|
An unidentified human corpse was found on a life raft in the Indian Ocean, off Christmas Island, in 1942. The body is widely believed to originate from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) cruiser HMAS ''Sydney'', which sank off Western Australia in November 1941, after a mutually destructive battle with the German auxiliary cruiser ''Kormoran''. While 318 of 399 ''Kormoran'' personnel survived, ''Sydney'' was lost with no survivors from the 645 aboard. The location of both ships' wrecks were unknown until they were rediscovered in March 2008. The body was found on 6 February 1942. It is reported that an inquest was held on Christmas Island, soon afterwards. The remains were later buried with military honours, in an unmarked grave, in the Old European Cemetery on the island. Christmas Island was captured by Japanese forces on 31 March 1942 and remained in their hands until 1945. Relevant records, including any relating to the inquest, appear to have been lost or destroyed during this period. A RAN archaeological expedition in September–October 2006 recovered the body. Although DNA has been recovered from the remains, DNA tests to determine the identity of the body have so far been unsuccessful. Researchers are attempting to locate relatives of personnel from ''Sydney'', in order to find a DNA match with the unidentified body. ==Discovery== During the late afternoon of 6 February 1942, lookouts on Christmas Island spotted an object out at sea.〔Olson, ''Bitter Victory'', p. 328〕 Initially thought to be a Japanese submarine, closer inspection from a pilot boat found it was a carley float with a dead person inside. The float was then towed ashore.〔 With the island under threat of invasion, after brief examinations by the island's harbour master, the medical officer, and the gentleman in charge of the radio station, the body was buried in an unmarked grave near Flying Fish Cove.〔Winter, ''H.M.A.S. Sydney'', p. 241〕〔Cole, ''The Loss of HMAS Sydney II'', vol. 2, pp. 324-6〕 Reports were written by these men, but were destroyed when Japanese forces occupied Christmas Island, and later recreated from memory.〔〔Frame, ''HMAS Sydney'', p. 203〕 An inquest was not convened until mid February and was still ongoing when evacuation began on 17 February with Japanese forces occupying the island on 23 March. It is unknown if the doctor on Christmas Island had performed an autopsy; if so it was never found.〔Cole, The Loss of HMAS Sydney II, vol. 2, pp. 323.7〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Unidentified body on Christmas Island」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|