HMAS Sydney II 90cm – Leander-class Light Cruiser (Please enquire)

Key Features of the HMAS Sydney (II) model

• A masterfully handcrafted replica of HMAS Sydney II, capturing the strength, elegance, and historic character of one of the Royal Australian Navy’s most iconic cruisers.
• Carefully designed and built by skilled artisans over 16 weeks, with hundreds of hours dedicated to achieving a high level of detail and authenticity.
• Expertly constructed from individually cut and shaped wooden planks, ensuring unmatched craftsmanship and accuracy.
• One of the model’s most distinctive features is its beautifully hand-finished camouflage paint scheme, a highly detailed and time-consuming process that requires great precision and skill to recreate the ship’s striking wartime appearance.
• Fully assembled and display-ready, complete with a custom nameplate and an informative history sheet.
• Size specifications: 91cm L x 13cm W x 30cm H, approximate scale 1:190.

History of HMAS Sydney (II)

HMAS Sydney (II) was a Leander-class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy and one of the most celebrated Australian warships of the Second World War. She was launched in 1934, commissioned into the RAN in 1935, and served with distinction in both home waters and overseas.

During the early years of the war, Sydney gained fame for her service in the Mediterranean, where she took part in escort duties, patrols, and fleet operations alongside Allied naval forces. Her most famous action came in July 1940 at the Battle of Cape Spada, when she engaged the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni. Sydney’s accurate gunnery and aggressive action helped disable the enemy cruiser, which was later sunk, earning Sydney a proud place in Australian naval history.

After her Mediterranean service, HMAS Sydney returned to Australian waters. On 19 November 1941, while operating off the coast of Western Australia, she encountered what appeared to be a merchant vessel. The ship was in fact the disguised German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran. In the fierce action that followed, both ships were lost. HMAS Sydney sank with all 645 officers and sailors aboard, making it the greatest single loss in the history of the Royal Australian Navy.

The loss of HMAS Sydney (II) remains one of the most significant and deeply remembered events in Australian maritime history. Today, the ship and her crew are honoured for their courage, service, and sacrifice, and Sydney continues to hold a special place in the memory of the nation.