there
were no other nearby ships to rescue potential survivors, the
inquiry has heard.

Observations from the wreck site and accounts from Kormoran
survivors have enabled a team of defence scientists and naval
architects at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation to
create computer graphics of the battle between the two warships.

The computer images can be viewed at:
http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2009/Jan/20090112/index.htm